Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Tenna was pissed and Spamton knew that. Everyone at the studio knew that. The biggest darkner in the Dark World was not exactly subtle and that included his emotions.

He stomped through the studio in frustration. The big man ran around to get everything ready for the next show and even forgot to eat. He loved eating and he ate a lot as well but this day he skipped breakfast and lunch because he was so stressed.

His mood soured with his hunger, the crt even threatened to eat one of the Pippins when they got on his nerves but Spamton got between them to calm his business partner down and reassured the scared Pippins that he wasn’t serious.

Tenna could have his outbursts but he was soft in the end. A real pushover that acted like his personal pet. He loved to watch the crt go off on his employees and then grovel at his feet and shrink whenever he upset Spamton G Spamton.

It was pathetic but he got a kick out of having the lord of screens under his thumb.

He followed his business partner to his room, listening to him grumble under his breath and rolling his eyes. ‘You know, Ant. Your little tantrums are getting in the way of work. Why don’t you relax and let me run things for a bit?’

Tenna stopped and spun around. ‘If you know what’s good for you, you don’t tell me how to run MY SHOW.’ He leaned over Spamton with a static screen and hot air coming out of his vents.

‘Damn, Ant… watch your blood pressure, hot shot. Are you already suffering from hearing loss?’ Spamton grabbed his tie like a leash. ‘I say that you should let me run it. Not the same.’ He fidgeted with the tie and tightened it a bit around Tenna’s neck.

The crt was clearly not happy and grabbed him by the back of his shirt to pull him off his tie. ‘I told you not to touch it. I am NOT in the mood, Spamton!’

‘No Spammy?’ He asked and cocked his brow with as much sarcasm as he could fit into his body. ‘Sounds like I’m in trouble… and you should finally tuck it in if you don’t want it to get pulled.’

Tenna just tossed him on the floor and turned away to get out of the situation. ‘Don’t push me to do something I’ll regret. Last warning.’

‘You’re such a sour puss… why don’t we do something that we both will regret? We don’t even have to be drunk.’ Spamton followed him, getting a bit suspicious that none of his teasing had the usual effect. It seemed that he had to bring out the big guns for this one.

Spamton smirked and put a bunch if ads on Tenna’s screen, watching him groan in frustration and grow a bit.

‘SPAMTOOON!!!’ He roared and shook the entire studio with it.

‘Oh… did I do that?’ He asked while he ran past him and watched Tenna grow about a head more before his antennae pressed against the ceiling. ‘Damn, you're easy meat, slowpoke. I bet you couldn’t even stop me if you tried… all bark and no bite!’

Tenna had enough and stomped after him. His claws broke his gloves and got dragged over the wall to shred it like paper. ‘Want to say that again?’

‘No wonder the lighters are losing interest if that’s the best you can do.’ The small man shrugged and disappeared behind a corner. (That might have gone too far. I don’t want him to cry all day.) He immediately regretted his words and figured he could always make it up to him after Tenna loosened up.

The lord of screens seemed to short circuit when his screen turned off and then on again to show no more signal. ‘You know… I think you need a reminder of who is the boss and in control of this place.’

The ad dropped through the floor and somehow ended up falling through the ceiling of Tenna’s office. ‘What…’ He laughed nervously. ‘I didn’t know you could do that.’

The bigger man was already there and stared down at him without an expression.

Spamton scoffed. ‘What do you want to do? You don’t have the guts to fire me, want to beg or cry about it?’ The ad asked with a shit eating grin. ‘Want ME to beg or cry? Why don’t you try?’

The crt’s screen flickered and turned black, only his smile showed but instead of the unnerving but cartoony smirk that he expected his teeth were pronounced and sharp instead of flat 2D. ‘Don’t have the guts…’ He repeated and moved closer. ‘Let’s see about that.’

Spamton grew a bit nervous now but tried to hide it.

Tenna stared at him and wanted to add something when his stomach growled. His face returned in embarrassment.

The smaller man’s grin immediately returned. ‘Forgot to eat?’ He laughed. ‘Want me to make something? You might be less grumpy after you filled that hungry belly.’ His confidence left him when Tenna’s grin widened and became more toothy than usual. He could swear that he was drooling more as well.

‘You know… that’s a great idea. You help my hunger and in return I’ll only suspend you.’ He explained. ‘Let’s make this more fun because you are sooo confident and sure that you’re better than me.’

‘I am better…’ Spamton kept up his teasing as if he was having fun at digging his own grave. ‘And what do you mean with suspending me?’

