Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

It was getting late, the end of your shift finally in sight. Just a few more boxes to check, a couple more floors to sweep, and you could finally lock up.

The building was awfully quiet this time of night, a shocking contrast to the absolute mayhem that took place during show hours. Most of the time you managed to avoid that hustle and bustle simply due to your contract hours, but occasionally you would arrive at work early, either to talk to friends, or just to experience a bit of the chaos-- people darting left and right, empty paper cups of coffee and files strewn about, the prop crew adding those essential finishing touches, the make up crew absolutely blistering through the guests. People would probably call you weird, but honestly, it was all very entertaining. A glimpse into a world that you had no part of, beyond cleaning up their messes of course.

You had to admit, it was especially fun to observe the filming crew freak the fuck out over a certain 'Mr. Tenna's' mood swings. You fell into a laughing fit the time they were trying to figure out how to break his enormous door down.

You wish you'd had a chance to meet this guy personally. Sure, you'd seen him on TV, and he was already entertaining to watch on there, but from the sounds of it this guy was an absolute riot off the air too— though clearly, when he switched into one of his 'moods', his employees didn't so much think of him as a 'riot' as they did a 'pain', but you were the kind of person to find entertainment in the drama. You sighed, resetting the backstage light controls. The room dimmed.

To be truthful, you had technically met Mr.Tenna, more than once actually, but he was so busy it seemed that a) he didn't actually even spare a glance at you, and b) you were so engrossed in watching him and his unbelievable presence, that it hadn't even occurred to you that you could actually speak to this guy.
You sighed to yourself at the thought, contemplative. You supposed it didn't really matter. What would you have to say to each other, anyway?
You thought of discussing your interests with the ultra-famous celebrity with better things to do, and laughed.

After finally packing away some of the stray props, you decided that the building was as clean as it was gonna get. Toilets were spotless, stage was pristine, and the staff rooms fully stocked up on confectionaries for tomorrow. You did good.

You took a cursory glance in each room, calling out to let any potential stragglers that this was their last chance to leave before being locked in here. Satisfied, you took to turning off the lights and locking each door as you made the rounds.

You smiled as you thought of how you were going to spend the rest of the night. You’d taken your headphones off, just for the final rounds, but the second you were outside they were going to be back on in a heartbeat.

Maybe you’d head to the lake and stare at the way the lights reflected off its currently frozen surface. Or maybe you’d pass by that one thrift store that was open even at the oddest hours of the day; you wouldn’t mind picking up some new shoes. Well. New, used shoes.

You huffed to yourself, locking another door as you got closer and closer to the finish line.

That’s when you heard a strange sound. Not the draft swirling through the hallway. Not the creaking of metal beams and supports.

That… that sounded like a person.

Oh. Oh shit. You were absolutely not trained for this. Sure, you weren't exactly weak by any stretch of the word, but you could count the number of times you'd been in a fight on one hand. You weren't exactly a trained security guard-- and now that you thought about it, tomorrow you were gonna put in a complaint about the lack of security detail after hours. If you survived.

But wait. You were being dramatic. So someone broke in, doesn’t mean they’re violent… maybe just… a reporter looking for a scoop?

You got closer to the noise, feeling more confident now, but that confidence was soon replaced by apprehension.
The noise you heard in the star break room was now more like trashing, still muffled, but slightly more desperate, and okay yep you needed to get in there before whoever this was actually killed someone--

Grabbing a mop from the hallway cupboard, gripping it tightly, you approached as silently as possible. You opened the door slowly, and thankfully the hinges were crystal clean-- for once, the hero wasn't going to be betrayed by a creaky door.

The room was dark, as expected, but oddly enough there was a strange glow emitting from within. The light flickered occasionally, and you realised that the muffled sounds you heard were... actually coming from only one person.

Yep, sure enough, there didn't seem to be a scuffle going on. Just one person in the room, and it just so happened to be your boss, curled up on the audaciously red, custom sofa. Huh.

This night was turning out to be way more interesting than usual. But you decided to focus-- the guy sounded hurt. Had he cut his hand or something? He was looking down, hunched over, his arm curled inwards in a way that suggested to you that he was clutching at his chest--

Oh shit, how old was your boss? You supposed it didn't really matter, heart attacks could happen at any age you'd heard--

But wait.

The static noise was getting louder now. You couldn't hear it outside of the room, but now you were in here, you could practically feel the buzz across your skin. Just what was going on..?

"...ah...ahh..."

...uh huh. Now that was a sound that you locked in on. You carefully treaded closer, to confirm your suspicions.

Mr.Tenna was clutching at his chest area, yes- but not in pain as you had thought originally. He seemed to be... messing around with the wires inside. Yes, the area where his sternum would be was open, his shirt half undone and untucked-- damn, if that wasn't a mouth watering sight-- and he was gently prodding within. As he did so, his legs would occasionally twitch with uncontrollable energy, and his screen would flicker intermittently.

Now that you'd calmed down, you realised that you really should leave. The boss definitely wouldn't be happy being caught, you were certain.
But honestly, the boss didnt seem like... like he was having all that much fun. He seemed to be getting frustrated, actually.
His muttered gasps just about confirmed it:

"Dammit...c-c'mon... i can't... i can't take this... pl-please just--..!"

You felt a twinge of pity. Poor guy. Was he struggling to get himself off? Sure seemed like it. He was so cute too, surely someone could've helped him out.

...

Hmm.

You grabbed your imaginary scales and weighed up your options: just how much did you like your job, and just how much would you like to see this guy beg?

The job side of the scale was launched to the ceiling.

"A'hem" you cleared your throat, and oh, Mr. Tenna was so engrossed in his situation that he didn't seem to have heard you.

Sighing, amused, you walked around the sofa, into his line of sight.

"Hey, Bo--"

"!!!MA MAMA MAMMA MIA WHOA--"
You were treated to a good 20 second freak out, and yep, you were right, this guy was going to be a riot.
Now that he was stood, you were reminded how big this guy was, and for a moment you considered how bad things might get if the situation became violent. Yet somehow, you didn’t feel like things would head in that direction. Blind optimism, maybe.

During his tirade, he actually had the presence of mind to cover himself with a fluffy pink blanket that rested on the sofa (though internally you weren't quite sure why covering wires would preserve his dignity-)

"W-What are you DOING here?! N-NO one should be here this late!!" He leaned forwards, maybe to intimidate you, showing off just how huge he was. You felt a flutter in your chest, and smirked to yourself. "I mean, breaking and entering is ILLEGAL, you know! Why, I should--"

"Hey, relax boss. I'm the cleaner. I lock up shop every day, you know?" You asked, certain that he in fact didn't know and had no idea who you were.

"..you... you are?" He suddenly because quiet peering down at you and seemingly noticing your lanyard. “This late?” He asked, checking his watch, seeming almost affronted on your behalf.
How cute.

"Yup. Sorry to have disturbed you, boss" you grinned.

"D-DISTURBED? Why, don't be silly! I wasn’t doing anything to BE disturbed, Haha!" he feigned with a surprisingly convincing amount of confidence, his smile and posture easy going, despite the shake in his voice. Actors sure were scary, you thought.

"Mhm. I mean, it sure looked like you were playing with your wires from where I was standing. Seemed to be enjoying it too. But. My mistake." You grinned, trying to match his easygoing energy.

But instead, the man just deflated at your words, becoming smaller and... almost fragile looking.

...that wasn’t the reaction you were fishing for...

"Look, just tell me what you want, alright? If it's a promotion, I can put in a good word wherever you fancy, or-- or if it's straight up money you're after--"

"—Woaaaah. Nothing like that, my guy. I'm quite content with my job as it is, thank you very much"

You ignored the fact that you were 100% ready to throw it all away just a moment ago.

"But... then, what do you want?" He looked concerned. You paused, starting to contemplate that point yourself.

"Well, nothing really. I came in here because I thought someone was being murdered, so honestly this is a way better outcome than I originally imagined"

Mr.Tenna seemed to be shocked by this info, his mouth twitching open slightly.

You stared at his chest, now that the pink blanket had fallen some. The panel was still slightly open, his shirt still half undone. You mentally thanked whoever designed this guy for their brilliant decision in placing the access panel below his chest line, leaving his… quite frankly, huge tits unmarred by seam lines. Then you realised, really, you should be thanking them for every one of their design choices.

"I am curious about something, though."
You got closer, and weirdly enough the enormous TV man actually backed off, his leg knocking into the sofa behind him. You took the opportunity to slide your leg forwards, catching him by surprise and, clumsily, he fell backwards.

"Dont suppose you could show me what exactly you were doing again, hmm?"
You smiled, trying to come across as friendly and sweet. The TV man froze in place, his light flickering off.

"W…WHAT?! Y-you... you want me to..." he gulped, clutching at the pink fluffy fabric.

"If you're alright with me, yeah" you leaned in close, whispering against his screen. "... I wanna see just how desperate you are, Mr. Tenna. I wanna see you put on a show, just for me" you placed a hand on his loose panel, smirking. You decided to take a risk and asked: "will you be a good boy and show me?"

Bingo.

He looked down, flustered and turning redder by the second.

"--o-Oh! Thats-- mnnn, that really not…"

Seemed he needed one last push, so you grabbed his hands and, with absolutely no resistance on his part, led them to the area of his chest just above the panel. It was then, when your knuckles brush against his… skin, you realised that the man was soft, like a genuine layer of plush fabric and velvet were woven together, covering his internals. You decided that you needed to feel more, and fortunately you were in the perfect position to do so, basically sitting on this dude’s abdomen.

“C’mon, big guy. Show me what you were up to, yeah?” You whispered.

Slowly, oh so slowly, Mr. Tenna’s hands began to move lower. He tentatively hovered them over his panel, seeming to judge your every reaction with every move he made. You made sure to watch carefully, displaying your eagerness, your enthusiasm.

His face wasn’t the same shade as it was when he’d been embarrassed earlier. He wore a more pastel pink colour, and you wanted to learn what more colours he could make.

The TV man had finally reached inside to touch at the wires within, and while you weren’t exactly turned on by the sight of wires being pushed around, you definitely liked the way your boss squirmed as he did so. You tried to keep a mental map of which wires did what, but gave up quickly and focused on the lovely whines coming from the man’s mouth.

“Oh? Does that feel good, boss?” You asked, probably with an unintentional smirk on your face.
Tenna frowned, apparently deciding not to respond, but he seemed to like the attention.

You pondered for a moment, then went for it:

“Does that feel nice, baby?”
Tenna spasmed below you, his TV light flickering. He gasped. You smiled.

“Ngh...yeah. Yeah, it.. feels good” he muttered breathily. “I… I really needed this…” he added, looking down in shame. You wasn’t going to let that slide; you gently grabbed both sides of his face and lifted his gaze up, pulling him closer in the process.

“No need to be embarrassed, sweetheart. If you need something, I wanna hear it” you grinned.

Mr.Tenna froze for a moment, then gave a wobbly smile.
You watched as the TV man became more frantic with his movements, and equally more frustrated. He actually growled, low and sultry, and it was then that you realised: His mouth actually had fangs! What a cutie.

“Don’t suppose you need an extra pair of hands?” You asked hopefully.

Mr Tenna’s strained expression became more alert. He raised his hands and gently placed them on your own, holding them to his chest like a prayer.
“…please. Please help me”

…woooooooooof, did this guy know all your buttons or what?

“Right. Tell me if you don’t like anything I do. And, tell me if you like anything” you flashed your own teeth, hoping the star would find your canines just as appealing, doubting that he would.

You got straight to work, eager to ruin him. You tucked your hands under wires that seemed to garner a good reaction earlier and slowly stroked your fingers along and through them.
Already, this seemed to have a way bigger effect on your boss than his own prior attempts.

“Mmm, that’s- oh, oh, y-yeah, that’s what I—- What I needed, please keep going—“

Like you were going to stop.

It was after a few moments of messing with his cables and admiring his jerks and keens, you felt pressure below your thigh.

Oh. He did have a dick, then.
You grinned, grinding your knee into his crotch, up and down.

“!! OH, mm, yes, yes, p-please don’t stop-“ he grasped blindly at your shoulders, trying to keep you as close as possible.

“What a good boy you are, staying so still while I tease you”
Upon hearing your words, Mr.Tenna stopped moving entirely, apparently taking your words very seriously.
"Please, please, I'll be good, I'll be good for you, just, l-lemme..! ..oh!”

You gripped at the point where his neck met his head, massaging his soft skin in awe. Your boss followed your touch, leaning into your hand like a pet, his head buzzing with static.
Ohhhh, that was cute..!

"Hmmm, not yet" you decided, stroking his face, admiring him. Loving his gasps and whines.

He gasped, trembling. You were driving him crazy, and now he was right on the edge, but you wouldn’t take him over the finish line!

You backed off a little, hoping to get a clearer view of the TV man, but you were stopped by pleading hands pulling you back to his chest.
“Ah— n-no, please stay, stay—“

You weren’t planning on leaving him high and dry, but you appreciated his grip around your shoulders. His arms were wrapped around your neck tightly- yet, due to the man’s size, there were still gaps for you to move and breathe.

“Don’t worry, sweet thing. Just wanted to get a better view of how sexy you are” you said, aware just how much the guy loved compliments.

“…ah… you.. you think I’m…” he whispered, and you were momentarily shocked that the man didn’t immediately agree with your assessment. Surely he heard this all the time..?

