Archive of Our Own ^beta

Last thing you remember, you were falling asleep watching some TV. Now, you found yourself at the bottom of a pit, arms and legs aching from the fall. Looking around, there was only light in one direction, straight forward. It was a bright white, definitely artificial, and definitely not the warm color of the lamps in your house.

With some struggles, you stood up, wiping the dirt off your pants. Luckily, you had no broken bones, or else you'd be in big trouble. You tried to ignore the pain in your right foot as you followed the light. It was further away than you thought it was, at first you thought it was running away from you, but you soon tracked down the source of the light to be from a hallway… a very long hallway.

The light you saw was a spotlight, pointing straight down at a red carpet. There were stanchions on each side of it, seemingly for decoration since this was a pretty narrow hall. It seemed to stretch on for a while, but you had nowhere else to go, so you walked down it.

As you kept going, you started to hear music further down, very upbeat and jazzy. You also heard the sound of someone talking, seemingly coming from a speaker, since it was just as loud as the music. It was muffled and hard to understand, but whoever was talking sounded very… charismatic.

Just as you thought the hall was going to go on forever, you spotted a door! You sped up to reach it, quietly turning the knob to not disturb whatever was going on. You were hoping it was maybe somewhere more private, but no. It was right on a stage, looking over a seemingly endless audience! You were immediately intimidated but tried not to panic, looking over to the source of the voice you heard earlier.

Immediately, you noticed something familiar.

That TV… Ever since you were a kid, you used that TV for everything, for gaming, as a computer monitor, and, well, as a television. For years, that trusty old CRT was your go to whenever you needed a screen for something. When analog TV died, making that antenna useless, you just hooked your cable box to it. When HDMI became the norm, you just got an adapter. In fact, it's only been a year since you finally replaced it with a smart TV you managed to thrift, seemingly given away because of the few dead pixels it had. It was bigger, shinier, and snappier. It was your new go to for a screen… But you couldn't get yourself to get rid of that old thing. It sat in the corner of your living room, collecting dust with other miscellaneous things you couldn't throw away. After a while, it just blended in with the rest of the stuff over there.

And yet there it was, sitting atop the shoulders of the host of what looked like a game show. It took the place of his head, with a long nose and a mouth attached to the screen. Other than that, it? No, he at the very least had a human looking body. Rather thin, but broad enough to not seem weak. He was also tall… Very tall, at least twice your height. If you were any closer, you'd have to stretch to look up at him. He seemed distracted at the moment, talking to the audience… Should you say something? Ask what was going on? Maybe…

“...And let's give an applause for our VERY SPECIAL GUEST!” In one quick turn, he was facing you, an arm outstretched and pointing straight at you. It brought your attention back real quick. Suddenly, the audience roared, seemingly ecstatic you were there! You looked between him and the audience, almost at a loss for words…

“Huh- Whuh?” you managed to utter, “What's going on? What did I walk into?”

“What did you walk into? Well, TV Time, of course! What else would it have been?” His voice was booming, his motions over-exaggerated as he reached his arms out and turned to the back of the stage. You turn as well, taking a look. It was clear as day, the logo for the show projected right on the wall: Mr. (Ant) Tenna's TV Time. It only brought more questions than answers though.

Before you could say anything else, a podium dropped right in front of you, making you jump! It was simple, with just a microphone and a red button on it.

“You're uh… you're not saying I'm playing this game show, right? I kinda need to-”

“OF COURSE I'm saying that!” He interrupts you, walking over to the podium and leaning against it, resting his hand on the edge, “You're our contestant after all! Our SPECIAL GUEST! Our feature presentation!”

The audience cheers again, only solidifying the fact your presence here was highly regarded. You could feel a bit of warmth coming to your cheeks, flattered at the attention, but you quickly shook that off. You needed to figure out a way out of here.

“I mean, I appreciate the offer, but I really need to figure out where I am and how to leave… I'm sorry…” You finally got to explain, feeling a little guilty. On one hand, you felt bad for leaving this audience hanging… on the other hand, you wanted out. You needed out.

Suddenly, Tenna's expression changed. The grin on his face faded away, his shoulders drooped down, and the light on his screen dimmed. “You… really mean that? You don't want to play my game that badly?”

“I… Yeah, that's what I'm saying,” you nodded, trying to stand your ground, “Sorry Mr. Tenna, but I have no idea where I am, and I need to get home.”

Tenna turned to the audience, standing up straight and putting his head down, “Sorry folks, you heard them, no TV Time tonight, the show is cancelled! Pack your stuff up and go home, and don't forget the gift shop!”

You put your head down too, thinking on it a bit. Sure, you needed to get home, but you just ruined this guy's show, letting down both him and the audience… It would make anyone feel bad. As you watched the crowd leave, you found you felt too guilty, and decided to change your mind.

“Alright alright, maybe one round? It could be fun…”

Immediately, you could see Tenna's whole demeanor change. He stood up straight again pointing to the audience with the same enthusiasm he had before, “You hear that folks? We are BACK! The show is no longer cancelled! Don't touch that dial ladies and germs, because…

“IT'S!! TV!! TIME!!!"

