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Everyone who hadn't petrified had split up and charged through the Cold Place in search of Tenna. Battat wondered if it was purely at the heroes' behest, or because despite his subpar performance as their boss, it was hard to truly hate Tenna and even harder to want him dead. Battat was almost surprised to see Pluey and Jongler among the crowd after they outvoted him on leaving Tenna. He couldn't blame them for that though; if Battat hadn't already been in too deep, he might have wanted to leave too. The moment he heard what had happened, he had been prepared to beg on his hands and knees for the heroes to help Tenna, but to his surprise, Susie seemed just as determined as he was.
But as the minutes passed, Battat was losing even what small silvers of hope he'd scrounged up. The Cold Place seemed impossibly big as if it was growing every moment they spent searching. It felt like both ten minutes and three hours had passed before he heard a distant shout.
"-im! I found him!" a voice called.
To his right, Susie immediately charging in the direction of the voice, plowing through the snow and leaving a decently walkable trail in her wake. Battat ran after her as fast as he could, distantly aware of everyone else converging on the voice.
In the distance, Tenna's large form appeared, half buried in the snow. As they drew closer, he could see that Tenna's arms were sliced off and lying in separate spots further away, and his body was gigantic, like his size regulation was messed up.
Without thinking, he pushed in front of everyone, collapsing to his knees by Tenna's screen. He placed his hand on the edge of it; it was still warm. Tenna still had some power; he wasn't a lost cause. Battat felt tears prick at his eyes, but he blinked them away. He couldn't afford to get worked up. Every second was important if they were going to save Tenna.
"He's still alive," he confirmed, voice shaky from both fear and the cold. "Just barely, but..."
He took a steadying breath and pointed out some Pippins and Shadowguys. "You guys get the tools and as many replacement parts as you can find," he ordered, "And you go get his manual. You know where it is."
He looked at Pluey pointedly; Pluey saluted, and while there were some questioning looks, no one objected. The group charged back through the snow.
"Ralsei, can't you do some healing magic on him?" Susie asked hopefully.
Ralsei bit his lip and looked away. "My magic is depleted, and... I don't know how much it would help a robot," he mumbled apologetically. "He may be too far gone anyway."
Battat wanted to jump him and shake him violently. How dare he insinuate that Tenna was a lost cause? That Tenna was just some machine that couldn't be helped? The scene that he and Tenna interrupted when the heroes first appeared crossed his mind, and he forced himself to calm down. At least the kid was actually here, unlike... Kris... He frowned bitterly.
"We gotta do something while we wait," Susie grumbled.
After a few seconds, she mustered up a pitiful ball of healing magic. It sparkled and reflected against Tenna's screen, but nothing else happened.
Susie grit her teeth and tried again. The ball was even smaller this time. It flashed for a brief second, but there was no effect.
Susie was already panting. "A... Again," she huffed and readied her magic.
"Um, Susie..." Ralsei started. "Maybe you should stop. You're hurting yourself, and I don't think we can even do anything for him."
"No!" Susie shouted. "I can't leave him like this! I promised..."
Susie's spell fizzled out before it could even reach Tenna.
Ralsei frowned worriedly but didn't say anything else. Susie took a deep breath and closed her eyes, summoning her magic again. This time it was bigger than the first, even if only marginally. The crack on Tenna's screen seemed to shrink. Battat felt a spark of hope.
I love you, he thought. Come back to me.
He could see the Pippins and Shadowguys running closer with the tools and manual. The remaining ones in the group had brought Tenna's arms over to his body.
"Come on, Tenna," Susie muttered. "I'm not giving up on you, so don't quit on me!"
She launched another ball of healing magic. Tenna's exposed wires sparked, but his screen remained dark, and the heat from his body was fading. Battat clung to the remains of his coat and shivered enough for both of them.
Battat knocked hesitantly on Tenna's door.
"Tenna?" he called. "Sir? Are you in there?"
