Chapter Text
You open your emails on your laptop, just to double check them before you turn in for the night.
From: [email protected] sent: 8:05am
Good evening, I'm sending you this email in regards to the agreed meetup time of 7am tomorrow for M.r Ant-Tenna to confirm you will provide the service.
Thank you for mailing me the signed NDA, no further action must be taken on your side besides showing up on the allocated time.
Best regards
-Mike
Weird. you knew this was going to be a more...𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 job, it is a bit outside of your comfort zone, and you assumed the process of actually getting ready to do it might be a little more tedious than usual for safety... but one email a week for a month straight leading up to the appointment was ridiculous. Whether it was for a different signature, look over, agreement, recommendation letter, it's all way more than you had expected.
You do want to broaden your expertise, this could be excellent experience. Not to mention you definitely are curious about the projec- er- patient you'll be working on.
You raise your hands up from your lap and begin typing on your laptop to send a response email.
Good afternoon Mike,
Yes I will be seeing you and M.r Ant-Tenna tomorrow at 7am. Thank you for checking in and have a wonderful day.
Sincerely,
-____________
You sigh and slump down into your chair.
Your head lazily rolls to the side to read your clock on your nightstand.
It's 10pm.
You need to be awake early, even earlier than what would be reasonable because you are not only doing something way out of your comfort zone, you are ALSO going to essentially be undercover posing as a normal employee all day so people don't assume the worst! How fun!
The reasoning for you needing to pose as some sort of new intern who's shadowing Tenna for the day is so none of the 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭 workers get suspicious if they see you in the building after hours... For some reason, Tenna wants this whole situation to be a secret from everyone, besides Mike of course. And also another reason is because 𝘺𝘰𝘶 could use this opportunity to study Tennas mannerisms, any odd behavior, and any flaws in his general...er... Inner or outer mechanisms. It's not every day a doctor gets an opportunity to study a patient for hours before a diagnosis, that will help exponentially in actually seeing his issues rather than him just telling you.
Except your not a doctor.
Your an electrician.
You've been secretly hired by Tenna to do an array of things, a general checkup, fix anything that needs fixing, and even give him some upgrades if necessary. Apparently he's been having some screws come loose... Literally. Mike didn't give anymore details other than "He's been malfunctioning for some reason: excessive steam coming out of his head, sparks fly from between his joints, his antennas are less sensitive so he struggles to revive calls, I'm sure you'll figure it all out!" AKA Mike couldn't recount everything that's been going on with him... That's bad. And what's worse is you don't normally work on living breathing beings! At most you work on breaker boxes... But, Tenna can't see a typical doctor thanks to his unique anatomy.
Thankfully because this whole ordeal is a big fat secret and it's obvious why they would struggle to find someone to work on Tenna, they don't expect you to be P.R trained. Essentially you don't have to be as professional as a doctor because your not a doctor so you can't be heald to those standards... However, you do feel bad for the guy. Tenna is going to great lengths to keep this a secret and you can only imagine how hard it was to find someone to just give him a checkup and help him out.
You don't know much about Tenna personally, you have yet to sit down and watch one of his shows in full, but from the glimpses you've caught from friends and family watching him, he's full of energy. You may not be a doctor but you do know that people who are super active or high energy *loathe* being injured or ill, and you can only imagine Tenna is extra upset due to the additional stress of needing to act normal Infront of literally everyone.
You huff and walk over to your bed, you immediately sink in due to having already done your nightly routine. Your bed is cold, it makes you shiver slightly and you snuggle under your covers in delight, your body heat instantly radiates off of you and gets trapped in your bed, encasing you. Tomorrow is going to be hectic, maybe even a wreck, but at least you'll have a decent night's sleep and tasty coffee and breakfast waiting for you in the fridge to start the day off with.
Your phone alarm goes off.
You grab your phone with an audible smack and turn it off, you notice the time.
6am
Normally you work on call and you DEFINITELY don't get up this early for anything... But this is a special situation, and Mike promised you would be paid very well.
You lazily roll out of bed and rub your eyes, getting a quick stretch in before you head to the shower.