‘Proof it.’ Tenna said with a grin that kept growing and took over half the screen already. ‘It means what I said. You’re suspended.’

‘Sure. But I’m not leaving.’ He tried to match Tenna’s smile but failed miserably.

‘I didn’t say you’re allowed to leave.’ Tenna’s screen flipped upside down for a moment before his smile returned and he raised Spamton higher. ‘It’s about time that you learn what happens to employees that mess up one too many times.’

‘Whatever. Tell me when you want to chicken out.’ He booped the crt’s nose. ‘So, what will happen now?’ He challenged.

‘Again. You’re suspended and if you manage to free yourself, you win and get to be in charge for a day. But if you don’t manage to free yourself, I get to terminate you and get a meal out of it.’

‘You want to fire me and ask me out for dinner? Strange conditions… what if I said no?’ The ad crossed his arms.

‘I’m not giving you a choice anymore. I warned you plenty.’ Tenna spoke lowly.

‘Oooh… scary…’ Spamton laughed. ‘Hit me then.’

The crt licked his lips when his stomach growled again. ‘Down the hatch…’ He watched Spamton’s confidence get replaced with horror when everything dawned on him.

‘Ant… what are you doing?’ He asked and grew more tense when the tongue touched him. ‘Very funny.’

‘Thanks…’ Tenna said through his speakers before pushing him in further. ‘But I didn’t make any jokes.’

‘Ant… this isn’t funny anymore. Cut it out.’ Spamton squirmed and laughed awkwardly.

‘Then why are you still laughing?’ He asked and closed his lips around Spamton’s feet to nibble on them a bit, then opened his mouth wider than Spamton had seen before to give him a good view of his destination.

‘Ant! Stop!’ He panicked and began to squirm when he saw Tenna’s throat flex and the dark tunnel that followed.

‘Funny… now YOU want ME to stop?’ He laughed. ‘The irony!’

Strands of saliva connected the top and bottom of the cavernous maw and Spamton freaked out when it became clear that he was salivating. ‘Oh heaven… no no no! Tenna! Ant! Stop, you don’t want this. I learned my lesson! That went too far. I’m sorry!’ He tried to move away from the hole but it seemed to come closer before he felt himself fall and screamed.

Spamton hit the tongue and frantically hung onto it. ‘Tenna! Don’t do this, you’re not like this! You’re a good guy, you wouldn’t hurt someone! [%#$$], you wouldn’t hurt your business partner!’

‘I can find a new one.’ Tenna replied coldly. ‘Besides, what good is a partner when he doesn’t know when to stop.’

A cold chill went down his spine despite Tenna’s hot breath. ‘This is murder, Ant. You’ll never get away with it…’ He tried to argue.

The mouth shook while Tenna snickered. ‘Do you really think you’re the first? I told you… you had this coming.’

Spamton’s eyes widened, the teeth parted and he tried to climb out when he slipped and felt the uvula against his neck. ‘No no no…’ He began to hyperventilate. ‘A-‘ He felt the man jerk shortly after he pressed more against it. This was followed by a swallow.

He gasped when one of his arms got enveloped by flesh while pressed against his side and the other tried to reach for anything that he could hold onto. His neck was already in the entrance to the throat and he could barely glance over the tongue for light.

He couldn’t speak or scream because the pressure on his chest was so immense. The ad just stayed like this for a short moment but it felt like forever when the esophageal sphincter slowly pushed itself along Spamton’s head like a snake that slowly tried to swallow painfully large prey.

His moment of hope that Tenna couldn’t get him down was cut short when the sphincter widened with the sound of a heavy gulp that moved his entire body into the flesh tube.

The last thing that entered was his hand, it tried to hold onto something and pull him up but the surface was too smooth and slimy, his body moved nauseatingly slow and came to a hold when his entire body was in the throat. It was tight from all sides and he feared that he might faint before he even entered the stomach but maybe that was better than witnessing the rest of this.

Spamton tried not to cry and show weakness so soon. He hoped that Tenna would choke on him if he didn’t come to his senses.

He knew that Tenna could act irrational and forget about consequences when he got emotional especially when he got mad but this was insane.

He tried too squirm but it only helped him move down easier even with something holding him back.

The pressure lessened when Tenna seemed to remove his tie and swallowed again.

The throat rippled and squelched, the pressure came in waves when he got moved along towards the hungry chamber below.

Spamton’s heart was racing and he almost blacked out when his feet came to a hold before they got pushed through a tighter opening that adjusted its shape and size around Spamton’s body.

His feet hung in some kind of free space before another gulp dropped him into the slimy belly of the beast.