"Go away," Tenna shakily responded.
Battat sighed. If he went in, Tenna might get mad, but he could assure himself that Tenna was alright. If he stayed away, Tenna would keep crying alone, and he would be worried about him for the rest of the day.
"I'm coming in," he announced, pushing the door open.
Tenna was, predictably, curled up in a small ball in the corner of the room. When the door closed, he whipped around as if to pounce on the intruder, but at the sight of Battat, he straightened.
"M-Mike! You came back? I thought you were gone forever!" he exclaimed, frantically wiping the tears off his screen with his sleeves.
"About that, Boss, I'm sorry, I—" Battat started.
Tenna waved his hand dismissively. "No, none of that, I d-deserved it!"
Battat frowned.
"B-but—" he stammered.
"You actually came back," Tenna sniffled, tears sliding down his screen again.
"Yeah, 'course I did," Battat said. "Don't cry."
"Sorry, I'm just—" Tenna paused and pulled out a handkerchief, dabbing his screen and blowing his nose. "I'm just so happy to see you."
He gave Battat a wobbly smile. Battat's heart clenched.
I love you so much, he thought. I'm sorry I scared you.
"I'm sorry," he reiterated. "I'm here now."
"You sure are! What brings you here?" Tenna asked.
"Just checkin' in, Boss. Are ya sure yer okay?" Battat asked.
Tenna nodded overenthusiastically. "Yep! I feel brand new!"
Battat didn't believe that for a second.
"I heard ya cryin' through the door," he countered.
Tenna flushed and looked away, crossing his arms to rub his shoulders.
"It just... hurts a bit. Ha," he mumbled. "But that's it really."
"I see," Battat hummed.
Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Tenna hunch and curl in on himself. He bit his lip worriedly. He wanted to cheer him up, but if Tenna wouldn't tell him what was bothering him... An idea popped into his head. Pluey and Jongler should still be out, so...
"If ya aren't doin' anything," he said casually, "would ya wanna come hang out with the cats in my room?"
Tenna perked up. "Your cats are here?" he asked excitedly.
"Sure are," Battat said. "Are ya comin'?"
He opened the door, and Tenna scrambled to his feet, bounding out ahead. Battat strolled casually after him, mentally patting himself on the back.
Tenna had been more subdued ever since they came to Castle Town, but today, he had no energy at all. It concerned Battat, but he wasn't sure what to do. He settled for sitting beside him and reading him a story in order to keep an eye on him. Worryingly, Tenna didn't react at all. Usually, even on his bad days, he would be engaged enough to hum or scoff at whatever story Battat read.
Battat tore his eyes away from Tenna and searched for his spot on the page. Beside him, Tenna's screen flickered, and he abruptly pitched to the side. Battat squawked in surprise and scrambled out of the way, wincing when Tenna's head clunked against the floor.
"Tenna?" he called. "Sir?"
He hovered anxiously over Tenna's dark screen, checking for damage. When he found none, the tightness in his chest eased. He pressed a hand against Tenna's screen, and could only feel a slight buzz of static. Tenna groaned and weakly pushed him away.
"Sorry," Battat muttered. "Just checkin' to see what's wrong."
Tenna hummed in assent, so Battat gently rested his hand on Tenna's chest. It was cold, like his components were barely working. The answer suddenly clicked.
"How long's it been since ya slept?!" Battat asked.
Tenna grumbled but didn't answer, so Battat focused on getting him to stand up. He quickly ushered Tenna over to his bed and coaxed him to sit down. Tenna's screen remained dark, likely because he was too low on power for anything else. Suddenly, he fell back onto the mattress, as if his body refused to support his own weight anymore. Heart pounding in his ears, Battat waited for a second, and when he could just barely make out the high-pitched buzz of Tenna's body, he sighed in relief.