You undress and hop in, the warm water always calms you... You wonder if Tenna can shower... Is he waterproof? Or is all of his sensitive wiring seamlessly hidden behind a more protective material?
...you decide to cut your thoughts short before you forget he's a living being and ask him an insensitive question while your working on him. You'll probably find out that stuff anyway.
You turn off the shower, dry off, brush your teeth, and slip on your outfit you had laid out on your bathroom counter the night before, a modest white button up and black slacks... You are supposed to be an undercover employee after all. Mike suggested you commit to a blazer or another type of professional office attire, but you'd have to change out of it so no harmful things like sparks or oil damage it, you chose to skip it all together. Tenna won't fire you for not adhering to a dress code that doesn't affect you, but regardless you want to blend in at least a little.
You do spice up your outfit with a thin chain necklace though, just to add a little something... And you wear one of your nicer perfumes... And you do a quick face mask to make your skin look a bit better, which is more than your normally do for work because you'd just sweat away any effort anyway.
Why? Because Tennas kind of hot. And it's not like your showing up naked, it's just to make you seem more put together and confident.
You walk to the kitchen and open the fridge- and there sat the iced coffee from your favorite local coffee spot and the breakfast you had put in the fridge the night prior. These are the things you thank your past self for.
You pop your pancakes and bacon in the microwave and sit down on your couch with your coffee as you wait for it to heat up. Finding yourself bored you pull out your phone and start looking up articles...
BREAKING NEWS: renowned tv host Tenna allegedly breaking multiple laws with his unethical challenge segments in his show
Top 10 reasons why you should watch Tennas show live, and none of these reasons are good ones
M.r Ant-Tenna suspected to be overworking employees and causing a hostile working environment, insider witnesses claim.
Oh man, that's rough. You don't take those articles to heart because you don't have the time to dig into how truthful they are, but those allegations are recent... Granted it is safe to ignore them because for every bad article there were actually about three good ones praising Tenna, so surely those articles are nothing to worry about.
You finish your coffee and get up to grab your food, you eat it standing at your counter while you continue to scroll on your phone.
An article catches your eye...
You will want to see: new photos of M.r Ant-Tenna surface of him tearing at the seams [tap to read more]
Could these be actual photos?
You click on the article... And the first image makes your heart sink.
The photo was taken from the live audience seats, and through a small crack in the drawn curtains... you can barely see Tenna hunched over, clutching his chest.
This doesn't feel right... You close out of the article and place your dishes in the sink before slipping on your black shoes and heading out the door.
You arrive at 7am, right on time. Normally Tenna doesn't start working untill 8:30 but he wanted you to come early to discuss a game plan for the day, since this is also his first time hiring an undercover employee... He has to think of a believable routine and role for you. Plus this is a good opportunity for you to generally get to know him, which is honestly making you quite exited, he seems like an interesting guy.
Right next to you, you see a red convertible pull up, Tenna is comically taller than his windshield, easily seeing over it.
He parks, and looks over at you. He beams and gives you a charismatic wave. You step out of your car to greet him.
"Good morning m.r Ant-Tenna! It's lovely to meet you."
"It's so lovely to meet you too! Glad no conveniently timed tragedy prevented you from showing up!"
You giggle, but deep down you suspect he really didn't think you would show up.
Also, you weren't expecting him to use his show-host inflection even when he speaks normally, it honestly adds to his charm.
"After you sir."
"Call me Tenna!"
Tenna steps out of his car with pride and walks beside you to enter the building.
"First I'll have you come to my office to discuss our plan! ᴮᵉᶜᵃᵘˢᵉ ᵐᵉ ᵍᶦᵛᶦⁿᵍ ʸᵒᵘ ᵃ ᵍʳᵃⁿᵈ ᵗᵒᵘʳ ᶦⁿ ᶠʳᵒⁿᵗ ᵒᶠ ᵉᵛᵉʳʸᵒⁿᵉ ʷᶦˡˡ ᵇᵉ ᵃ ᴸᴼᵀ ˡᵉˢˢ ˢᵘˢᵖᶦᶜᶦᵒᵘˢ ᵗʰᵃⁿ ʰᵃᵛᶦⁿᵍ ᵃ ᵖᵉʳˢᵒⁿ ᶦⁿ ᵐʸ ᵒᶠᶠᶦᶜᵉ."