“I know so. Just look at you, sweet thing, look how perfect you are” you felt the man gasp, then begin trembling against you. “I love your handsome face” you stated, running your fingers down it. The boss let out a stuttering breath, but seemed to hang onto your every word like a lifeline. “Love your gorgeous teeth” you smiled, and Mr. Tenna smiled back at you, enamoured. “Love your sexy body” you ran a palm over his dick, still clothed. He shuddered.
“I love the way you gasp and moan, begging for release”

The guy looked devastated. Absolutely wrecked.
“Please, please, I can’t anymore, I really c-an’t” he actually sobbed, moisture sliding down his screen.
You leaned in, kissing the area where his cheek would be. You tugged on a group of his cables.
“That’s it baby, come for me”

Tenna’s screen went blank, his body tightening like a coil before unwinding, falling against the sofa like jelly. He twitched intermittently, letting out nothing more than a bunch of whiring sounds; fans, you assumed, cooling him down. Utterly spent. You grinned, still keeping your balance perched atop the now-jelly-man’s abdomen. You kinda wished you had a pocket torch or something , so that you could see just how cute he looked zonked out like this. You patted at his chest, enjoying a few more moments of feeling up that plush flesh— and yes, you were sure of it now, this couldn’t be anything synthetic, despite how your Boss initially seemed to be mostly metal.
Eventually, his screen turned back on, startling you with the sudden brightness in the otherwise dark room.
“Back with me?” You smiled, squeezing one last time for good measure. What could you say, you had an eye for the goods.

You felt a rush of euphoria as the man smiled up at you, his gaze warm and inviting.

Huh, maybe you weren’t out of a job after all of this, then. Would have been worth it either way, though.

Still, you didn’t want to push it. You ruffled his head on last time before slowly disembarking the Tenna Train, which took way longer than it had any right to because of the guy’s stature.

Your Boss reached out, thumbing at your wrist with a loose grip.
“W-wait, you don’t want me to..?” He asked, still blushing somehow, despite everything you’d just done together.

You contemplated it. I mean, yeah, you wanted this guy all over you, but somehow it didn’t feel like great timing after… well, everything.
“Hm, no worries tonight, Boss. Figure I owe you one for walking in on you” You grinned. Then, you had the stray thought that he might take that as rejection. Something about the man made you think he was a lot more emotionally driven than you’d have originally guessed, so you decided to give him a reason to stop him from fretting: “And, as much as I’d love to, I have about 1 hour left before Jenny’s thrift closes- need new running shoes” you smiled, pointing at your current runners, and started laughing when a strange look crossed the man’s face - seems the same thing about ‘new, used’ shoes seemed to occur to Mr. Tenna.

“Right. Um. Thank you. Really. I-i’m sorry, I really should have asked this earlier, but.. can I ask your name?” He twiddled his fingers, looking down.

“Call me Jay. Have a good night, boss.”

You avoided looking his way as you left, feeling the smile on your face becoming uncontrollably wide because of how happy you felt.

You went home that night feeling giddy.

You hoped to see more of Mr.Tenna soon.

Chapter Text

You rode the high of messing around with your boss for the entire weekend.

Granted, you were contracted to work some hours over Saturday and Sunday, mostly morning hours, so it wasn’t like you could do anything spectacular with the bursts of energy and delight you felt, other than keep mopping with an unfamiliar sense of joy, and maybe take a longer evening run around the city than usual. Even your ‘weekend coworkers’ (yes, you classified them) commented on your mood- you weren’t the doom and gloom type, sure, but even they could see you were in even higher spirits than usual.

But when Monday came around, you were left with a dilemma.
You didn’t have any work hours today. You could do anything you wanted. You had a ton of small projects to catch up on. Tons of menial tasks to finish. Chores…

…Honestly, you kinda just wanted to see the TV man again. While you would very much love to chat with him, get to know him more, and tease him in the daylight so that you could clearly see his undoubtedly adorable expressions, the realist in you knew that it wasn’t gonna happen. What happened between you wasn’t going to change your relationship dynamic— that being, his total, utter ignorance of your existence. You might not ever share a single word with him again. The thought did sour your mood some, you’d admit.

Still, did want to talk to someone. You wouldn’t share the details obviously, but you needed to get some things off your chest. The bubbly feeling was starting to get concerning.

So, you decided, you were going to catch up with your friends. Who also worked at TV Time.

…If you were a more regulated individual, you would probably wonder if spending all your free time at your workplace was a poor sign of how your life was going.

To make sure your day off was as enjoyable as possible, you treated yourself to a stupidly expensive coffee (though, did it even qualify as coffee at this point, with all the add-ons?) and casually strode into HQ.

Monday’s were a great time to be here if you were looking for entertainment. Mr.Tenna tended to have lots of specials on throughout the week, with some pretty wild guests: music stars that you’d never heard of would perform (a great opportunity to add to your music player), celebrities from all over the world would sit and be interviewed, chefs and bakers would delight the audiences… but it was almost an unspoken agreement that Mondays were reserved for controversy.

As weird as that sounded, it made sense: people loved drama, and you were definitely ‘people’. It was only natural that, at the start of the week, TV Time would hook as many people as possible into tuning in for spousal dramas, business affairs, and the like.

You absolutely loved tuning in on Mondays.

You walked through the building without issue, thanks to your trusty lanyard, and made your way to the staff break room hoping to find someone in particular. She wasn’t there, so you knew you’d find her in one of the getup rooms. You greeted your coworkers as you passed them, and engaged in some chit chat— ‘how was your weekend’, ‘nice tie, Dave, love the diagonal stripes’, ‘you’re looking awfully excited today, Jay’— but there was only one gal you were going to spill the beans to in this place:

“Jay! How lovely to see you. I take it you don’t have anything better to do today?”

Blenda Rouge.
Make-up artist, and brilliant confidant.
Currently, she was working on one of the stars of the weather shows, Elnina. Who was looking rather moody. You wondered if she’d fallen out with her partner again.
“There could be nothing better than seeing your beautiful face, Blen” you grinned as you approached, and she barked out a laugh, yet somehow her hands remained steady as a surgeons’.

“Ever the charmer. Come, sit with me, I’m almost finished. Then we can take a coffee break”

You grinned, knowing that so long as no bonus shows were booked within the next couple of hours, she was basically free until Mr.Tenna’s personal show.

“Of course. Good to see you, Elnina” you nodded to the star, out of respect. You doubted she knew your name or anything; you only knew hers from the show.
Still, she responded in kind: “Oh, thank you. It is nice to see someone so chipper to work on a Monday”
Neither you nor Blenda mentioned that you had the day off.

Elnina left the room looking every bit like the beautiful weather host she was meant to be.

When you and Blenda finally were able to escape to the nearest break room, you felt like something within you was clawing at your throat, begging to be verbalised. You managed to hold it in, for now.

Your conversation took all sorts of turns- you discussed plans, news, the latest gossip, Blenda’s situationship with Steve- but after about an hour of giggling to yourselves over just about everything, you couldn’t hold it in anymore.

“The boss sure is cute, huh?” You said casually, before taking a sip of your water.

She spat out her-thankfully iced- tea. Most of it landing on your face.

“He’s WHAT?!”

Okay, you were trying to bait a reaction, you admit, but that was a bit much. Now half the room was looking at you both, many eyebrows raised.

She grimaced and nodded in apology, and you felt a little bad for causing this. Until she leaned in and whispered:

“You bastard… why’d you go and say something like that, huh?” She frowned, but there was humour in her tone. You smiled.

You replied in your own hushed tone “sorry. But, just so you know, I mean it. He’s cute”

She stared at you blankly, exasperated.
“In. What. Way”

You didn’t have to pause to think for long.

“Well, I’ve always thought that the was he acts on screen is super cute. He’s so… i don’t know, lively? And when he’s having a fit over something or other-“ she grimaced at the thought “-dont you find him kinda endearing?”
She began ignoring you, looking away with a hand on her temple.
“Oh, and his fangs! Aren’t they so—“

“-wait, what? When did you see his fangs?” Her head perked up like a rabbit’s, shocked by something you’d said. You raised a brow.

“What, is that unusual?”

“…dude, Mr. Tenna doesn’t show anyone his fangs unless absolutely necessary” she said seriously. You were going to ask how she knew then, but it made sense that Mr.Tenna’s make-up crew would know, you supposed. “Or unless… he’s really, really angry. Did- did he… yell at you, or something?” She asked, getting the wrong idea.

“Nah, nothing like that. He’s been nothing but an angel, swear” you raised your hand, trying to stop that train of thought physically.

“But then..why..?” She trailed off.

You started to frown, now. You couldn’t exactly say what happened… but, it was already somewhat telling that you had even interacted with the guy. Though obviously, she would never assume just how far things went. As it was, she probably thought that you had attempted to flirt with the boss and failed miserably, resulting in a harsh telling-off. Yeah, that seemed to be the logical conclusion.

“Can’t share, classified gossip”

“WHAT, you bastard, you’re never this stingy with the details!”

“Sorry, love, I’ve got some prime details here, can’t just be giving ‘em away for free”

She placed her hands on your head and ruffled them around viciously, growling playfully.

“Look, I know you probably don’t feel bad about it or anything anyway, but just to be sure: don’t take it personally”

You raised a brow.

“Mr.Tenna is… notoriously difficult to please, and so, SO picky. I don’t think he’s ever dated anyone-ʷᵉˡˡ, ᵉˣᶜᵉᵖᵗ ᵗʰᵃᵗ ᵒⁿᵉ ᵍᵘʸ- in the entire time that I’ve worked here, and you know just how long I’ve worked here” she grimaced as she said it, but you knew she loved her job. “He’s obviously high maintenance, haha”

You squinted at her.

“Why, I don’t know what it is that you’re implying, but let me just say I am disappointed by your lack of faith in my wooing skills”

“Pfft, ‘wooing’, I doubt you could woo a tick off a dog”

“Woah, woah, woah, I won’t just sit here and take this kind of slander” you shoved at her playfully. She wasn’t going to take that lying down, so you both ended up practically wrestling across the table.

Your shoving match was interrupted by a booming voice from the door.

“Hello, SUPERSTARS! Have I got a GRAND setup for today!”

Mr. Tenna wore a brilliant smile as he entered, ducking under the door frame. (You were kind of shocked that he hadn’t walked straight through it yet, like with the VIP lounge—)
The room was utterly silent; he’d immediately caught everyone’s attention in a way that only he could.

You weren’t surprised to see him; you’d witnessed his routine countless times before. He would greet everyone in the staff room before a show, and psyche everyone up. It worked well when he wasn’t pissed off by something beforehand. You thought it was a bit unfortunate that so many employees were scared of the man, even though he was such a charming guy.

He’d already started his speech, moving about the room with so much grace, it was hard to believe he was so huge. You placed your hand below your chin, enraptured. You also wanted to make it clear to Blenda that you were genuinely into this guy, so you laid it on thick. You were a little bit elevated from the ground floor, having taken seats on the mini seating balcony next to the bar, granting you an uninterrupted view of his cute mannerisms and whimsy.

“I know we’ve all been working extra hard for this afternoon’s show to be PERFECT; we’re almost ready to show our fans just what they’ve been waiting for!”
You felt your mouth twitching into a smile as you watched; he was so fascinating to watch. He moved in a way that just screamed ‘look at me’.
Unfortunately, you were so engrossed watching that you forgot to listen. You couldn’t help it. His cute little antennas would occasionally end up trailing down in front of his face, but he was so animated that the moment was short lived, and they were quickly flicked backwards yet again.

Wait. You hadn’t even gotten to feel them. You hadn’t taken your one opportunity to feel them. A brief feeling of utter dismay overtook you.

You snapped back to reality just as the speech was at its end.
“So, let’s get out there and ENTERTAIN!” He finished with a winning smile, and the room erupted into applause. You joined in, and it occurred to you that no one was frozen in place, no one cowering, no one running about trying to find ways to calm Mr. Tenna down… The speech had actually gone swimmingly today. You smiled.

This was the part where he bowed a few times, usually in the 3 directions of his audience. You begrudgingly away, facing your friend who was looking at you with an unimpressed look.

“Jay. I’m telling you. Don’t bother”

“Whatttt, can’t hear you over the noise, babe” you mimed listening in.

She facepalmed, then repeated herself as she started swatting at you.
“Hey, what’s that for?” You laughed, attempting to deflect her swats.

“I’m trying to slap some sense back into you” she hissed.

You gestured to your skull: “Blen, you know there was never any sense in there to begin with”

“Jay, I swear to god if you try anything—“

“Um… excuse me” A familiar voice called out from right behind you both, shocking you into sitting up ramrod straight. If Blenda hadn’t also stiffened, you would have assumed you were hallucinating.

As you turned around slowly, sure enough—
“..it IS you! Jay!” Your Boss smiled and leaned down towards you, his sweet face inexplicably within a meter of yours.

“Uh. Wow” You muttered, unable to hold in your surprise. “Wow. Hey, Boss” you gave a little wave, starting to grin at the man. He’d remembered your name! And your face!

You looked at your friend and had to stop yourself from crying out in laughter as you took in her bewildered expression, her hands clutching at her bag in what almost seemed like horror.
Oh, this whole scenario was perfect- trust the TV man to get the perfect timing!

“I’m surprised to see you! I… well. I assumed you worked nights” he said, rubbing the back of his neck in a self soothing gesture that caught your eye immediately.

“You’re not wrong; I do, mostly, but weekends I’m there early” you grinned. “How’ve things been, Boss?”

“Oh! Well, just SPECTACULAR, as always!” -your mind flicked through several mental snapshots of times when he’d definitely not been doing so spectacularly, not emotionally anyhow- “Especially after spotting you! What a turn of events!”