With great effort, he dragged Tenna's body so he was lying normally on the bed and proceeded to undo his tie and take his shoes off. Tenna was so still that Battat assumed he was asleep, so he pulled the blanket up around Tenna, tucking him in out of habit. He turned to leave when Tenna's hand shot out and grabbed his arm.
"Pl—" Tenna's voice was overrun with static. "S-stay. Pl-ease," he managed.
Battat frowned. "Sir, you should really be asleep."
He figured Tenna would probably turn off in a minute or so. He didn't need Battat to keep him company.
"C-can't," Tenna wheezed. "I—"
Battat waited, but Tenna seemed unable to finish the thought. His screen lit up with static, startling Battat, before an image slowly appeared. It was half-distorted by static and test bars, but it was undeniably the Cold Place. Battat could even make out the studio and the dark fountain in the distance.
"Wha—?" he started, when realization dawned on him.
Tenna's screen went dark again, but the hand on Battat's arm shook ever so slightly. He had been unconscious and nearly dead when they found him, but how long had he lain there in the snow? Aware, suffering, wondering if anyone was coming to help him? Battat had assumed that Tenna had passed out immediately after being dismembered, but it appeared that was naive of him. He felt a deep, overwhelming sadness crash over him.
"M-Mi—" Tenna's voice failed.
"Alright," Battat said, using his free hand to squeeze Tenna's. "I'll stay. You won't be alone."
Tenna's hand tightened slightly.
"I won't let anyone hurt you," Battat added.
After a moment, Tenna released his arm. Battat ran to switch the light off and climbed into bed with Tenna, curling up against his side. Tenna's arm shifted minutely, like he wanted to hold him but didn't have the energy to move. Hoping he was reading this right, Battat carefully pulled Tenna's arm over him, mindful of his freshly healed injuries. When Tenna pressed him even closer to his body, Battat let out the breath he was holding. Then, with his head resting on Tenna's chest, he made out the sound of Tenna falling asleep.
He stroked a hand over Tenna's chest. He wasn't much of a fighter, but I'll keep you safe. I love you, he thought anyway.
Battat wasn't very good at comforting; that was Pluey's territory, and Jongler was better at protecting than he would ever be. But neither of them were here right now, so even though he knew Castle Town held no danger, Battat stayed awake, watching over Tenna.
"Mike, can I talk to you for a sec?" Tenna asked, knocking on Mike's door.
Jongler and Pluey looked at Battat questioningly. Battat nodded; he would handle this. The other two nodded in agreement and slipped out the back door, while Battat put on his costume.
"Sure thing, Boss!" he called.
Tenna opened the door just after Battat straightened his bowtie.
"What's goin' on?" Battat asked.
"H-how's Castle Town treating you?" Tenna asked, wringing his hands.
Battat blinked. "Um. Good, I guess. Kinda feels like a vacation, so that's nice."
Tenna deflated. "O-oh. That's nice. That's great for you, Mike."
"Is it... not great for you?" Battat asked.
Tenna huffed and sat down heavily, putting his head in his hands.
"I don't know what to do with myself," he grumbled.
It seemed he was ready to talk about it. Battat could feel himself start to sweat. What would happen if he bungled this? He shook his head; he couldn't think about that now. He had to support Tenna.
"Oh?" he encouraged.
"Everyone hates me, and no one cares about TV, and I just feel so worthless!" Tenna exclaimed, yanking his antennae.
"Just cause everyone quit doesn't mean they hate ya!" Battat said, prying Tenna's hand off his poor damaged antenna.
"The Pippins do," Tenna mumbled. "They've always hated me. They stole all my stuff and broke all my rules just to spite me."
Not all of them, Battat thought idly. He massaged the antenna back into shape, hoping the damage wasn't bad enough to transfer to the Light World. This was the taped one, if he remembered correctly, and he remembered everything about Tenna correctly.
"Have ya tried talkin' to everyone?" he asked.
"No," Tenna sighed. "Lanino and Elnina are too busy with their... guy. And everyone else I tried to talk to ran away."