"Oh, are people not in your office often?"
"Frankly I myself don't use my office that often! I should make that a new habit! Using my office that is."
...he's not even trying to make it seem like he doesn't yell at an employee Infront of everyone. Honestly that's quite comical, but it could be the reason for that concerned article you saw earlier. What's even the point of him having an office if he doesn't talk to anyone in private?...besides you of course.
Tenna steps Infront of you and opens the door for you, you politely thank him and wait for him to step inside so you can follow him.
The two of you walk side by side down the plain hallway, it honestly looks like any other office building, riddled with various doors to other offices, tall but manageable indoor plants, and water coolers.
"So Tenna, I thought I would mention that if today doesn't go to your liking-"
"It should"
His inflection is totally even... He wasn't saying that to intimidate you, he trusts your abilities already it seems... Or maybe it WAS a threat? Who knows.
"Ah, right- yes it will. But what I was going to say is you or Mike can always reach out and I can come back, however, I'm hoping I can get a lot if not everything done today. I'm mentioning this Incase you were to have any freak accidents."
"I appreciate your offer! And I will keep that in mind... These old bones are long overdue for some service and with my luck I will ruin all your hard work when your done!"
"I assure you that if you were truly so fragile you would have some much more noticable exterior issues."
"So you think I'm 𝑓𝑙𝑎𝑤𝑙𝑒𝑠𝑠?~"
Tenna teased, it definitely earned him a genuine hearty laugh from you.
"You know what? Sure Tenna, you are flawless. But I'm here to make sure your flawless from the inside out!"
"Shoot! I'm rotten to the core... You might not like what you see then."
"So what? I'll fix you anyway. Rotten bits and all."
...that came out oddly more endearing than you meant it to be. Tenna definitely paused for a moment due to being caught off guard but he quickly recovered, breaking the silence seamlessly.
"Here it is! Now folks cover your eyes... Because what your about to see may haunt you FOREVER!"
Amused and intrigued, you play into his bit, cautiously taking a step away from the door and towards Tenna as he reaches down for the doorknob. You lean towards Tenna in "fear" as the doorknob turns.
You see Tenna glance down at you for a brief second in the corner of your eye before he opens the door.
"Feast your eyes... On THIS!"
he opens the door and... It's a typical office, featuring some personal belongings like photos and gifts from employees, but for the most part very normal. The air is a bit stale like the door hadn't been opened in a while, and there's a little bit of dust and paperwork scattered about... that's probably what he was nervous about.
"Get comfortable! We might be here a while."
Tenna gestures to the two sturdy and comfy looking seats in front of his desk while he goes to plop down into his office chair, you pull one out and sit. Surely enough it's quite comfortable thanks to the fabric cushioning on the bottom, back and armrests of the chair.
"So Tenna, I'll save all the more...medical? Questions for later, for now I want to know what our game plan is, if you've thought of one."
"Ah yes! I think you'd make a great pretend bookkeeper! As you can see my office is not out to use like it used to be, so you could be in here under the guise your organizing some files and be out of everyone's way! People can't get suspicious if they barely see you right?"
"Ooh good idea! Except I was actually hoping... I could be a little more umm out in the open! Because I want to observe you."
Tennas face contorts into a confused look before he slowly points a finger to his chest
"Me?"
"Yes! My reasoning is: rather than you just telling me everything that's been going wrong I can just see for myself, while perhaps there will be some things you will still need to tell me, being able to see things as they happen will help me to better understand your body and how exactly I can help you."
Tenna places his hand to his chin (or where it would be) intrigued but still wondering where your coming from. So you continue speaking.
"Think of it like your trying to describe an object to someone who's completely blind... Sure the blind person can probably figure out what it is that your describing if you go into detail or let them feel the object, but wouldn't it be helpful if they could just see it for themselves?"