If the throat had been hot and disgusting, it was nothing compared to the stomach. The realisation that he was literally inside Tenna, inside the organ that he used to break down food made him experience true fear. Maybe he was scared of the lord of screens. ‘Tenna, let me out.’ Spamton summoned all his courage into those worlds but his body was shaking in fear.

‘I’m sorry. I don’t talk to my food.’ He patted his belly and cleaned his teeth with his claw while he inspected himself in his mirror. ‘But if you want to keep talking, I’ll throw you a bone. Indulge me. You’re hardly visible… remember the studio’s thanksgiving dinner? You’re leaving about as much of a bulge.’

Spamton was breathing irregularly. The stomach smelled weird. Not quite like vomit, more chemical but not like any chemical he knew. It was unpleasant and he wanted to get out. ‘You’re crazy! Oh god, you’re completely crazy. I should have never come here!’

‘And now you’re never leaving…’ The crt sat down and rubbed his gut. ‘I give you some time to get adjusted and make a plan before I start digestion.’ He stretched, smiling when that made his stomach tighten around his food. ‘I do feel better already… you’re a great lunch, you’ll last me until dinner.’ He chuckled and let out a small burp. ‘Maybe.’

Spamton flipped and began to squirm. ‘You crazy [€&@?>%#]! I will cut you open from the inside! You’re enjoying this? I’ll give you the worst indigestion of your life and when you let me out, I’ll have your sorry [@&&] beg me for forgiveness!’

Tenna laughed. ‘I can’t wait for that.’ He just leaned back and pressed into his stomach to massage it. ‘You’re feeling so good in there…’ He licked his lips and rubbed roughly into his gut. ‘Let’s see how long you can keep this up before you start begging. This will be a long day for you but that might not be so bad considering it will be your last if you don’t act on your threats soon…’

Chapter Text

Spamton hugged his legs and dropped to the bottom of the organ. There was only a bit of saliva as well as the sound of his other organs working, waiting to be fuelled by Spamton’s remains. Despite the chemical smell, everything else was terrifyingly organic.

The way the walls felt, the sounds, the liquids. He imagined that this would be how it would feel getting eaten alive by someone organic too.

He’d probably prefer it if it was all mechanical, then he could pretend that it was like sitting in a car or something.

But it wasn’t a car. It was Tenna’s stomach and it was going to be his grave too if he didn’t get out in time.

He could hardly believe that his business partner would do this. The bigger man had always been so sweet towards him and made himself small, tried to make him comfortable in TV World and feel at home.

Tenna had bend over backwards for him.

He didn’t know why but he knew that the crt at least liked him and maybe even saw them as friends. At least he thought so until the boss darkner decided that he would kill him in a horrifying and painful way.

Was Tenna sick of him? Had he gone too far? Or was something else the cause for his sudden streak of violence.

Now that Spamton had time to think, he had been a real dick. He was always lazy around him, letting Tenna clean and cook and then criticising him because he wasn’t good at the latter.

The crt would be sad and then Spamton would laugh and dismiss his feelings and throw him a bone by praising him but in the end it might have been a bit manipulative. Putting him down, making him feel bad and then giving him some praise to keep him attached.

Maybe their friendship had been one-sided and Tenna noticed and now he decided that it would be better to just get rid of him.

He almost couldn’t blame him about feeling sick of that but murder went a bit too far. This was still completely unhinged behaviour and Tenna was a nutjob but it probably wouldn’t have happened if he had been nicer and didn’t push Tenna to his breaking point at every opportunity.

Now he felt bad and like he should apologise but the bigger darkner was the one who ate him and he had to apologise first! He was too stubborn to admit any wrongdoing anyway.

Spamton still had to get out.

‘Tenna!’ He called out and kicked the walls with force. ‘I’ve had enough of your games, let me out!’

Tenna rubbed over his upset tummy and frowned, getting a bit embarrassed when it gurgled loudly, especially now that he wasn’t in private anymore.

‘Are you okay?’ Small Mike asked worriedly.

‘Yeah.’ Tenna groaned. ‘Just ate something that isn’t agreeing with me…’ He stifled a burp and sighed in annoyance.

‘Need something? Like a prokinetic agent?’ Mike offered.

Spamton tensed up. ‘Don’t. You. [&€(#/£%] dare.’

‘You know what?’ Tenna grinned. ‘That’s a great idea.’ He drummed on his belly. ‘Something to speed things up. Can’t have anything be seen on camera.’

Spamton started kicking. ‘Mike! Can you hear me??? Get me out of here! Tenna completely lost it!’