You grinned, loving his attention on you. You were somewhat surprised that he’d had the courage to speak to you, and even more surprised that he apparently wanted to.
“Glad to hear it, Mr.Tenna. I’m excited for today’s show, sounds like it’s going to be a blast” you said sincerely, ensuring your expression matched the joy you felt at this moment.

“O-Oh! Why, THANK YOU, d-dear fan… You, um. You can call me just Tenna…” he added the last part in almost a whisper, looking down.

“Well, ‘just Tenna’, is there anything I can do for you? Anything I can help you with?” You asked, completely without innuendo— as much as you wanted to poke and prod Tenna into blushing again, this was a professional setting, and you were still right in front of Blenda, who actually looked like she might pass out.

Still, despite your casual tone and lack of salaciousness, Tenna’s face lit up like fireworks, his screen emitting a strange noise, and his vents making a low whiring sound.
“O-Oh! My, n-NOTHING needed, just checking in on my g-good, trusty employees! HaHa!”
He rubbed his hands together a couple of times, then, after a somewhat awkward pause, leaned in a little closer.
“W-well. Actually, there is something I’d like to talk to you about, Jay. I-I don’t want to make you stay behind and wait, but— but would you mind meeting me in my room after the show?”

“Absolutely” you couldn’t have agreed faster. “I look forward to seeing you then, Boss— I mean, Tenna”

“R-right! Don’t forget to watch the show!” He said as he sauntered off, your eyes trailing him as he left.

You turned the Blen.

“What the fuck was that”

“My wooing skills” you deadpanned. Your humour didn’t get the reaction you were hoping for though.

“No, Jay, genuinely…what happened between you two? I’ve never seen Mr.Tenna like… that”
She did seem concerned, which threw you a little.
“He… That just isn’t him. C’mon, you’ve worked here for long enough to know what he’s like”

You’d worked here a long time, sure, but you’d only ever seen Mr.Tenna. The actor. The star. The man putting on a show. The few, short glimpses of… of Tenna, that you’d seen, were aspects that you figured were part of the real him.
“…and he basically ignored me… and he totally told you to call him Tenna!” She hissed under her breath, apparently coming to some kind of conclusion.

“Yeah, that’s pretty cool” you offered, still grinning, standing up “Want a drink?” You asked, gesturing to the bar.

She sighed, dropping it. She knew that was probably as far as the conversation would get. For now.
“Yes. You owe me like 20 lemon teas after that fiasco”

Chapter Text

Just as you’d said you would, you waited patiently at the studio for Tenna’s show to start. It was a pretty thrilling episode; someone in the architecture industry had apparently fallen in hot water recently by stealing some designs, and seemed to be trying to garner sympathy points by appearing on the show. You didn’t feel particularly endeared to the guy either way, but the added context to some of the quiz rounds made it extra hilarious to witness, especially when his secret rival was revealed to have been his former Boss all along.

While you did enjoy the show, you naturally had other things on your mind. You were practically vibrating in your seat from how excited you were, imagining what Tenna had to tell you, running all the possibilities through your mind. All the ways you could rile him up.

When the show was finally over- and wow, you’d never thought that phrase would enter your mind, at least not when referring to TV Time- you decided to give the man a good 15 minutes so that he could at least get comfortable. Maybe even take off his some layers.

…yeah, 15 minutes was about your limit.

When the moment struck, you practically bounced up to Tenna’s personal room, knocking on the absurdly large wooden frame. Almost immediately, the door cracked open.

Tenna was an absolute sight, as always. He didn’t look all that different; he was still wearing the same trouser-shirt combo from the show, but something about seeing him without the tie and blazer, his cuffs rolled up to his elbows, lit a fire in your belly.

“Hope this isn’t a bad time?” You asked casually, already knowing the answer.

Tenna did a double take. “Of course not! I asked for you to come, after all!” He opened the door all the way, gesturing inside. “Make yourself at home”

The room just screamed that it was Tenna’s. Beyond the large furniture and red-everything, there were so many little signs of the personality put into the room. Posters and newspapers adorned the sparkly walls, all properly framed. There was a clothes rack partially hidden behind a half closed sliding door, revealing a whole lot of suits of varying colours. On the coffee table, a deck of cards was emptied, its content scattered in a way that suggested someone had thrown their hand on the table in frustration.

Overall, it was lovely. But Tenna seemed to notice your gaze linger on the bar, and started heading over to it.

“Fancy a drink?”

He actually looked somewhat relieved by the prospect of making you a drink. Maybe to delay whatever it was he had to say. Either way, you did actually want to try some of those more expensive looking bottles.

“Hmm. What’s available?” You followed him eagerly. “I like spirits. I’ll take your recommendation, since I don’t recognise any of this more luxurious stuff” you laughed as you held the neck of a dark brown bottle that was shaped like a skull.

“Oh! Then I’ve got just the thing-“

Sure enough, the drink he handed you was just what you needed to relax a bit.
You ended up sitting across from him on the L-shaped couch, both sipping at your drinks, discussing tonight’s show.

“Tonight’s show was amazing. I’m glad I was able to watch from the light-stage” you grinned, genuine.

“Am I glad to hear it! Tonight’s guests sure were a feisty bunch. We went a little off track, but that only adds to the excitement, right!”

“Too right. Though now that you mention it, I gotta ask: Who decides which guests appear?” You’d wondered for a while.

“Ah, well, usually guests are filtered by admin, so I’m left with maybe 5 or 10 ideal candidates to choose from. Though, Mike is the one that chose today’s stars. And man, does he know how to pick ‘em!”
Tenna hunched over in his laughing fit, clutching at his stomach. You joined in, and marvelled at how your genuine laughter seemed to make the man’s smile more curved, his joy more palpable. It also made his fangs visible, which you enjoyed.
“I mean, WHAT was with that guy? I get that it was a surprise to see his Boss after so long, but to almost attack the guy— geez, am I glad we have security on stage”

“Haha, I wondered that myself. He did seem a little unhinged from the get-go, but I wouldn’t have imagined that outcome” you nodded, thinking back to the way the brawl had seemingly come out of nowhere.

“If I didn’t know any better, I’d almost think they’d had a fling— and I don’t know any better! I’ve never heard of those two before today!” He grinned and cheered, almost spilling the drink in his raised hand in the process.

You giggled at his antics.

“What a scandal. The boss and his employee… tabloids would have a field day” you muttered with intent.

Tenna froze.

“I. Ahem. Y-yes, only the best drama for our viewers!” He abruptly stood and began pacing near the bar, words tumbling from his mouth like a waterfall:
“I-I mean, I get— that is to say, on that topic, I suppose I should start by saying — well, no, sorry, I really should get you some—“
His screen flashed each time he restarted his speech. You resisted the urge to chuckle as you let his stammering continue for a good half-a-minute.

“Tenna”

The man stopped flapping immediately, clasping his hands together. He looked at you, your face smiling sweetly at him, and he took a deep breath. A reset.

He sat back down across from you.

“I… wanted to thank you, for last week. You um. Really helped me out… haha…”
His laugh was weak, but his little smile was genuine while it lasted. It was soon replaced by a carefully curated neutral expression.

“It was my pleasure, Boss. I was surprised, but I gotta say, it was the best way any of my shifts have ended”
Tenna gasped softly, his right hand rhythmically squeezing his left index finger. He looked ready to spill something. You figured you would need to coax it out of him.
“Y’know, it’s funny. If you hadn’t sounded so distraught, I probably would have left you to it.” You leaned in closer to him. “If you don’t mind me asking: do you usually have trouble taking care of your, ah. Needs?” You felt your eyelids creasing in the corners, mischief plain on your face.

His screen turned a slightly darker shade, and you could hear that strange static noise building behind it.

“T-thats…”

He was clearly embarrassed, but you wanted him to use his words.

“C’mon, nothing to be ashamed about. I’d like to know” you coaxed him, laying a hand on his forearm. He twitched.

“I… yes. It’s. Difficult, to do. Alone”

Oh yeah. You could work with that.

“What’s so different about it? Can’t imagine my hands are that different than your own”—
His screen blanked for a moment. You wondered if he was thinking about them opening him up, playing with him— “though, I suppose mine are small enough to get to some harder to reach spots”

He actually groaned in embarrassment, bringing a hand up to pinch at his temple as he turned away - and for a moment, you wondered if you’d gone too far.

“…It’s never enough…”

“Huh. Your own touch isn’t enough? Feels that different?”
Tenna nodded somewhat non-committally, telling you there was more to the story.
“Why do it alone, then? Someone like you- funny, smart, handsome, sweet- you could have pretty much anyone”

Tenna gasped, pausing a moment, before grimacing slightly, his jaw clenched.
“No. …No one else would say the.. the wonderful things that you said…”

…
Oh.

Suddenly, you felt a little cold.

You almost didn’t believe him; you were sure there were loads of people lining up to get with this guy, people that would shower him in praise and love. How could there not be?

But. Tenna had said those words with so much confidence, so much unwarranted shame, that you realised that Tenna, at least personally, thought that no one would say lovely things about him.

And that thought broke your heart a little.
You lifted a knee to perch on his leg, enjoying the shudder that went through his body as you did. You leaned in close, one hand on his shoulder to balance yourself.

“…hmm. Then I’ve got an idea. Won’t you be a sweetheart for me, and show me what you’d like me to do?”
You said, leaning on his chest a little, pushing him to lean back in his seat.

“Y-you— right now..?!”

“Hmm, yeah, I’d like that very much” you smiled at him, innocently, almost fluttering your eyelashes. Inside, you were grinning like a madman, as you began to unbutton his shirt.

Tenna’s hands floated at his sides, unsure of what to do. Slowly, one hand landed on the armrest, while the other started to move downwards.

“That’s it. To start, why don’t you show me how to open this lovely frame?” You tapped at the metal. You figured he might need a little guidance to get going. Though really, you were far too excited already. After all. You hadn’t seen this part yet.

He swallowed, staring down at you. His hands gripped his sides, applying pressure, then, one hand reached up under a slightly raised plate of metal. A click echoed through his body, and the panel lining was suddenly not flush against his body anymore. You traced the edges with your fingers, and Tenna let out a sharp whine.

“Wow. I never would have guessed that’s how to open you up. I’ll be keeping that in mind” you grinned, continuing to trace the contours. Tenna stared at the movement of your hands, mouth open slightly.
You were pleased to see that his trousers were now sporting a noticeable tent. It was nice to know that you, that your actions, your words, were having such an effect on him.

“Go on. Show me what comes next, sweet thing” you encouraged, leaning in to kiss his forehead. The kiss was apparently more than enough motivation; you don’t think you’ve seen him moving that fast except in the tense moments before his show.

His hands rummaged through a few wires, ones that apparently did nothing for him sexually, and you tried to memorise which ones he ignored for later. Finally, he keened when his fingers brushed against a group of wires trailing the far left side of his frame.

“Hmmm, sensitive” you whispered knowingly against his frame. Tenna nodded silently, and you smiled at his willingness, but it occurred to you that you hadn’t heard him speak in a while.
“How are you feeling?” You asked as you cradled the back of his head, one hand getting close to his antenna, the other rubbing soothing circles.

“G-Good. Ah- T-that feels… nice…” he murmured. You imagined that, if he’d had eyes, they’d be fluttering closed.

Because he’d been cute enough to admit it, you kept up the soothing gesture for a moment longer than you’d planned. Though you did have something you wanted desperately to try.

It was time to test your theory.

Without warning, you worked a hand towards an antenna, slowly moving upwards, taking in his reactions.

You were right. You were almost thrown off the man’s lap by how violently he shifted, his posture arching into you. Tenna’s grip moved from the seat to his thigh, gripping tightly, his feet firmly shoved into the ground. He was clearly restraining himself.

“Oh-I’m, sorry, it’s just-!” He tried to say between breaths.

“Nothing to be sorry for” you continued to fondle the antenna, taking in the delightful responses you were garnering. “Sensitive, right?” You grinned at Tenna’s groan.

“P-please, wait” you stopped immediately, waiting for Tenna’s answer “I’m. Sorry, but I can’t stop myself from moving... I ‘ll end up throwing you off” he admitted, looking beyond embarrassed.

You thought for a moment.
“Why don’t you hold onto me then, sweet boy?” You asked as you grabbed a hand that was now floating by his side, bringing it closer to your waist.

Somehow, this was the most shocked you’d seen Tenna look all night.
“You’re… okay with this?” He asked in a daze. His hand hovered above your waist.

You struggled to find a reason why it wouldn’t be okay. You weren’t a mind reader, but the only reason you could think for his reluctance was that he was scared of hurting you.

“Don’t worry about your grip. Despite how soft I must feel compared to you, I’m made of sturdy stuff, I promise. Plus, I’d let you know if anything was wrong” you promised, closing his fingers to finally land on your hip bone. The chill of his fingers was pleasant against your hot skin.

“You’re so warm…”

You slowly reached your hands up again, giving Tenna an opportunity to protest. You smiled at him when you were an inch away from resuming your assault on his sensitive antennae, showing your approval. His choked moan when you finally touched them was delightful.

Tenna continued to twitch and writhe under your touch, his body leaning more and more heavily against the cushions, dragging you forwards with him. Over him.

You were enthralled by his sweet responses. You leaned forwards, beginning to place kisses against his neck and chest while continuing to twirl an antenna around your fingers.