———————————————————

Just like that, you were coaxed into playing one round… and another, and another, until you were starting to get fed up. It seemed less about the fun of the game and more about trying to get you to stay. It was no longer fun to play anymore, and just felt like a slog. Eventually, you were too fed up to continue, and decided to finally say something about it before the next round started.

“Look, I appreciate the games and all, but I really think it's time for me to go,” you explained.

Just like last time, Tenna slumped down, clearly disappointed, “But we were having so much fun! Right, folks?” He turned to the audience, which cheered in his favor. He was trying to get you to continue again.

“I can't stay here forever!” You argued, starting to get a bit peeved, “I really need to go back home.”

Tenna let out an exaggerated sigh, “Mike, cut the lights! Put the curtain down! Folks, the show’s over, go home!”

Soon after, burgundy curtains dropped down at the front of the stage, blocking the two of you from the audience. You felt your chest start to tighten. What was going on? What was he going to do?

“You're killing me here,” Tenna started, looking back down at you, "You're going to leave me to rot again!”

“Huh?” You found that a bit baffling to hear, “This is the first time we met, what do you mean again?”

“Don't you remember? When you put me away? Never turned me on again? It's been so long since I've had an audience!” He put a hand over his head and leaned back, as if he was still putting on a show.

“What? Are you talking about my old TV?” You guessed, judging by the look of the screen on his head, “Are… you that TV?”

“Yes! I am that… old TV!” By his tone, he was clearly insulted that you just called him old… Great. You didn't mean to upset him like that.

“Did I say old? I uh… I didn't really mean that!” You try to lie, hoping if you made him feel better he'd let you leave. “I meant vintage! Retro!”

“Those are just other words for old!” He retorted, nearly falling over from the supposed insult. “I see how it is, I'm just old junk to you!”

“You're not junk!” That one you meant, “That's why I didn't throw you away! You're not junk to me, I can use you again whenever I want!”

“Whenever you want? What about me? What do I do until then?”

“I don't know… keep hosting that show of yours? You're pretty good at it…”

Tenna fell silent then. He looked like he was thinking about something. It made your heart sink. The silence was deafening, and after just a few seconds of it, you found yourself backing away…

And suddenly, he started running after you. In a panic you start to run away as well, as fast as you can. Past the stage, past the green room, past everything. Yet he chased you down just as fast, the heavy clanking of his footsteps making it obvious.

Eventually, you found yourself in that hallway again, running from the TV headed giant. The spotlights were dim and flickering now, only making your heart sink deeper to the pit of your stomach. You tried not to focus on that, though, as you kept running, the hallway seemingly going on forever… until it didn't.

You eventually hit a wall, with nowhere to turn. You don't turn back, no, that would scare you too much, but the footsteps were getting closer and closer, until you felt him… A warmth eminating from behind you. That was when you finally turn around, a shaky grin on your face.

“Uh… Tenna? What are you doing?”

Without another word, he wrapped his hands around your waist and picked you up without much effort. You immediately thrash in his grasp, trying to loosen his hands enough to get him to drop you.

“W-Woah! What are you DOING?!”

“I know how I can keep you in my personal audience FOREVER…” he grinned almost sinisterly, with sharp fangs you swore you didn't see before.

Before either of you could utter another word, he lifted you up and opened his mouth wide, wider than you ever thought it could open, and started to push your head inside. You scream and squirm and resist, but it was no use. You could feel yourself being pushed closer. One eye was closed, but the other stayed open, there was a hint of curiosity hidden in that fear.

Tenna's mouth, something you never thought you'd see this close, was a deep purple. Clearly artificial, judging by the amount of exposed moving parts it needed to work. Completely dry, despite the warm air blowing in your face with each breath he took, it wasn't humid. Further down, there was a faint glow in his throat, almost as if you were meant to see it. It sent a shiver down your spine.

Your investigation ended with another push from Tenna, putting your head fully inside. The silicone coated metal pushed against the top and bottom of your head roughly, and you doubted it was something he cared about. His teeth just barely hovered around your neck, not quite biting you but very close to doing so. Another push brought your head to his throat in earnest, the only thing you could see now was the glow of light around you. Before you could process that, you were pushed further, with a mechanical sounding swallow.

His teeth started to sink into your shoulders, something that made you yelp. It hurt, but luckily, it didn't draw blood. Another push and a swallow made those teeth rip your shirt and lightly scratch your back. It made you squirm more. In response, his grip tightened around your waist, trying to keep you still. You finally closed your eyes, you couldn't bear to see any more of this.

Gulp. Glp. Glrp.

As Tenna swallowed you down, you felt him tilt back and turn you upside down, letting gravity help you along. You kicked your legs violently, hoping it would hit his head, but it was no use. He moved his hands from your waist to your thighs, then to your calves, and finally to your ankles. As you went down further, you found your upper body getting squeezed somewhere… his stomach? No, there was no way. He was a TV, a machine, he didn't need a stomach!