The crt pressed into his stomach when it gurgled from the movement and to hide its contents. ‘Actually, I’ll be getting it myself and take the rest of the day off for some office work.’

‘As you wish…’ Mike replied a bit suspicious. ‘I’m glad that you’re feeling better at least. Could Mr. Spamton cheer you up?’

‘I guess…’ Tenna mumbled with a frown and cupped his stomach.

‘You know, Mr. Tenna.’ Mike sighed and leaned back a bit to check if anyone was around. ‘You shouldn’t take his treatment.’ He crossed his arms.

Spamton tensed up and pressed against the wall to listen.

‘Everyone here sees how he treats you… I know you don’t like talking about it but you shouldn’t let him abuse you like that.’ Mike said carefully. ‘He’s always putting you down and acting like he is in charge and you seem so sad afterwards while he doesn’t even care that he hurt you.’

Spamton shrunk in on himself.

‘Let’s not talk about this now.’ He mumbled.

‘You never want to talk about it!’ Mike argued.

‘…not now!’ He grew a bit with a hiss and then turned away to walk off and get the medication.

‘Ant?’ The ad tried to speak up when they were seemingly alone but got ignored.

The crt grabbed something from the infirmary and mixed it with water before drinking it.

Spamton frowned. ‘Ew…’ He groaned. ‘Ant, talk to me.’

‘Food doesn’t talk. I don’t want to hear anything from you.’ He mumbled and seemed to close something before he left the room. ‘I’m heading home. Better think of something soon.’ Tenna didn’t seem in the mood to talk at all anymore.

‘I really think we should talk though!’ Spamton panicked when the stomach began to fill with a new liquid that came out of the walls. ‘Tenna, what are you doing?’

‘I started digestion. Better think fast.’ The crt told him.

‘Ant, for [#%$&?] sake. You can’t do this! I know I was a jerk but this is too far.’ He tried to stay out of the growing pool but the walls pushed him back into the middle to soak him in stomach acid. It didn’t feel like much yet besides a hot and slightly thicker liquid.

‘Don’t care.’ He said and grabbed his coat before he walked to his own apartment.

‘I don’t believe you. Come on, Ant. Please.’ He began to panic.

‘I just got started and you’re already begging. Disappointing.’ He growled and ignored Spamton’s struggle until he was at home.

He sat down on his couch and crossed his arms while he tried to ignore his meal.

At one point, Spamton stopped moving.

Tenna waited a moment before he became nervous. ‘Spamton?’ He asked but only received a gurgle. The crt immediately went from uncaring to panicked himself. ‘Spamton, answer!’

Nothing.

‘Spammy, please. I… no no no! I know I took the antacids and, I…’ He felt tears form on his screen.

‘I knew it.’ Spamton mumbled.

Tenna felt a moment of relief before a different panic took its place. ‘Uhm… I was just lying… I just wanted you to say something. I will hurt you.’

‘Tenna.’ Spamton said more serious. ‘Let me out.’

‘You can’t order me around…’ Tenna tried to regain control.

‘If you don’t, I’ll hate you forever and leave.’ The ad warned him.

Tenna whined and hesitated before he got up and regurgitated his business partner into his bathtub as well as a bunch of neutralised stomach fluids.

Spamton stared up at him with an unreadable expression that the crt interpreted as anger and made him shrink.

‘Are you mad at me…?’ He asked with an awkward smile.

Spamton climbed out of the bathtub and walked up to the bigger darkner and watched him shrink until he was half a head smaller. ‘Why?’

Tenna stared at him and flinched at the harsh tone before he lowered his head and cried. ‘I just wanted your attention.’ He admitted. ‘And… I just wanted you to know how it feels to be scared constantly and feel hurt.’

Spamton just stared at him with a poker face.

‘You’re always so mean to me. You ignore me and bully me and then you said we are partners and a team and it’s so confusing. I think that I did something well or I try my best at least and then you just… ignore me or you insult me or what I did and you laugh about it or you forget that you wanted to meet up with me to go to some party and then never even apologise and I just spent the night crying while you meet some other people that aren’t me…’ He sobbed and gasped for breath while speaking.

He shrunk more. ‘But now you probably never want to see me again.’ He sunk his black screen into his hands. ‘But it isn’t like I matter to you anyway.’

Spamton stared at him in confusion before it clicked. ‘That’s why you were so angry all day…’ He grit his teeth. (Fuck.) He thought. ‘We wanted to meet up last night and I completely forgot…’ (Because I went to a party to scam some drunk rich assholes for money.)