Battat hummed, smoothing out Tenna's lapels and tie.
"They just need time," he soothed. "Have ya talked to any other Darkners?"
"Queen, but I couldn't understand most of what she said," Tenna laughed helplessly. "She's so... modern."
Battat sighed.
"And those... Addisons," Tenna continued, "But they reminded me of— I didn't actually want to talk to them, so I just said something to make them go away."
That was probably for the best.
"And I feel like Ralsei hates me," Tenna mumbled.
"I doubt that," Battat said. "He's got his own problems that ya just remind him of, is all."
"Is that better?" Tenna asked miserably.
Was it? Battat thought so, but if Tenna disagreed...
"How 'bout that King guy? I thought Lancer said he'd introduce ya," Battat prodded.
"Yeah, but he only laughed when I fell. I don't think he liked me at all," Tenna whined.
Battat didn't really want Tenna to spend time with someone who would only laugh at him. The thought of someone being mean to him for no good reason made his fists clench.
"Susie said she'd find someone to take me, but that was before I got— No one's gonna want a broken TV," Tenna whispered.
I do. Battat stroked Tenna's casing.
"I dunno about that, but maybe you should take the chance to do somethin' else for a bit?" he suggested.
"That's the problem!" Tenna cried. "There's nothing I want to do, and no one besides you I want to spend time with! I'm just so—!" Tenna sighed and covered his screen with his hands. "I just feel so out of place," he mumbled.
He rested his arms on his knees and looked up, taking a shaky breath.
"Tenna..." Battat started, but he couldn't think of anything to say. His throat felt dry, and tears pricked his eyes. He wished he could find some magic words that would reassure Tenna and take his pain away.
"And since I'm broken, I might be here for a long time," Tenna added. "After all that effort, it kinda makes me wonder if they shouldn't have bothered to—"
"Don't say that," Battat interrupted, grabbing the sides of Tenna's casing and forcing him to look at him.
"Mike?" Tenna asked softly.
Thinking of Tenna being left in the snow, dying alone, was too much for him.
"P-please don't say that," he repeated. "Without you, I— I'm glad we fixed you."
Tenna gave him a small smile. "Thanks, Mike," he whispered.
They stayed there, Battat perched on the couch and Tenna on the floor, staring into each other's faces. Tenna leaned into his hand, and Battat's heart thundered in his chest, so loud he was sure Tenna must be able to hear it. I love you, he thought. Do you love me? But he wasn't brave enough to ask.
"Okay then," Tenna said after a few minutes, "what do you do in your free time?"
Battat mostly hung out with Pluey and Jongler and investigated Mike, but there was no way he could tell Tenna that.
"Uh... Wait for you ta need me again, I guess," he said.
"Ha!" Tenna barked a laugh. "Mike that's... actually pretty sad."
Battat flushed. "I-I do others things too! I do!!"
"Well, I hope so!" Tenna said. "Mind telling me about them?"
Battat would have to creatively censor some things, but if Tenna insisted, he would think of something.
"First of all," he began, "Have ya been to the cafe?"
Battat was lying on a couch in Mike's room, reading a book, when the door opened.
"You's not gonna say bye to Tenna?" Jongler asked.
"What?" Battat asked, looking up from his book.
"That purple Lightner. Uh, Susie. Found a Lightner to take him. Yeah," Jongler explained.
Battat sat up and chucked the book to the side. "What?!" he screeched. "When did this happen?"
"Dunno. Jus' a bit ago, I think. Dey's leavin' now," Jongler added.
Battat lept up from the couch in a panic.
"Where did you even hear this?!" he asked, frantically collecting his costume parts.
"Uh, let's see. I heard from Shuttah, who heard from a Pippins, who heard from a Shadowguy, who heard from Elnina. An' she was there when Susie told 'im," Jongler said.
Battat threw on the costume as fast as he could.
"How fast does news travel around here?" he grumbled.
Pluey let out a few low notes.