Tenna seemed to like that more than anything you’d done so far. His hands moved up towards your back and neck, gently pulling you closer, whining against your ear. You could really hear how loud his fans were now, and you experienced a wave heat emanating from his vents.

“What a good boy… you’re so attractive, I love your adorable reactions. I could just eat them up. All for me”
You made sure he was watching you, hearing your words, and you smirked as you leaned forwards to finally kiss him properly.
Tenna gasped against your mouth, then whined into it, giving you control straight away. His hands roamed your back in encouragement.
The feeling of static against your lips was strange, but not unwelcome, as you continued to toy with your shy TV man, deepening the kiss and relishing his gasps. His moans and whines were beautiful.

You finally relented when he looked more or less desperate for air, leaning back to take in your work.

He looked blissed out. He was relaxed against the cushions full now, his muscles apparently failing him. His body got warmer and warmer the closer you got to his head, fans still whirring.
His slacks were absolutely tented, and slightly darker at the center, giving you a good idea of just how excited Tenna was. You debated where to take things from here. As much as you wanted to, you felt like you should save the surely delectable sight beneath his zipper for another day. To take things a little slower.
Still, you absolutely placed a hand there, cupping a feel just to get an idea of what you would be working with later down the line.

Tenna’s screen blanked with a loud bang, and he shot up off the cushions, his hand wrapping around your bicep, loosely.

“P-please, Jay, I- i need to…” he panted, unable to say the last word.

You grinned.
“You need to what, Tenna?” You teased, tracing his cock continuously above the fabric. Your hand reached into his frame, searching for the wires from earlier.

“I- I need-! Oh, please, i can’t-!” He begged, leaning over your shoulder, unable to form a sentence. You continued to draw firm circles into the fabric, chuckling.

“I can’t wait anymore… i-i need to… cum…”

You grinned, surprised by how easily he’d admitted it, despite it having been a hushed whisper. His voice against your ear was so incredibly erotic.

You wrapped the group of wires around your hand and tugged gently, unsure quite how much pressure to apply.

It was enough; Tenna arched off the cushions, a strangled moan leaving him.
“Go on, then. Come for me”
You felt that he deserved it.

Soon enough, after a couple more tugs, he shuddered and moaned whorishly, the wet spot on his pants becoming much more prominent. You licked your lips, but restrained yourself. He panted against the cushions, utterly spent.

Still, he soon gained some sense of awareness, because he quickly murmured:

“Please, tell me I’ve been good…”

You blinked, surprised.

“You’ve been perfect, Tenna, my sweetheart…” you cooed, massaging the frame around his face. “Absolutely wonderful. I’m so happy we got to do this again” you kissed where his cheek would be. “I hope I’ve convinced you to come to me for this in the future” you added, not so subtly hinting that you really wanted to do this again.

You watched as an odd expression passed over Tenna, before you were gently pulled towards him to rest on his chest.
You were content to let the moment pass, feeling quite happy to just relax against Tenna for now. The fact that his hands were still laid across your back, drawing patterns into the skin at your nape, was pleasing enough to leave the man’s thoughts be.

After a while, he cleared his throat.

“Say… next week, there’s going to be this awards show… I’ve been invited to go and present some of the retro production awards. Guess they needed a veteran face to relate more to the older audience, haha”
He laughed, though his tone was a little clipped.
“Would you like to go with me?” He asked, looking down at you, draped across his torso.

You paused for a good moment, surprised.
You were impressed. You supposed Tenna came across as a pretty confident guy generally, but everything you’d seen suggested he’d be too shy (or perhaps self-loathing) to ask you out somewhere.

You were glad to be wrong, because something about the idea of you asking the immensely famous celebrity on an actual date, rather than just sex, would have been uniquely terrifying.

To clarify, you asked: “You mean like a date?”

He suddenly became flustered.

“I mean- If you would like it to be”
You stared at him for a beat, eyebrow raised.
“…I would like it to be a date” he admitted softly.

You laughed.
“Of course I would like to go with you on a date, Tenna” you said, holding the sides of his face. “Though I’ll be honest, I’ve seen what people wear to those kinds of events. I might have to borrow something from the costume department wardrobe”

“You’d look amazing in anything” he sighed softly, then froze. Apparently he hadn’t mean to say that out loud. “Um, but of course! Take anything you’d like! Or-or if you want, I could. Um.”

He paused, unsure if what he was about to say was socially acceptable.

“… I could buy you something?” He tested, the words sounding oddly spaced.

You chuckled, not expecting his suggestion. While it was awfully sweet, to be truthful, you already had an idea of what you wanted to wear.

“I appreciate it, Tenna. I do have something from the late night wardrobe in mind already. Something I know will be comfy enough to wear all evening”

It would be impossible to guess which outfit you had in mind from the hundreds available, so you didn’t mind admitting this.

Tenna’s mouth stretched into a shy smile.
“I can’t wait”

You laid back down, head nuzzled against Tenna’s shoulder.
His chest was still exposed, and he still had a mess to clean up, but you wanted to stay like this for just a moment longer.

Chapter Text

You realised your mistake at exactly 12pm the following day.

It occurred to you, while you were waiting in line for a much needed end of shift snack, that you'd agreed without even thinking about the timing. Sure, you were free during those hours… but you usually slept. You just knew you'd be dead tired if you stuck to your usual schedule, and that was not how you wanted your first date to go.

It was time for some retroactive planning. On your Thursday shift, you arrived slightly early to catch your saviour in time.

Jammy Joey was a straightforward guy. Short, standoffish, pretty lean and well built. Despite how he came across, he had a good heart.
You may or may not have slept together in the past.

You noticed him eagerly packing his stuff away in the reception hall, and realised with near-horror how close you’d been to missing him, despite arriving early.

"Yo, switch shifts with me" you say in place of greeting. He doesn’t even turn to face you.

"Absolutely not" he responds, continuing his packing, unfazed.

You groaned.

"Cmon, it's unsociable hours, you'll get paid way more" you leaned over his shoulder.

"I already work unsociable hours, moron"

"Not as unsociable as me, you don't"

"That literally doesn't even mean anything-- why the fuck do you want to switch anyway, you'd always said how much you 'looove the quieeet'" he mocked you, and you huffed, shoving at his shoulder.

"You're such a dick. Look, it's in the name of Love! Besides, it's literally gonna be like 6 hours, one single day"

He squinted at you.
"..you serious? You're after someone?"

You nod, and he gages your honesty.

"..well shit. Who is it, then?"

"...if I tell you, you'll tell me to fuck off"

"Try me"

"It's Tenna"

"Fuck off"

"Ohhh, what am I to do, my friends are horrible people and won't sacrifice a few hours of their sleep for my entire wellbeingggg" you leaned on him, prodding his side as you whined.

"Bloody hell, I can't tell if you're serious or not, but either way it's my job, as your friend, to tell you to give up. Even ignoring your awful taste, It's just a terrible idea. You wanna lose your job, or what?"

You blinked. You contemplated. You acted.

"I've already slept with him"

You watched as your friend choked on air.

"You better be fucking lying!"

"I thank the lord every day that I am not"

"For fuck's sake. If youre already sleeping with him, why do you need to switch shifts?"

"For a date, duh"

He stopped for a moment. Inhaled deeply, then exhaled.

"Alright. I've heard enough. If I switch shifts with you, will you never broach this topic with me again?"

"Promise" you held out your hand.

He begrudgingly shook it, adding: “You owe me one, y’hear”

You were already picturing the list of groceries he was sure to hand to you in the following week; he always hated shopping, even for necessities like food.

“Wouldn’t have it any other way”

Date secured. You grinned sharply, proud of yourself. You heard Joey mutter under his breath, probably calling you a moron again. Still, he was a good guy at heart. You knew you could count on him to back your decisions, no matter how dumb they were.

Though personally, you thought this was one of your better pursuits.

———————————————————————————————————

Tenna was having a terrible day.

It all started when, the very moment he’d strode into the office, he’d been hit with 4 absentee guests. Fine. He would have to improvise, bring on some unplanned shmucks desperate for some time on the big screen, no big deal. Annoying, but he’d dealt with this plenty of times. It wasn’t the end of the world, the show would still be great!

An hour later, after deciding who would take the place of the missing guests, he arrived at the costume department, only to find out his favourite artist was off sick. All day.
The pippin that broke the news said the words gravely, as though he were about to be executed for delivering the blow. He was actually sweating, and his friends watched on nervously from behind a dresser. Tenna inhaled deeply. Exhaled. Then moved on without a word.
He heard the pippins muttering amongst themselves as he left, and he could practically feel the relief radiating from them. He’d kept his cool. He could stay calm. Even if he was progressively getting more ticked off by the minute.

Tenna realised it must have shown on his face. After all, everybody was now giving him a good 2 meter distance, and no one approached him as they usually would to ask questions or offer updates on production.
Then, finally, as if the universe was testing him…

A shadow bumped into Tenna’s leg. In a rush, he’d swung round into the hallway without checking who might be in the way.
Fine.
Fine.
Accidents happen.
It wasn’t—

…

That was when Tenna saw the prominent coffee stain now stretching across the fabric of his pant leg, and finally all hell broke loose.

Now, a few hours after the incident, Tenna sat in his room, sighing occasionally as he took small sips from the tea he’d gotten Amy - the pippin in charge of today’s coffee runs - to grab for him. He felt a little bad for being so curt with her, when - after noticing that his sour expression had only gotten worse upon her return with the drink -she was clearly scared out of her mind that she’d gotten his order wrong. She hadn’t.

…He’d really tried to hold it in.

His temper had been out of control lately. He knew that. Everyone knew that. The compounding effects of running a doomed business, he supposed.
…ah. He’d accidentally pierced the tea canister with his claws, his grip tightening at his gloomy thoughts. He set it down on the table, not bothering to clean up.

He couldn’t help himself. He was trying everything to keep the ratings up. He needed to run a tight ship, to make sure everything was perfect - he couldn’t- he wouldn’t let TV Time sink into irrelevancy so easily. People depended on TV Time! Not just the viewers, but the employees too!

…so why wasn’t it working..?

…

…still! Things weren’t all bad!

After all, he had a date this week!

He was still struggling to believe it. And to have been the one to suggest it! He had no idea where that burst of confidence had come from. He couldn’t even remember the last time he’d been on a date…

…okay, he could, but he didn’t want to.

He was determined to make this date absolutely perfect. So determined in fact that he’d spent all his free time watching reruns of romantic comedies and asking Mike for ideas on what to do and say.

…he was loathe to admit that he was a little out of practice with… romantic… endeavours. He was also pretty unfamiliar with the concept of… of intimacy before the first date. Tenna tugged at his collar, suddenly feeling a little stifled.

But. But you seemed genuinely interested in him. And he was finding himself more and more intrigued by you. Mischievous. Playful. Easygoing. Confident. Quite brave, too, it seemed; he still remembered the silhouette of you holding the wooden mop in a defensive stance as you’d crept towards him that night, thinking someone was under attack. He was determined to get to know you better

Tenna wiped down the now sticky table, removing the tea residue.
Without realising, his mood had lifted substantially. He felt like he could leave the room without immediately tearing someone’s head off over this or that.

A good thing, too; he still had much more work to do.
At least he could occasionally distract himself a bit with thoughts of your first date together.

Chapter Text

You waited outside your complex as planned, hopping from one foot to the other in excitement.

There was a chill in the air, but your constant fidgeting and eagerness seemed to make up for the loss of warmth. You were a little unsure about your decision to not wear a coat now, but the ceremony was indoors, so you just had to bear the cold for a bit.

You were pretty proud of how you looked this evening. You rarely had an occasion to dress up, so of course you took extra care when putting this fit together. You’d even gotten Blenda to fix you up a bit, at the cost of letting slip some ‘juicy gossip’.

You were excited to see Tenna’s outfit, wondering if he would have changed much from his usual attire. You momentarily wondered if you’d be seeing him out of it tonight… then, you reminded yourself that this was also partly business, and that you had to behave.

You’d arrived early, of course, but fortunately it seemed Tenna had the same idea. A snazzy looking black car, with tinted windows and a strong vinyl glimmer, pulled up, and you knew it had to be Tenna’s ride because of the size of the thing.

Sure enough, a window lowered, revealing a flickering static screen.

“Woah! Sorry, pal, but you can’t be standing there any longer. You’re going to cause an accident, looking so lovely”

You blinked, then hunched over before releasing a bark of laughter. Tenna exited the vehicle, his grin a little lopsided, like he’d been debating whether or not to go through with his lame pick up line.

“You’re so silly” you said instead of a greeting, looking him up and down. “And a hypocrite. You look absolutely dele— delightful” you said, almost letting slip the word ‘delectable’. You’d leave that kind of talk for later.

In response, Tenna did a little twirl, and you chuckled, eyes creasing. You’d meant what you said - the all black tuxedo combo really suited him, as most things did (at least in your eyes), but to see him dressed like this was a novelty.

You also enjoyed the fact that Tenna was still observing you, taking in every aspect of you it seemed. But, it was actually getting a bit cold now.

“I’m kind of surprised you don’t have a chauffeur” you said as you walked towards the passenger side.  This seemed to snap Tenna out of whatever thought he was trapped in.

“A-ah, one sec—“ He hopped over to you in long strides, suddenly standing right beside you. You peered over at him, surprised.

He opened the door, gesturing for you to enter, smiling awkwardly. It took you a stupid amount of time to catch on.

“Oh! Well, thank you” you grinned at him, flashing your teeth. He was bright red, but you suspected your own face was looking a bit flushed from that manoeuvre. Sneaky Tenna, you thought. You’d get back at him later.