‘You didn’t even call.’ He mumbled and hugged his legs. ‘You’re always on the phone.’ He mumbled. ‘The phone comes always first… but you couldn’t even call me to spare me some dignity. You never valued my time or our friendship…’ He shrunk to half of Spamton’s size. ‘But maybe it was stupid of me to think we were friends in the first place.’

The ad glanced at the door and then his body. His suit was ruined and so was his hairstyle and mood.

‘I understand.’ Tenna stared at him with static on his screen. ‘Just go…’ He hugged his legs tighter. ‘You get what you want, the studio is yours for the day, tomorrow too if you want. Who cares.’ He tried to put on a brave face but failed.

Spamton ran his hand through his hair and pressed air out through his teeth. ‘Ant.’

The shrunken darkner looked down. ‘What…’ He tensed up when Spamton wrapped his arms around him.

‘I… I’m sorry.’ He mumbled as if he had never spoken those words genuinely before and it felt wrong.

Tenna completely broke down after this and cried bitterly while clinging to Spamton. The flood gates were open now and the crt kept sobbing and sniffing while apologising profusely for eating him and scaring him while Spamton felt more uncomfortable at this situation than he was inside his stomach.

‘Hey… calm down, [boob tube].’ Spamton patted his back. ‘While I agree that threatening to digest me wasn’t exactly the most normal reaction, you weren’t serious, so it’s fine… you weren’t serious, right?’

Tenna quickly raised his hands. ‘No! I would never. I have threatened a bunch of stuff before but I could never… I don’t enjoy hurting people and killing them? Definitely not… especially not you…’

(Why do I feel kinda disappointed?) Spamton nodded slowly. ‘So, you haven’t eaten your employees before?’

‘No!!!’ Tenna seemed shocked as if that wasn’t a possibility. ‘Of course not. I only said that because I was mad earlier and to mess with you as revenge for always messing with me… I wanted to be more convincing…’

‘You sure were…’ Spamton mumbled and watched Tenna shrink again in shame. ‘Well, you’re a great actor.’ He praised him and watched Tenna grow to his own size before he moved closer to whisper into his ear. ‘And you’re really hot when you’re scary, so I don’t mind seeing more of that.’

Tenna’s face returned with a bright blush before he grew to half his original size. ‘What…’

Spamton blushed. ‘Can I admit something?’ He looked away. ‘Don’t tell anyone though.’

The crt nodded. ‘I pinky promise.’

(Fuck, why is he so stupid cute and crazy.) The ad crossed his arms. ‘I admire you…’ He mumbled.

‘… you don’t have to lie to me to make me feel better…’ Tenna’s antennae dropped.

‘No. I’m serious.’ Spamton explained.

‘I’m confused… then why are you so cruel to me?’ The boss darkner asked with not a clue in the world.

Spamton groaned. ‘Do I really have to spell it out…?’

The crt just stared at him.

The smaller man seemed to shrink even more while he turned red. ‘I…’ He cleared his throat. ‘I like you, Ant.’ If he could turn even more red, he’d turn into a tomato and go up in flames. ‘I look up to you… and I hate it! Sometimes… I don’t know! Urgh!!!’ He let out a frustrated huff. ‘You’re charismatic, attractive, tall, talented, sweet, free, powerful! Everything I want to be…’ He fidgeted nervously. ‘And I am kinda… jealous.’

Tenna didn’t say anything and just listened.

Spamton was hoping that he’d get interrupted. ‘I figured that if I could make you feel smaller that it’d make me bigger and that you’d see me an an equal and take me seriously. And it kinda worked… I just didn’t realise that I seriously hurt you with it… I’m sorry.’ Now it was his turn to hold back tears. ‘I was scared that you might realise you don’t need me either… no one needs Spamton G Spamton. No one would care if I’m gone, so you would have easily gotten away with it if you would have been serious.’ He laughed bitterly.

‘…I would care.’ Tenna rubbed over his arm. ‘I care about you a lot and I think you’re pretty great when you don’t hurt my feelings.’

Spamton got closer for another hug and just leaned against Tenna’s chest, relaxing when he felt the arms around his body. ‘Maybe I could try being nicer…’ He suggested. ‘I like it when you cook for me. No one ever did that for me before.’

‘I’ll try keeping my emotions in check and I will never do that to you again…’ He promised.

‘I appreciate it.’ They stayed like this for a moment. ‘Hey…’ The ad cleared his throat. ‘I have time now. How about we get cleaned up and changed and have our meeting tonight?’

Tenna smiled. ‘I prepare dinner.’