"Yeah, thanks. Obviously not fast enough," Battat hissed, running out the door.
He tore through Castle Town, frantic to catch Tenna. His mind raced trying to think of what to say to him, but nothing came to mind. It was too soon; if Battat had realized how quickly Susie would make good on her promise, he would have written up a speech or something. After what felt like an eternity, he spotted them near Castle Town's entrance.
"Tenna!" he called.
He hunched over and desperately tried to catch his breath. Tenna ran over to him and knelt down.
"Ya weren't gonna say goodbye?" Battat wheezed, trying to keep the hurt out of his voice.
"I saw you earlier, but you said you'd talk to me later, so I was just waiting," Tenna explained.
Ah, he must have seen Jongler.
"Sorry to keep ya waitin' then," Battat said, looking up at him. "So yer leavin' for good?"
Tenna winced. "Yeah. Susie said they're a shut-in. They're pretty sad and bored too. She thinks I could help them," he said.
And they might help you too, Battat thought, bitterness toward this Lightner who was stealing Tenna from him burning in his chest.
"Sounds like a good cause," he said instead.
Tenna's expression flickered, and he carefully picked Battat up and hugged him to his chest.
"Sorry it's such short notice," he whispered.
Battat clung to Tenna's suit jacket and rested his head on Tenna's shoulder. He knew this was a possibility, but a part of him had never believed it would really happen.
"I wish you would stay," he confessed.
"I can't," Tenna's voice cracked.
Battat knew that. Tenna was meant to entertain, and he loved to do it, but Battat couldn't help but selfishly wish that Tenna would be okay without any Lightners. That he would be okay with him. He wasn't sure Tenna would ever reach that point. He tightened his grip on Tenna's suit. Tears sprung to his eyes, and he blinked furiously to keep them from wetting the costume head.
"I'll miss you," he whispered.
Tenna hugged him a little tighter. "I'll miss you too."
Battat closed his eyes, soaking in the feeling of Tenna's arms wrapped around, the warmth of his body, and the electric buzz that surrounded him, knowing he would never feel it again.
"Thanks for everything, Mike," Tenna said softly.
"I-I..." the words caught in Battat's throat.
I love you, he thought.
"Sorry dude, but I kinda told them I'd be right back," Susie interrupted.
"Okay, that's enough of that," Tenna said, but Battat could hear the strain in his voice.
Battat reluctantly let go, and Tenna set him back down but remained in his crouched position.
"Tenna, I—" Battat began.
A thousand words fought to climb out of his throat. There was so much he wished he could say. So many things he'd never have the chance to tell him now. Tenna looked at him expectantly.
I love you.
"T-take care of yourself," he said lamely.
"I should be telling you that," Tenna laughed, "after you spent so much time just taking care of me."
Part of him wanted to ask Susie to chuck him through whatever Lightner's window, so he would be able to keep an eye on Tenna, but he couldn't help but feel that this was something Tenna needed to do alone.
"I don't know what I'll do without you," Tenna sighed.
"You could take me with you," Battat joked half-heartedly.
Tenna laughed weakly. "As much as I'd love to, I think you need time away from me too, right?"
He was probably right, but that didn't make it hurt any less.
"And you can do better than an old busted CRT like me," Tenna continued.
Battat doubted that, but all he could manage was a head shake. Tenna huffed a laugh and pet his head affectionately. Blushing furiously, Battat leaned into it. After a moment, Susie stepped forward and tapped Tenna's arm. Tenna nodded and stood up.
"Goodbye, Mike," he said.
I love you. I love you. I love you.
"Bye, Tenna," Battat rasped, the tears he had fought slipping down his cheeks.
Tenna waved, and then he and Susie were gone.
Battat wasn't sure how long he stood there, arm still raised in a wave, staring at nothing. He took off the costume head, wiped the tears that hadn't dried, and took a shaky breath. Then, he put it back on and walked back to Mike's room.