Yet there you were, being squeezed further down until you felt his mouth seal around your feet. With a few more strong swallows, you were fully inside, your knees curling up as they pooled in since there was simply not enough room. Right away, you start to elbow the walls of this metal prison, walls that gave way almost like an accordion. It would've been interesting if you weren't fighting for your life right now.

From the outside, Tenna let out a sigh of satisfaction giving your bulging form a light pat, “There we go… Goodness that's always so hard to do.”

“Then why did you do it?” You asked, certainly not amused with your predicament.

“Isn't it obvious? I need you as a permanent member of the audience!” He explained as if it was no big deal, “And so I did it!”

“You can't just make me a permanent audience member! I have things to do! A life to live!” You gave the wall a strained kick, something that seemed to hit somewhere sensitive as you heard a yelp from the guy, warbled like a busted VHS tape.

“YEEOWCH!! Don't do that! Those wires are sensitive!”

“What're you gonna do about it? Not like you can stop me from here!” You retorted, giving another shove to the same spot, resulting in another comical shout of pain.

But this time he didn't say anything, he just grumbled after, wrapping his arms around you so you couldn't move. It worked too, as you were compressed even tighter, almost painfully so. There wasn't much you could do from here, other than hope wherever you were at wasn't dangerous.

Meanwhile, you could hear Tenna's footsteps echoing around you… It seemed that now that he caught you, he was going back on stage with his prize. At least, that was what you thought at first, before the silence grew oddly long, and the footsteps just kept coming. Was he going somewhere else? Was the show truly over, like he said it was?

You were thinking for so long, you didn't even notice your foot start to fall asleep. It was the kind of numbness that felt like TV static, ironically enough. But when you did notice, you started to freak out. At first you tried wiggling it, but that didn't wake it up. In fact, it only brought shooting pains up your leg, making you wince.

“Uh… Mr. Tenna?” You asked, your voice small and meek. Maybe if you were a bit nicer and more formal about it, he'd show you some mercy? “Could you please get me out? I'm getting numb…”

There was no response. The warmth you felt around you started to cool, and the already dim light darkened even further. He took his arms off you, giving you room to move around, but by now, that numbness was creeping up to your legs.

“Oh. Oh no.” Tenna simply responded. It was hardly comforting to you. What did that even mean?

“I forgot about that.”

“What? What could you have forgotten? You ate me!” You weren't even that angry anymore, you were just desperate to get out…

“No no not that, the uh… the numbing.”

“The numbing?” Your heart sank once again. He knew about this?

“Yes… Oh no what have I done?! I'm so sorry!” Tenna exclaimed, his voice booming louder than ever around you. It made you instinctively cover your ears.

“If you're so sorry, could you get me out? Please?” You asked one more time, hoping he'd finally relent.

“I can't…” he answered much quieter, almost quiet enough that you couldn't hear.

“Wha… What?”

“I said I can't!” he shouted back, feeling a sudden jolt of a movement as he stood up. “I can't get you out! You're going to… to…”

“I'm going to what?!” You immediately asked, not able to contain your anger anymore. You knew the stomach wall again, urging him even more to answer.

“You're going to DIE! You're going to fade away, and I'll never be watched again!”

“If you knew I was going to die, why did you eat me?! Why didn't you like… capture me in some other way like a normal person?!”

“I don't know! You were getting away and I needed to think of something quick! A- And do you ever think about what happens after you eat your food?!”

“No… because it gets digested? Also people aren't uh, aren't really food,” you answered, starting to get tired from all the fighting… or maybe it was that static feeling getting to your brain.

“I know! I know! Ugh, I'm so sorry! You don't deserve this!”

“Could you try?” You asked, quieter, “Try getting me out? Before I go? I'll work something out…”

There was no response, but you felt him immediately start to run again. Maybe he was going to another room? You hoped so, you couldn't feel your whole body now. Unfortunately, the shaking from his running was bringing more twinges of pain, hitting all of your limbs, making you squirm uncomfortably.

“H- Hold on! I'm heading to the bathroom, I'll try, just for you!” Tenna begged, clearly desperate to get you out now.

“Please hurry up… I can't feel my body anymore…”

Soon, the running stopped, you assumed he was there now. But now that the footsteps stopped, you noticed the sound of white noise surrounding you…

“How- How do I do this?” You heard Tenna ask, more muffled now. “I don't know how to do this!”

“Fingers down the throat,” you managed to get out, “You should gag…”

Tenna presumably listened to your directions, sticking his fingers down his throat… but nothing happened. At least, nothing that you could hear. Did he not have a gag reflex? That would make sense for a robot, just terrible for you, especially as the static grew louder.

“Just… push me? Maybe?” You suggest, nodding off now.

You could feel him pushing his hands above you, trying to move you back up, but it was no use. It didn't open at the top. You were trapped. There was no getting out.

“It's not working!” You could barely hear him yell. “It’s not working! Do you have any more ideas?!”

“No…” You could only get a single word out now.

“No, there has to be something! Anything! Please!” He pleaded through the noise around you. You couldn't respond.

The last thing you heard before finally fading off was Tenna desperately calling your name, and eventually, only white noise. You couldn't be saved.