Once you both hit the road, small talk - mostly about the bespoke nature of his car - quickly drifted into more immediate concerns.

“I, uh, probably should have explained a little about what’s going to happen. Normally, if I was alone, I would pull up around the front of the venue where all the guests are photographed, and a valet would take my ride to the parking- y‘know how it is”

You hummed. You did, theoretically.

“I didn’t want to put you through that part. It’s fun! But, uh, pretty overwhelming, especially the first time you’re in front of all those cameras. So, I figured we could skip all that by going straight to the low-level parking. It’s basically a shortcut to the venue hall, haha”

Oh.

You grinned, touched. He’d thought of you, considered your feelings, enough to skip an opportunity to garner the attention he usually craves. He really was lovely.

“You’re so sweet. I appreciate you planning a way for me to avoid the spotlight; to be honest, it’s not really my thing” you admitted. “Though, Tenna, people will still notice you - you’re hard to miss” you laughed. “I’m happy to go ahead and wait while the cameras get their shots in”

“R-Really? You don’t mind?”

“Of course not. I’m always happy to see you catch everyone’s attention. You deserve it” you added, unabashedly flirtatious. Just as you wanted, Tenna turned pink, and his grip on the steering wheel tightened.

“Hah. Right” he smiled in that wobbly way that you adored. “Well, I trust you to know what you’re talking about…” he added, and you weren’t quite sure what he meant by it, but his soft tone pleased you regardless.

The rest of the drive consisted of you pointing out places you recognised, more or less dropping hints about where you wanted to take Tenna, and gauging his reaction to each idea. You hoped he didn’t catch on to your line of questioning.

You were having so much fun, you almost didn’t notice when you’d arrived at your destination.

Just as planned, Tenna whizzed past the very prominent entryway - it even had a red carpet laid out, damn - and you both ended up beneath the building. Tenna asked you to wait in your seat, and you agreed, confused but unbothered by the request. You realised as he made his way to your side that it was so that he could open the door for you. You giggled, chastising him as you poked his side in delight, and realised that you felt a flutter in your chest that you were completely unfamiliar with.

Tenna looked completely at ease as he led you to the lift, his TV Time smile primed and ready.

As the metal box dinged, and the doors opened, your eyes were immediately bedazzled by countless sparkles.

The venue was so out of your league, it wasn’t even funny. Sure, you’d seen stuff like this on the air, watched it live… but somehow, it couldn’t even compare to being here in person.

The hall really was lovely, with a beautifully crafted marble staircase, and a huge, shiny chandelier that first caught your eye when you stepped off the elevator.

“Penny for your thoughts?” Tenna said, and you turned to face him, grin evident.

“I have never seen a chandelier that big or that sparkly before” you replied in a whisper, as though you were imparting some immense secret, and Tenna laughed.

The place was very busy, reminding you more or less of your workplace during rush hours. Though, this seemed a little more… composed.

Still, it didn’t take long for people to take notice of the… if you were to guess, 9ft tall TV man.

“Ah, Mr. Tenna! I didn’t see you come through?”

As it became apparent that Tenna had avoided the cameras, he was surreptitiously dragged away, his apology to you hard to catch over the commotion.

You thanked every cosmic power that Tenna had planned a way for you to avoid the spotlight and cameras, because the sea of flashes was actually quite disorienting. And you weren’t even the one receiving them.

Tenna, though… Tenna was in his element.

You watched with awe how easy he made it all look. Walk ; casual, posture ; perfect. Smile that way, pose just right, greet the fans, chit chat with ‘colleagues’… he really was made for this.

You contemplated Tenna’s words last week. About how they needed a ‘retro’ face to present some awards. Nothing about his merits as a person, or even as a show host. Nothing about how weirdly charming and funny he was. Just… a face.

He’d said it with such certainty, and you knew why - you’d seen the ratings drop over the span of your career at TV Time, too. “I’m just not fun anymore”, he’d sobbed during one of his semi-public breakdowns, always there to take the blame for something that was… well.

Out of his control.

You sighed, snapping your thoughts away from the depressing. You wanted to have a fun night, not an existential one.

You decided to explore a little while you waited. You were a little unsure if you’d be stopped or interrogated, feeling extremely out of place, but it seemed that the lanyard Tenna had given you was more than enough proof that you were there to accompany the star. You checked the fine print, and realised that the lanyard listed you as a producer. You snorted.

As you took in the sights, and chowed down on some chips and nuts from the many trays of picky-food littered across the tables, you decided to listen in on some of the conversations happening around you.

Particularly those of celebrities that you recognised. You couldn’t help yourself.

You didn’t really learn much beyond which actor hated whom, before you were startled by a familiar, amused voice:

“It’s rude to eavesdrop, you know”

Ah. You were caught in the act.

“Figures; you seem to be the type to go looking for trouble” he grinned.

Ignoring the stray thought of ‘how the hell did he sneak up on me’, you raised your hands in mock surrender:

“Hmm, well, maybe if a certain TV host hadn’t abandoned me, I wouldn’t have resorted to such shallow form of entertainment…” you flashed your teeth at Tenna, peering up at him from the corner of your eye.

Tenna’s face dropped, his expression becoming alarmed, and you realised immediately that he’d taken your words seriously. Your were quick to reassure him:

“I’m joking, silly. How were things outside?” You asked, hoping to distract him from whatever negative thoughts had occurred.

Tenna looked relieved, even exhaling a little, before letting you know all about how insistent the press were, and how this was the most attention he’d gotten in a long while. His words tugged on your heart strings a little. You planned on giving him much more attention, later.

“So… how are you finding it? Are you having FUN?” Tenna asked with his show voice, doing that neat little trick he had to emphasise the word ‘fun’. You smiled softly.

“I was having a great time, Tenna. And I’m having even more fun now that you’re here” you answered, reaching out to rub his hand briefly. Tenna folded, leaning down towards you, and you smiled.

“S-Shall we head to our seats? We should be somewhere to the left of the stage…” Tenna suggested. You nodded, letting his hand go somewhat reluctantly. When you found your table - a table reserved only for you and Tenna, you noted with delight - you realised there was something missing:

“Fancy something to drink? I’ll grab us something quickly before the lights go off”

Tenna agreed sheepishly, looking almost put out - presumably because he hadn’t thought of that, and had now lost an opportunity to be a sweet gentleman to you this evening. You smiled. He really was lovely.

When you returned, you made sure to inch your chair closer to Tenna’s, as nonchalantly as you could manage. You wanted your knees to be in touching distance.

“So when do you head up for your part in the show?” You asked, sipping at your drink.

“Should be around halfway through; one of the guys backstage should signal for me to head up with the prompt display over there” Tenna said as he pointed out the display.

Hmm, that gave you a good idea of which conversation topics to avoid for the moment. You didn’t want to send a flustering Tenna up to the stage, after all.

“I see. So, they’re going to give you the names of the winners and you’re going to… improvise?”

“More or less! I’ve got a bunch of material stored up here, don’t you worry.” He tapped his head. “Someone who’s been in the business as long as I have gets a feel for this sort of thing”

You couldn’t argue with that.

When the lights finally dimmed and the show started, you switched to whispering between each other. You tried not to laugh too loudly as Tenna started imitating the award hosts, covering your mouth to hold in your barks of laughter. Tenna looked absolutely delighted each time, and started trying harder to make you laugh.

It was almost torture, not being able to laugh properly, but you were saved when Tenna perked up at something he saw over your shoulder.

Ah. The signal?

You smiled and nodded at Tenna, who almost looked sad to leave, before readying his winning smile and striding up the stage, still hidden in the dark.

“Our next host is more than just groovy, and never glooby — they’re a pioneer to the industry, a champion of quizzes, and a true inspiration. Please join me in welcoming Mr. Tenna!"

You joined in the extensive applause as Tenna rocked up to the stage, shaking hands and clapping the shoulder of the presenter, and doing a little dance as he reached the microphone. It was hard to explain the kind of effect Tenna being there had on the atmosphere. Everyone seemed to have perked up, and you wondered how many people here watched TV Time - you were certain that everyone at least knew who he was, maybe they even used to watch the show before finding themselves with less and less time available to tune in.

"Good evening, everyone! Thank you for the kind welcome. Look at you! The best and brightest of this industry in one room — and me, here to ruin it with all my jokes!"

The audience laughed brightly, including yourself.

"I’m thrilled to be your host for tonight’s RETRO PRODUCTION AWARDS! If you laugh, I’ll take full credit. If you don’t… we’ll blame the writers!" Tenna whispered to the audience loudly, a hand to the side of his mouth like he was sharing a secret.

You watched his every move as he carried the show, never once faltering as he handed out awards-and jokes. It was hard to tell, since he could just be acting… but you felt like his smile was truly his, a genuine expression of pure happiness to be doing what he was made for.

You yourself were happy to have been invited to witness this.

When Tenna had finished his role and passed the microphone to the next host, you kept the applause up for a little longer than was probably necessary, feeling like you needed to show your enthusiasm in a way that Tenna could see.

“That was great, Tenna” you whispered to him as he took his seat, smiling giddily. “You could see how much everyone loved you”

Tenna smile widened, though he became a bit bashful, looking down. “Thank you, Jay. That… that means a lot to me”

You nodded, looking at him from the corner of your eye as he returned his attention to the stage, something the speaker called out catching his attention.

…you felt like now was a good opportunity.

You looked around for a moment, checking that the guests were all engaged by the current speaker. Then, you leaned sideways, quietly lifting yourself a little from your chair so you could be more or less face to face (or perhaps more accurately, face to… jaw?) with Tenna, who was also distracted by the words of the woman onstage.

Making sure you were close enough to his audials, you pressed a kiss to the side of his head, then whispered sweetly: “You did amazing , Tenna”

In the dark, it was easy to see how his face flashed red, though he’d fortunately dimmed the light prior to the show’s start to avoid distracting anyone. You let out a breath of laughter, before leaning back to your seat, innocently taking the final sip of your drink.

Tenna’s voice was laced with static as he muttered: “…thank you”

You smiled, happy his attention was back on you, before you held your hand out under the table, flexing your fingers. Tenna caught on quickly, eagerly taking your much smaller hand in his, swinging it a little.

You were both much quieter this time around, only occasionally whispering between yourselves about the awards, surprised muttering at some of the choices.

It didn’t feel like much time had passed before the ceremony came to an end, the original speaker returning to the stage and thanking everyone for tuning in behind the cameras.

It occurred to you that the date was over, then. You tried not to let your disappointment show on your face; you were hoping to talk to Tenna for longer, not realising how quickly the time would pass. You inhaled, then exhaled to centre yourself. It would be okay. You would have other dates. This one had already turned out quite lovely. Plus, there was still the ride home…

When the show had finally finished, the lights turned on so that the guests could begin to filter out, as you’d have expected. But strangely, the lights near the front of the stage- where you were both still seated -stayed dim. You raised a brow, surprised, and looked towards Tenna as though he held the answer. Either he didn’t catch on to your train of thought, or he purposefully avoided it, instead asking you “Shall I get you another drink?” with a tilt of his head and a soft smile.

You blinked, then agreed readily, and watched as Tenna sauntered up to the bar where now only a few guests and staff remained. You wondered if it was usual practice for people to stay behind like this after a show. You supposed it was, since there were other actors and stars still littered about the hall.

When Tenna returned, you thanked him before asking: “It’s okay for us to stay here a little longer?”

“Yup! We can stay for much longer!” You raised a brow. “I-if you want to, that is. I, uh. I wanted to make sure we had some time to talk… y’know, normally, haha..”

Oh, he really was too cute.

“Well, I’m certainly happy to talk to you, Mr. Tenna. And more” you grinned, flashing your fangs at him.

He sighed in amused exasperation. “I suspected you were a handful, but if I’d known just how mischievous you were, I would have brought a defibrillator”

You laughed, holding your hand out again for him to take it, above the table this time.

How could he refuse?

You just looked at Tenna for a moment, reflective.

“I gotta ask: what made you ask me on a date?” You did wonder. He could have kept you at a distance if he just wanted the sexual side of a relationship.

Tenna flushed, but he had an answer ready:

“I would like to get to know you”

He said it simply, like it was obvious.

“Well. What would you like to know?”

Your follow up question had him cornered.

“Geez… I mean, where to start. I guess… Tell me something about yourself that will surprise me?”

“Hmm… well, my legal name isn’t ’Jay’. It’s just a nickname” you grinned, sure that the news will shock him.

Tenna looked unphased, imitating the sound of the wrong answer buzzer: “Sorry, folks! That answer has already been taken!” He smiled, taking joy in catching you off guard.

You mock gasped, eyes creasing.

“What! You knew? …Wait, how did you know?”

Tenna suddenly looked embarrassed, had reaching up to tug on his collar.

“Ah… w-well… I may have come across your contract in the filing cabinet…”

You smirked. Really?

“Um… something else that I don’t know?” He suggested, almost sweating.

You took pity on him. You’d have done the same.

“Hmm, I suppose it’s a bit cliche, but hobbies maybe? I have too many to count sadly, I tend to switch from one thing to the next like lightning. Music, art, sports, you name it, I’ve probably tried it. No acting though”

“That’s a shame. You’d be amazing on stage” he said so sincerely, it took your breath away for a moment.

“Hahah, not my thing I’m afraid. Though just for you, I’d do it” you whispered, on another wavelength entirely. You weren’t sure if he caught your train of thought, but he blushed at your expression.

“Another thing you should know about me: I’m generally not an unabashed flirt, I promise”

He laughed. “What, just with me?” He asked, and you could tell it wasn’t entirely rhetorical. He wanted to hear the answer.

“Mhm. Just you”

“O-oh” his breath rattled. He hadn’t been expecting a genuine answer. “T-that’s…”

Not wanting him to short-circuit midway through your conversation, you switched the topic, deciding that you owed him a bit of honesty for putting up with your teasing:

“Y’know… I was pretty nervous about tonight. Not just because this whole event is so different from anything I’m used to” you clarified. “I wanted to make sure I left a good impression on you. To make sure that you’d want to do this again”

Tenna fell silent, head perking up to stare straight at you, his mouth parted.

“…I was nervous, too. Not for the show or anything, just… I wanted to make sure you enjoyed yourself”

You smiled softly. You’d had similar thoughts. “Well, you succeeded. Exceeded, even”

You leaned closer, looking up at him.

“And did you enjoy yourself?” You asked, squeezing his hand.

Tenna nodded, staring at your joined hands. “Of course I did… you… I haven’t done anything like this in so long, and it… you’re lovely” he swallowed, nerves getting to him.

“And would you like to do this again? Another date?” You smiled.

Tenna suddenly looked excited at the prospect. “Of COURSE I would!”

You placed your free hand on the side of his face, suddenly much closer.

“Glad to hear it”

You pressed a kiss to his screen, lingering for quite a bit longer than would be considered chaste.

Tenna’s hands wrapped around yours, one on the side of his face, the other connecting you both at an L-shape between your bodies.

You nudged the table as you leaned in even closer, and unfortunately, the sound of broken glass interrupted you both.

You looked to the floor where Tenna’s glass flute lay shattered.

“…whoops” you laughed, looking back up at Tenna, who’s gaze looked a little unfocused. He seemed to be thinking ‘why did you stop?’ before following where your gaze had went.

“… i better clean that up. I’ll be back in a bit, love” you patted his cheek as you leaned back, and you didn’t miss the little sound of protest that he made.

You took a bit longer than necessary fetching the dustpan and brush from the bartender, feeling like you both needed to cool down for a bit. You figured it would be inappropriate to start a make-out session here.

It was a good idea; when you returned, Tenna was more alert and coherent, and you felt like you could resist physically teasing and doting on him for now.

You both spent the rest of the evening learning more about each other, sharing stories and laughs over anecdotes. The conversation had become so much more natural, neither of you so determined to impress the other any more.

When the time finally came to pack things up, you felt truly satisfied, like the evening couldn’t have gone any better than it had.

Tenna still remembered to open the car door for you. One the way home, you both shared a comfortable silence, only occasionally interrupted by the odd question or stray thought.

You arrived at the complex, feeling fatigue finally hit you. But you still had one last thing you needed to do.

“Thank you for coming tonight, Jay. It’s… I had a wonderful night with you”

You felt your heart swell.

“Thank you for inviting me, Tenna. We’ll do something like this again soon” you said with certainty. It felt nicer than asking.

Before Tenna could exit the car, presumably to open the door for you again, you grabbed his arm, holding him in place.

He looked at you, surprised.

You leaned over - essentially climbing him - before straddling his lap. Tenna was holding his breath, his hands making their way to your waist. You didn’t hesitate before leaning in to kiss him, properly this time. Tenna whined into your mouth, already desperate for something more. Had he been hiding this since your kiss at the table?

The thought bolstered you. You ran your hands down his sides, enjoying the way that he squirmed in place. He tried to reciprocate, feeling your skin in soft circles. Though clothes were certainly becoming an issue.

You loosened the knot at his neck, feeling pleased that he’d taken his jacket off in the car. Made this much easier. When his chassis was exposed, you wasted no time pressing kisses all over his exposed ‘skin’, loving the short gasps leaving his vents at each one.

An idea struck you.

“Can I leave a mark here?” You asked, holding a hand where his collarbone would meet his sternum. He groaned, a hand reaching up to run across his head.

“Yes. Please” he begged, voice strained.

You nipped at the area lightly, getting a feel for it, Tenna jolting at the small pinpricks of your fangs. He gripped you tighter, so your teeth clamped down tighter in response, an almost-growl leaving your throat. Tenna groaned back at you, but if there was any pain it seemed to be overshadowed by pleasure, his short whines returning as he struggled for air. You returned to his face, kissing him deeply, your tongue exploring his. You would never get used to that odd static feeling, but you were happy to ignore it if it meant you could reduce this man to a whimpering mess - a puddle of pleasure and pleased whines.

Soon enough, you felt a swell below your thigh that wasn’t there to start with. And you felt your own arousal rise in response.

Before making your move, you leaned in close, close enough to taste the static on his lips… before kicking a leg out to the side of his chair.

Tenna yelped as he fell backwards, the chair folding backwards as you had hoped. Now, he was completely open to your roaming hands. Tenna realised it, too - he inhaled sharply, practically melting into the chair.

You grinned, grinding down onto his lower half with a slow rocking motion. Tenna outright moaned, his head thrown back.

“That’s— Oh, that feels so good-“ he sighed brokenly. You stopped, knowing how mean you were being, but figured it was worth it when Tenna started pawing at you, begging “Please, please, please-“ for you to keep going.

When you started moving again, Tenna’s mantra hiccuped into a moan. You smiled.

“What a good boy” you whispered to him, looking up at him from his chest. His fuzzy face showed he was already out of it, but your words seemed to make it worse. As cute as him being driven out of his mind was, you did need to ask him something before he became incapable of speaking:

“Tenna, we can keep going like this if you want… or, I’m going to taste you. Would you like that?” You grinned down at him.

Tenna was gently pulling you closer with each passing moment, making sure you were always in his line of sight.

“A-anything. Yes, please, anything”

You smiled, but you weren’t quite sure that he understood what you were asking. To make it clearer, you started to pull away so you could get comfortable at his knees, but Tenna protested the movement, pulling you closer to him, and you just about could make out the words leaving his lips: “please, stay…”

“Aw. I’m here, Tenna. Always” you cooed at him, hoping to soothe his sudden fear. “I just want to make you feel good” you said, grinding your hand between his legs as he panted. “Will you let me taste you here?” You asked, hoping that was a bit more direct.

Tenna froze, so you assumed you’d made your point clear. His bottom lip, that he was gnawing on previously, was released so that he could exhale shakily and answer your question:

“That’s… I’d love- …if you want to..?”

“I’d love to” you answered huskily, already moving backwards.

Tenna was willing to let you go this time, leaning up on his forearms to watch you as you retreated just behind the seat. You were getting very excited yourself, eager to reveal what he was working with. You got to work removing his belt, the slowly, slowly lowered his zipper and pulled down his underwear.

You were a little surprised. His crotch area looked pretty similar to what you’d seen on others, the only thing standing out as peculiar being the seam lines across his dick… and the base being reminiscent of the flexible rubber sections connecting train carriages.

Well, that, and his size, but you weren’t too surprised by that part.

Still, knowing who it was attached to, and the reactions that you were about to elicit, immediately endeared you to the thing.

“Aw, all this, just for me?” You chuckled, one of your hands wrapping around it. Tenna immediately bucked his hips, letting out a quick apology right afterwards.

“Shh. I love how excited you get for me. You’re going to be a good boy and sit still, right?”

“Y-yes, I will. I’ll be good”

His cock twitched in your hands, practically begging for your touch. You were going to give it more than that soon enough.

Tenna grit his teeth and held himself down by reaching one hand behind his head, the other gripping them seat tightly. You were happy to see him so obedient, and you smiled up at him to let him know how good he was being.

You eyed up where you wanted to start. You leaned forwards tentatively, and started to lick a slow stripe up the underside of his cock.

Tenna moaned through clenched teeth, his fangs showing through his wide grimace. He was trying so hard to be still, it was cute.

You readied yourself, opening wide to take him in properly, and started to lap up the tip before slowly  moving downwards.

“A-ah! Mmm- oh- -

#%*!”

The incredibly loud sound of a censor surprised you enough to stop what you were doing. You leaned back to face Tenna who was looking right back at you, alarmed.

When you realised what happened, you covered your mouth. You really tried to hold it in, but…

You let out a bark of laughter, then found that you couldn’t stop, the sound of your laughter echoing throughout the car. Tenna snorted at first, then, when he realised you couldn’t stop, he fell into his own laughing fit, the absurdity of the situation hitting him.

“I’m- hah, I’m so sorry Tenna, I just — !” You coughed. “Y’know, I wasn’t expecting it” you ran a hand down his thigh in apology, though he didn’t look upset whatsoever.

“That’s -heh, don’t worry about it. If anything, I should be apologising” he joked with an edge of self-depreciation. “I really should figure out how to turn that off…” he murmured, and you were really tempted to ask more about that. You decided it could wait.

“Want me to continue? You can swear some more if you want, now that I know to expect it” you grinned deviously.

Tenna’s brow lowered, but he laughed. “I mean, I’ll try not to. But. Please, keep going”

You didn’t need to be asked twice. You rubbed his inner thighs teasingly before focusing your attention where he needed it.

You kissed the tip of his dick in mock apology for earlier, and he covered his face in embarrassment.

When you finally swallowed him as far as you felt comfortable going, Tenna’s screen went on the fritz again, though he managed to contain any swears this time. You stroked his underbelly as you did, quite enjoying the softness of the skin there. Tenna’s moans were gaining in pitch the longer you played with him, his desperation rising exponentially. He moved one of his hands to try and quiet himself down, muffling his mouth unsuccessfully. Of course, he started to move his hips again, chasing the pleasure you provided.

You reached one hand down to tend to yourself too, the euphoric feeling becoming a bit too overwhelming to hold back. Plus, the delighted sounds coming from your throat were only enhancing Tenna’s pleasure.

“I can’t hold it— I’m gonna— cum— please, let me cum” he begged, head lolling to the side to look you in the eyes.

Holy shit. Something about the way he said it… It wasn’t the first time that you’d wondered if Tenna’s previous partners wouldn’t let him cum without permission. Or maybe he just wanted to warn you. Either way… hot.

You switched from mouthing at his cock to stroking it quickly, adding a husky “Good boy. You can cum”

Tenna’s left hand gripped at your shoulder as he started to thrust desperately into your hand, using you to get off. You licked your lips. “That’s a good boy, take what you need”

When he came, you were surprised by how much he had backed up. Sure, he was big, in both ways, but damn. You were glad you didn’t attempt to swallow.

Very quickly, you repeatedly ground your hips against your hand, reaching your own peak. He really was way too sexy.

You collapsed against his thigh, smiling. He was just too cute, practically fucked out of his mind against the chair, panting with steam pouring from his vents. You hoped that was normal.

To your surprise, Tenna seemed to recover much faster this time around, since he pushed himself up from the chair the face you properly, his hands already reaching out to pull you up and closer again.

“L-let me do you, too?” he asked, head tilted, his hands at your sides. You almost laughed at his phrasing.

“Mm, no need. I solved that problem while I was working on you - couldn’t help myself” you admitted, smirking.

“You… already..?” Tenna looked shocked.

Instead of responding, you climbed back up so that you were above Tenna, leaning down to kiss him, more sweetly this time.

You felt a bit bad when you noticed his seats were… well, perhaps not ruined, but they certainly looked like they’d be difficult to salvage. Tenna obviously couldn’t care less, looking more or less euphoric, looking up at you adoringly.

You could get used to seeing that look.

Chapter Text

You woke up to pure darkness, feeling pretty drained.

When you checked your alarm, you realised why: it was 8am. Why the hell were you awake at such an ungodly hour?

Well, you knew why. You were still full of excitement and adrenaline from last night.

After your little liaison, you’d both more or less collapsed into the car seat, you on top of Tenna, petting his head and showering him in small kisses, and Tenna below you, massaging shapes into your back, nuzzling against your head and trilling happily. You could still feel the static against your skin.

You would have happily drifted off on Tenna’s chest last night, if only logic hadn’t intervened. You’d see each other again soon enough, and Tenna would need some proper sleep. With a sigh, you had lifted your head for one last kiss and said your goodbyes. You felt a little vindicated seeing the uncertain look on Tenna’s face.

Thinking over it, you realised that Tenna must actually be at work right now. You wondered if he felt tired, considering he’d had even less sleep than you. You knew that he slept, though you didn’t know quite how much sleep he needed to feel energised. Plus, he was a chain smoker that drank at least one caffeinated beverage every couple of hours or so - you suspected whatever sleep he was getting, it wasn’t enough.

…would it be bad if you went to see him?

You could just stay home and try to catch a few extra hours of sleep. Tenna was technically working, after all. You being there could be distracting.

…

You imagined his happy little smile that he tended to sport each time he saw you unexpectedly.

…

…Well, what better excuse to bother someone at work than showing up with coffee and a winning smile?

That’s what you told yourself as you practically skipped down town, heading straight to your favourite cafe.

You were a regular here. The barista remarked how strange it was that you grabbed two coffees this morning instead of just one, her smile knowing. You actually felt a little embarrassed- a rare occurrence - making you scratch at your nose with a short laugh, as though the movement would dispel the heat in your face.

You had an idea of what the boss liked; you’d once caught a glimpse of what was inside of his coffee cup when he crushed the thing accidentally in his anger. Coffee had dripped sadly onto the tiles. Black as night. You shivered at the thought. How could anyone drink coffee like that…

It didn’t take long for you to reach your destination. You’d managed to hold off from downing your own drink in one gulp, wanting to savour it with some good company today.

When you finally reached Tenna’s office, after looking around his usual spots and not finding him there here, you were stopped by a small body nudging your side. You almost dropped your cup in surprise.

“You! Don’t go in there if you value your job!” The pippin stressed, voice hushed but filled with urgency.

“Oh? Mr.Tenna’s in a mood?” You asked, surprised. “This early?”

Usually, no one was around to piss him off this time of day.

Another red pippin leaned in to join the conversation.

“We didn’t even do anything this time! He was angry before he walked in.”

For a moment, you were a bit worried that you’d done something wrong last night, but the original pippin chimed in:

“Well… I think he saw something in the Daily paper… he’s been holding onto it, strangling the life out of it, like it insulted his mother” a shiver ran down the poor thing’s body.

The mental image made you chuckle, but the utterly serious faces of the pippins prompted you to stifle your reaction.

“Well, thank you for the heads up. Unfortunately, I’m too curious for my own good” you smiled at them, reaching a hand to the door handle. They whispered something like ‘your funeral’ as you turned.

You caught sight of Tenna, taking note of the hunch of his shoulders as he stared down at something between his hands. Presumably frowning.

“I heard you’ve been causing havoc” you announced as you entered and shut the door, startling Tenna. You laughed as he yelped, turning to face you with a deer-in-headlights look. “What’s got your wires in a twist this fine morning, sweetheart?”

Tenna’s clearly stressed posture relaxed for a moment at your words, the corners of his mouth ticking upwards at the added “sweetheart”, but his face soon became puzzled.

“Jay ! —Wait, what are you doing here? N-not that I’m not THRILLED to see you! I just, uh, I mean— that is to say—“ he clasped his hands together, inhaled. “You’re not due to work until quite a bit later” he managed, rubbing at his neck.

You smiled, quite pleased by how he was getting better at recognising when he needed to take a breather. You stepped towards him, holding out the brew you bought for him. “Thought you could use a little pick-me up, Boss. Especially after yesterday’s ‘physical activity’! “ you mimed, not doing a great job of imitating him or his little quirk.

Predictably, he flushed red, and soon steam started pouring from his vents. You huffed a laugh, a glint in your eyes.

“Geez… this early, and you’re already up to no good” he sighed, taking the coffee from your hands. The uptick in the corner of his mouth told you he didn’t mind your teasing. “Thank you, Jay. This is just what I needed” he took a sip as though to prove it.

“Hey, how did you know how I like my coffee?” He asked, a smile spreading across his face. You’d been giving him this much of your attention? To get him something he liked?

His happiness was shattered when you gave him the answer, not thinking much of it:

“Remember the time a pippins gave the wrong cue one too many times in rehearsals, and you crushed your cup? I remembered the coffee was black, because the colour was so dark - it actually made me feel a little sick, to imagine drinking coffee with no milk” you laughed. You kept going, not noticing the way Tenna’s shoulders tensed, especially when you mentioned it made you feel sick.

“I had to guess how many sugars though, sorry If i got that part wrong”

“A-ah… hah.” He looked down, seeming to get smaller. “…I forget you must have seen me like that. Quite a few times” he added, shame heavy in his voice. Your brows shot up, surprised at the turn the conversation was taking. “I’m sorry. I don’t know what’s wrong with me. I really do try to stop getting so angry, but I— it’s just— it’s gotten so much worse ever since — …I know I must be pretty scary…” he finished, his shoulders curling forwards.

You almost spat at your drink, but contained yourself. Scary? About as scary as a marshmallow, you thought of saying - but hesitated.

Tenna was right, to an extent. His employees were often scared shitless by his behaviour, especially in the beginning when his outbursts began to escalate. But. Over time, it became obvious that his rage never went beyond words - well, words and the occasional ripping of papers or posters. Now, people were more concerned about the boss’ fragile mental state rather than the possibility of him hurting anyone. In fact, there seemed to be the unanimous sentiment that the boss was more likely to hurt himself during one of his meltdowns, rather than anyone else. The thought made you sick, but that didn’t make it less true.

It’s why those two pippins were hovering outside his door.

“Tenna. I don’t find you scary. Not one bit. Everyone knows you’d never hurt a fly” you said as your arms bracketed him slowly, embracing him gently. “And I know you’re trying. In fact, I think everyone does; they’ve been with you through - well, everything, remember?” You reminded him softly.

“Keep trying, Tenna. That’s all anyone can ask of you. And if you need anything, just let us know. That’s what we’re here for” you said, squeezing him one last time before taking a step back to look at him properly. His face didn’t betray much, looking rather shell-shocked. You gave him a moment to come back from wherever he was.

Maybe it was just you being delusional, but the thought entered your mind that you wanted to know each and every time something upset him - you wanted to be there every time something did.

“Let me know if you’d rather not tell me, but what upset you so badly this morning?”

Tenna paused, something seeming to occur to him, his back straightening abruptly. You waited patiently, taking a sip of your own drink, your eyes locked on him above the lid of your cup to show he had your attention.

He paused, steeled himself for whatever he needed to get off his chest. It was then that you noticed he was still clutching a newspaper between his paws, now with a death grip.

“Theres. There, um” He inhaled. “Theremayormaynotbeaphotointhepressofyoukissingme—“

You blinked. Processed the jumbled sounds that just hit your brainstem.

“Huh? Did I hear that right? There’s a photo of us?” You leaned towards him, attempting to peer over the paper. He lowered it to show you, looking away with a red tint to his screen.

You unintentionally raised a brow at the crumpled image. It was a candid shot from behind the two of you, of you leaning over the table, your hand on Tenna’s, planting a kiss to his side. It was rather cute, and you decided you would buy a paper on your way home to preserve the photo.

Tenna grimaced at your reaction, seeming to take it the wrong way.

“I-im so sorry. I… to be honest, I didn’t think anyone would still be interested in this sort of thing… about me...” he rubbed his neck awkwardly.

You gently smiled up at him, your eyes creasing in delight. You patted his side.

“Don’t be, I’m not mad. And of course people are interested; people grew up with you, Tenna. To them, this is like a family member bringing their date home” you pointed at the title of the article to emphasise.

Tenna was taken aback, mouth open slightly in shock. He let out a brittle sound, something between a rattling sigh and a shallow gasp. Somehow, he suddenly looked like he might cry.

You gave him a moment, continuing to read the paper.

The paper discussed your life in scarily accurate detail, frequently alluding to your job as a… ‘Custodian’? Hmm, you’d have to start using that yourself; sounded way more sophisticated than ‘caretaker’, or ‘cleaner’.

Essentially, half the article discussed the sweet moment the two of you shared… the other half was speculation on why the hell you of all people were with Mr.Tenna. Or more accurately, why he was with you.

…Oomph. Way to make you feel inadequate.

Tenna noticed your gaze. He frowned sharply, placing a palm on your shoulder to look at you.

“Hey, don’t listen to this… this nonsense. Tabloids… they never change, huh…” he actually growled, running a suddenly clawed hand down his face. “They never should have published this. I’ll deal with it this afternoon, see what this asshole ‘speculates’ once I pay him a visit.”

Your eyes widened. “Woah now, no need to get so serious” you smiled, elated by his sudden protectiveness. Your gloomy prior thoughts were gone, replaced with the thought that you owed the author a thank you basket for letting you see Tenna offended on your behalf.

“It’s like you said. They gotta find some way to spice up the article” Tenna’s frown told you that you hadn’t succeeded in changing his mind, so you added “Plus, I’d never have this cute photo of us together if it hadn’t been published. Don’t suppose you mind if I keep this?” You flashed your teeth at him. “I’d like to keep a memory of our first date”

That’s the ticket. Tenna gave you a pleased look.

“Oh. Uh, of course…” he smiled. “…better remember to get another one later…” he muttered under his breath, seemingly to himself.

Happy that you’d successfully distracted him from a potential confrontation, you turned to stand directly in front of him. Without a word, you opened your arms gesturing for him to lean down. He obliged, and was rewarded with a kiss.

“Don’t worry about it, Tenna. And thank you again for the wonderful night. I’ll catch you later” you winked.

Tenna’s smile wobbled, and he let out a small laugh. “Right. Have a good day, Jay”

He waved as you left, so you returned the gesture, closing the door behind you almost hesitantly.

You expected the Pippins to still be hanging around, to make sure that you didn’t piss Tenna off so badly that he’d start trashing his room, and you were correct. The same two stood there, though not quite how you’d have expected; instead of being met with timid questions and discussion over whether or not they could enter the room now, you were met with beady eyed stares, their eyes wide as dinner plates.

“Uh. Hey guys” you waved a hand at them, confused.

You looked them up and down, and noticed one was holding…. Ah.

One Pippin raised the paper, the other pointed at the article, with the image you’d just seen mere moments ago.

They must have decided to check the paper to see what had ticked Tenna off so badly, then realised that it was you in the photo. Which was pretty impressive, since the photo didn’t show your face. It didn’t bother you if they knew, but you weren’t sure if Tenna would mind. Or if the word would spread, causing problems down the line. Maybe you could rely on plausible deniability?

“Oh wow, Tenna has a date, huh. Never woulda guessed” you lied briskly, taking a sip of your coffee as you bent down to pretend you were interested in the photo.

The first Pippin let out something akin to a pained wheeze, and you took that as your cue to leave. “Good luck today, guys” you called out without turning back.

Chapter Text

You should have known better than to think the word wouldn’t spread.

That very same day, following your three-hour ‘nap’ at home, you woke to a dozen notifications from Blenda, stacked up one by one throughout the afternoon. It all started with a lone message, complete with a blurry, but familiar photo:

“omg have you seen the daily paper?! I want to say it’s awful, but honestly you look kinda cute together”

You huffed a laugh, and continued reading.

The next messages, sent during Blenda’s break, broke the bad news: staff were readily speculating about the article, many wondering if the relationship was really a romantic one. You supposed that was reasonable; everyone at TV Time - even the new hires- knew Tenna hadn’t shown any interest in romantic partners since his heart was broken all that time ago. Maybe you could still play it off as platonic - or one-sided, if it came to that. You were still a little worried that Tenna might not be happy for your relationship to be public. You considered that, despite how much you liked the guy, you had technically been on only one date. Something you planned on changing very soon, assuming this whole thing didn’t put Tenna off. You felt yourself frowning at the thought.

As you continued to read, any hope you’d had that you could deny and deflect was soon squashed like a coyote under an anvil.

Blen’s final message made it official: everyone knew you and Tenna were seeing each other.

According to Blen, no one had confronted Tenna directly about the article, but they were supposedly poking and prodding him all day (which, yeah, sounded about right) until he finally let it slip that he was seeing you in a fit of frustration. “Oh, Tenna…” you sighed, half-exasperated, half-smitten.

Apparently, he had clapped both hands over his mouth in horror, had awkwardly tried to brush it off as a mistake- then, when he realised it wasn’t working, he’d made them swear not to spread the word. He didn’t want anyone bothering you over this.

Naturally, they’d ignored him.

You sighed, wishing deeply she had caught that on video. You wanted to hear everything that was said; how he’d described your relationship, what tone he’d used, what look he had on his face. But all in all, you were just relieved; it seemed Tenna himself didn’t mind his staff knowing, after all. You smiled to yourself. He was more concerned about your wellbeing. How sweet..!

As you scrolled through your notifications, you found your thoughts drifting to Tenna, to places you wanted to take him. Did he like smoothie bars? You knew a great place deeper in town. Or, maybe he’d like something a bit more active? You could go hiking somewhere nice, maybe that beautiful trail that led to a great view of the city. You imagined his long legs finishing the trail in half the time it took the average darkner, and laughed.

Your thoughts on his long legs inevitably led to you visualising his huge ass in those tight —

—A red number “4” above your phone icon snapped you out of your imagination.

Oddly enough, you’d received multiple calls from an unknown number. That never happened…

You contemplated calling back, but they hadn’t left any voice mail. Seemed like a scam call, then.

You squinted at the notifications, decided not to bother, then rolled back over to catch another couple more hours of sleep.

Usually about this time of the day, you would watch the show, maybe do some crafts while you did, but today you fancied some shut-eye. You apologised to Tenna mentally, smiling into your pillow.

When your work alarm sounded, you - for perhaps the first time in your life - actually felt refreshed. But also starving.

The extra sleep was nice, but you probably should have eaten something earlier.

Nothing fast food couldn’t fix, you supposed. You’d have to pick something up on the way to work.

Because of your little detour, you were about five minutes late - hopefully your line manager wouldn’t make a big deal out of it. She rarely fussed over the night staff, but you didn’t want to end up as the sacrificial lamb of lateness, so you resolved  to stay an extra fifteen minutes or so tonight.

You clocked in, balancing your remaining food precariously on your knee as you pressed your lanyard to the buzzer. Your teeth clamped down on the burger you’d been eating to hold it in place as you struggled with your balancing act.

You groaned, realising you’d have to do this for the next 2 doors as well.

When you finally reached the end of the first-floor hallway - the last door standing between you and reception - you were startled by someone approaching from behind.

“Oh! Need some help?”

You jumped in place, eyes wide as you spun around to face the intruder. Sadly, that was all it took for your balance to break, the bag on your knee falling in excruciating slow motion. You were already mourning the loss of your milkshake-

- Tenna lunged forward and caught the bag just before it touched the ground. In doing so, he unceremoniously toppled down himself in the process, his knees and face more or less ‘eating dirt’.

The bag lay miraculously unharmed, perched on his open palms like a holy offering.

You blinked, stunned. Tenna was still here?

“-enn-ah?” You struggled to spit out his name through the food in your jaw.

You quickly leaned down to help him up, brushing the creases out of his shoulders and steadying him as he knelt in front of you.

This was the second time he’d managed to sneak up on you. How does he do it?

You chucked your half eaten burger into the bag, your tastebuds protesting the loss.

“Tenna, that— hahah, that was incredible. Are you alright?” You asked as you readjusted his collar. His blazer and tie were absent, leaving only a white shirt between your hands and his skin.

Tenna grinned back, his face tinged pink - presumably from embarrassment.

“I’m GREAT! Sorry for startling you like that, I must have given you quite the scare!”

“That you did; I don’t know how someone so big can be so sneaky. I suppose you do move pretty gracefully… usually….” you mused, patting Tenna on the shoulders to signal the end of your adjustments. “There - good as new”

“Thank you! Imagine what the fans would say if they saw me like that”

“Heh. And thank you for saving my dinner. I don’t usually eat on the job, I swear”

You felt a little ashamed, but you figured Tenna wouldn’t mind you bringing food to work.

It occurred to you that, no matter Tenna’s thoughts on professionalism, he would probably let you get away with it anyway.

“I’m glad to see you, Jay. I was a little worried, since your record says you usually clock in on the dot”

You almost winced at mention of your tardiness, until it dawned on you.

“Oh? Were you waiting for me?”

“Yes! …yes, I, uhm, needed to speak with you…” he opened the door wide, gesturing inside. “Shall we..?”

You nodded as you stepped through the doorway. It didn’t escape your notice that Tenna suddenly seemed nervous - which had the unfortunate side effect of making your own nerves spike. You had a vague idea as to why Tenna needed to speak to you… but still, you didn’t want to assume anything. Especially when your mind was currently manufacturing the worst possible scenarios.

“I hope I’m not being too much of a bother. I tried calling, but I think the number on your contract must be wrong”

“Hmm? …Oh! It was you that called!” You pointed a finger up at him, eyes a little wider, and Tenna nodded, rubbing the back of his neck. “Sorry boss, I was asleep. When I woke up and saw the notifications, I figured it was some scam”

It occurred to you that you two hadn’t exchanged numbers. You had kinda assumed that Tenna just… didn’t use a phone. Or at least not a personal, mobile phone. Mike usually dealt with the tedious work calls.

Now that you knew otherwise, you were absolutely going to leave tonight with your boss’ number.

“Also: you’re never a bother, Tenna. Though if I get reprimanded for slacking off, I’m 100% pulling the ‘boss-made-me’ card”

“Haha! That’s fine by me. And in that case, I’m glad I didn’t wake you - I wouldn’t want to mess with your beauty sleep! …oh, not that you need it! That’s - uh- yeah… ” he grimaced, and you quickly covered your mouth to stifle the bark of laughter threatening to escape your throat.

Tenna noticed, and grinned.

“I’m glad you find me funny, at least. You do that a lot, you know - cover your mouth before you laugh, I mean”

You shrugged, and nudged his side with your elbow, still smiling.

“Yeah, well, you keep catching me off guard - being all funny and cute. If I didn’t cover my mouth, I’d be laughing at like, 100 decibels, and no one wants to hear that”

Tenna actually pouted at you.

“But I like to hear you laugh”

Oh. You felt your face warm a little at his honesty. You looped your arm behind his, your hand intertwining with his automatically. You gave it a gentle squeeze, peering up at him, your eyes creased in delight.

“Hmm. Well, in that case, I’ll try to stop doing it when we’re alone together”

“That’s -uh… a great idea” Tenna turned red and looked to the side, suddenly shy.

You smiled. The world was balanced once again.

Tenna had led you to his office in a peaceful silence, your hands linked the rest of the way. When you both entered, he almost offered you a drink out of habit, but stopped himself. You wouldn’t want to drink on the job, he was certain.

…He badly wanted a drink himself. He could feel his nerves spike, his hands clenching and unclenching. Even once you’d both taken a seat on his couch, his leg was bouncing up and down, practically drilling into the floor.

“Thank you for sitting with me for a moment. I don’t want to take up too much of your time - not right now, anyway” he laughed. “I’ll try to keep this quick”

You wanted to say ‘take as long as you need’, but realistically, you did have work to do.

“Tenna, whatever it is you need to tell me, I’m sure it will be fine” you tried to reassure him.

‘So long as you’re not about to tell me to get lost’ you thought.

Tenna’s lips pressed together in a thin line.

“…I need to apologise. That article… well, once you headed home, of course everyone was curious - the staff here, I mean. To start with they were just gossiping, thinking I couldn’t hear. Look, I know, sometimes I can’t hear all too well because I’m tall -especially when it comes to the Pippins- but geez, you’d think I was miles away, with how they were chittering about the picture right in front of me…” he bemoaned, smiling with an edge of relief when you huffed a laugh. His hands were very animated as he spoke, and he occasionally looked to you for approval, or perhaps rejection.

“But then, later on, I guess they didn’t care if I heard or not anymore - they started making up these - theories, saying the most OUTRAGEOUS things, honestly you should have heard — and, now that I think about it, I suppose that was intentional, but — at the time I just - I got so flustered -and, and anxious, because we’d never actually discussed…”

He dropped his head into his hands with a rattling sigh from his vents. His elbows being planted on his knees seemed to be the only thing propping his head up.

“…Well… when I said it, all I was thinking was that it made sense… and that I’d like for us to be together like that…“ he said to the floor. “But I shouldn’t have presumed- and I especially shouldn’t have told them anything without asking you first. I understand if you’re angry”

You gave him a moment, expecting him to clarify… but when he didn’t, you wondered if maybe he didn’t realise he hadn’t actually told you the full story.

“And what did you say to them, Tenna?”

Tenna raised his head.

“O-oh. Right. Well. I was real upset… I’m pretty sure I said something like…“

Tenna paused, and his face flashed, a fuzzy scene playing out on the screen before you:

“Will you just shut up?! Honestly, what is wrong with you people?! Who I’m with is none of your business! You know this is my first date in years — the last thing Jay and I need is you picking apart our relationship!”

He played the scene out on his screen. The image of the Shadow Guys and Zappers was blurred, and the voices were hazy, like a memory would be. You were intrigued. You didn’t know he could do that.

You suspected that the real scene was a bit longer than that too, judging by the fade-outs.

You placed a hand on his. “Hey, I wanna make sure… how do you see us?”

Tenna stammered, turning redder by the second. He looked down as he twiddled his thumbs, trying to formulate an answer. You decided to give him yours, first.

“Because I see us as partners. Romantic partners. Partners that go out together, that enjoy each other’s company, that help each other out. That have sex, when we feel like it-” trust you not to forget that part. Tenna’s vents whirred. “- and who only coincidentally work at the same place” you laughed. “I want to keep seeing you, Tenna. For as long as you’ll have me, I’m not going anywhere. Is that what you want?”

“…‘Partners’…” he murmured, almost seeming dazed. He cleared his throat. “Yes, I want that. I want to be your partner”

You giggled, then coughed, trying to stay serious.

“And I want to be yours. So this works out perfectly”

You stood up and closed the distance between you both, wrapping your arms around Tenna in a hug.

“I do appreciate your apology, even though it was unnecessary in the end” you smiled at him. “I’m not worried about the guys at work knowing we’re together, so long as you’re not bothered by it either”

Tenna tightened the hug, pulling you closer to his side, until you were no longer supported by the floor.  You could’ve sworn you could feel his little smile against your hair. You nuzzled against his neck.

A comfortable silence passed, until Tenna spoke.

“I’ve not been in a relationship for a long time. It all feels… Weird, y‘know? I know it’s cliché, but … I honestly didn’t think I would be with anyone ever again. That I could”

His voice was quiet, gentle. Something only for you to hear.

“I hope that’s ‘weird’ in a good way” you laughed, and patted his chest. “But I get’cha. I haven’t had a serious relationship in forever -“ Tenna trilled happily, presumably at the words ‘serious’ and ‘relationship’ - “so I might be a bit rusty. You, though…” you grinned flirtatiously.

“Trust me when I say this: you’re doing perfectly. So… just be yourself, and don’t stress about it, baby”

You felt a puff of hot air against your face, and then Tenna nuzzled into your hair. You continued, grinning.

“To be honest, I’m still not over the shock that I managed to snag a date with the Mr. Tenna, let alone a relationship”

Tenna laughed brightly.

“Oh please… you act like you don’t know how incredible you are. Like you don’t know what you do to me”

You smirked, at first - until you felt the fuzzy press of lips against your forehead. You paused, eyes widening. Then, it happened again. And a third time.

Somehow, the sweet, chaste kisses from your usually reserved TV man was enough to awaken a deeper desire in you.

It was only natural for you to then start to press kisses against his chest, leading up to his lips. Tenna whined as you did, the sound short and sharp, desperate for you already. His hands tightened on your thighs, holding you atop him. You leaned down to paw at his ass through the smooth material just barely containing it.

“You’re way too sexy for prime time television alone…” you growled, feeling an overwhelming sense of excitement rush through you.

It felt amazing to squeeze down on the spongey material, and if Tenna’s groan was anything to go by, it felt amazing for him too. You made sure he watched as you licked your lips, showing off your fangs, and Tenna reacted delightfully, his mouth dropping open in a rattling sigh. You finally pressed your lips against his properly, and he melted.

You relished each and every little sound leaving Tenna as you pushed in and out, taking control of your make-out session. Your hands rubbed his skin soothingly, occasionally squeezing to cup a feel of his tender immitation-flesh again. Each time, Tenna groaned against you, and you responded in kind. You didn’t realise that your nails were digging in rather roughly, though Tenna absolutely did not mind one bit.

The room was starting to feel pleasantly hot, mostly thanks to Tenna’s fans kicking into action.

When Tenna’s whining started to sound more and more desperate, you peeled back, your hand reaching up to press a thumb against the inside of his cheek, holding his maw open. You pressed hard enough so that you could clearly see his elusive fangs, the sight of them making you grin. Tenna huffed at the air desperately. The string of saliva that connected you both snapped.

“…the fangs really do it for you, huh?” He struggled to say with your hand in the way.

Ah. You were caught.

“You have no idea” you admitted. “Maybe soon, I’ll get you to show me just how sharp they really are…” you said roughly, pressing against his lips again. You were slower this time, pressing against each other languidly. Gently.

You liked this. Liked feeling so wanted - needed.

When you parted, Tenna looked at you pleadingly.

“…yours, too… your teeth… I want you to leave a mark” he said, gesturing to the silicone material below his neck.

Instead of asking if Tenna meant right now like a normal person would, you immediately leaned down, like your neck was pulled on a leash to the spot, your mouth already open. Tenna whined at the feeling of your teeth at his collar.

Still, you waited for Tenna’s approval before tightening your jaw.

He gave it with a press of his hand against your head, a soft plea leaving his throat.

You bit down, slowly increasing the pressure in increments. His pitch rose as the seconds passed. You tasted nickel.

“A-ahh, fuck…! Please please please please-”

…Oh, he’d turned off his censor. Your lips curled against his skin, and you huffed against him in amusement.

When you leaned back and took in your work, your pupils had blown wide. Tenna’s forearm was thrown across his forehead, his mouth open, panting. Most importantly, there was now a clear mark where your fangs had just been, denting the material. A clear sign that you owned him — ah. You stopped yourself - you were getting a little too possessive.

No blood welled from the mark, naturally. But the area did look brighter - maybe that was the saliva though. Tenna reached a hand up to feel, his fingers tracing the deeper indents slowly. He wore the smallest little smile… The sight had your heart thumping. And your mouth watering.

“Aren’t you just the cutest…” you chuckled. You didn’t need to look down to know that Tenna was excited. You adored how desperate he was for your affection, even more so in this kind of scenario.

…Though perhaps it would have been better if you were at home right now, instead of at work and currently on duty.

A wicked idea came to you.

You sat up, and began adjusting his clothes as you had earlier, signalling an end to your activities. Though, before you covered it, you ran your hand over the mark you’d made for good measure, thrilled by the feel under your fingertips.

“I should get to work, Boss. And you should get some sleep”

Tenna was taking it better than you expected; his lips pressed together thinly, and he started to worry his lower lip between his teeth - but he didn’t argue or disagree, despite his obvious disappointment.

You weren’t one to leave your partner disappointed.

“But how about this -“ you pressed your knee against his crotch abruptly, causing Tenna to jolt against you. 

“Why don’t you hold on for me until Saturday? Maybe we could go somewhere nice… and after, I will treat you properly... whatever you want and more. That sound good?”

Tenna swallowed, his mouth dry. His smile wobbled.

“That sounds spectacular”

“Good boy” you smirked, patting his head a few times before jumping backwards. You stretched your arms out with a pop.

“Thank you for coming to talk to me, Tenna. I appreciate you checking in. Oh, and I’ll add your number to my contacts, now that I know it was you”

Tenna stood and patted down his clothes. He inhaled, stabilising himself. He was remarkably good at regaining his composure - considering he’d been a mess just a moment ago.

“I should be thanking you - geez, it’s already been 30 minutes?” He winced at you. “I’m sorry”

“Don’t worry about it. Just means I get to listen to music for a bit longer today” you shrugged, tapping your headphones. It had been worth it.

“I won’t keep you any longer, Jay. I’ll see you soon..?”

You almost raised a brow at that - how it sounded more like a question than a statement. You felt your gaze soften.

“Of course. See you soon, Tenna”

You’d do whatever it took to ease that insecurity of his.