He seems to understand and nods thoughtfully in response, he then leans back in his chair and crosses his arms comfortably. After a brief moment of silence Tenna slightly lowers his head and his face slowly contorts into a thoughtful gaze as he stares off into nothing.
"Ahh...perhaps I could just make you uh... A makeup artist? Wait I don't wear makeup... We have enough janitors...hmm...no I fired him yesterday it would be suspicious I replaced him so soon..."
"dooo you have a... Security guard?"
Tennas expression goes blank, he raises his head and intensely looks at you... What you said was ridiculous but not THAT ridiculous.
"I mean this is just a suggestion but you could make something up like your concerned for your workers safety or I'm here to handle rowdy audience members...possibly."
"That... That could work!"
Tenna snaps his fingers and a cheery smile stretches across his screen.
"In fact that's PERFECT! you can be in any room you'd like with no suspicion, check the security cameras, and you could be close by me as I actively perform!"
You smile brightly, this will be a piece of cake especially because he's not 𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘶𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 concerned he needs security in the building. All you have to do is complete this shift so you can do your real job after everyone's left for the day. Easy!
Tenna checks the time on his watch that was concealed under his sleeve.
"30 minutes until I'm supposed to do some actual work around here, I'll give you the grand tour when everyone gets here. Is there anything we haven't covered?"
"Hmm not really, but I do want to know where you want to meet up after everyone goes home?"
"Meet me in my office...please."
Odd... His response was a little meek for such a neutral question... Could he be nervous?
"Are you nervous? For later I mean."
"Me? No! I'm the king of this building so I have nothing to fear besides deadlines!"
He declared with a dramatically triumphant expression.
"I just want to know if YOU have any concerns because- and im sorry if this is a rude assumption- but I speculate it's been a while since you've had any uhh...medical attention, and I want to be aware of that because your mood can possibly directly affect things happening to your body."
Tenna is silent for a moment... The energy in the room shifts, the best way you can describe it is it becomes more dull, a little less full of life, and almost muggy.
"I've actually uhh NEVER had anything done on me before. I've had all these bells and whistles since before I can remember but recently things seem to be..."
Tenna slowly makes his fists into balls as if he's imitating something getting crushed.
"- recently things have just been giving out! And I don't know why... Why now?"
Your face softens, your seriously going to help him at all costs.
"Don't worry- your in good hands. I'm sure I wasn't Mike's first pick out of all the electricians he reached out too, I'm not a renowned person or anything like that, but I was confident enough to try and help you. THAT speaks for itself, and admittedly you are the first...living thing I have worked on and that just makes me strive to do an even better job because I promised I'd help, so I really will. Honestly I might have sold my soul to Mike without noticing so I'm sure I have no other choice."
Tenna cracks up and let's out a hearty laugh, it fills up that small room quite well due to the natural projection in his voice, it makes your eyes go wide with surprise for a moment.
Once Tenna catches his breath he shakes his head and looks you in the eyes, a sincere expression like that makes your heart happy.
"Look, don't go climbing on a high horse but- I really need you! And I'm thankful your so dedicated to helping me! Do a good job and maybe I'll threaten you with a permanent position as my personal doctor!"
The thought instantly makes you laugh, you sigh and shoot him a smug look.
"That would be quite the threat indeed. Be a good patient and I might just consider enduring this hellscape disguised to look like an office."
You aren't lying just to be sweet, if you can get the hang of his body and he offers to make you an actual employee with a consistent income, you'd have no issue working for him. Plus like you had previously mentioned you'd be open to doing some emergency work for him, but being around him consistently to better prevent any accidents would be even better.
Tenna smiles and let's out a satisfied sigh.
"Well, it's almost showtime ⁿᵒᵗ ʳᵉᵃˡˡʸ and because your pretending to be a new worker it won't be suspicious if I tell you what to do as we go, we will start with a tour of the building until I need to prepare for the show! I'll think of things for you to do as they come to me-"
Tenna leans in close to you over the desk, holding a hand up to cover his mouth so nobody can make out what he's saying... Even though there's nobody else here yet. He speaks quietly.
"-But don't be surprised if I decide to just keep you all to myself for the day, I'm a selfish fella!"
You roll your eyes playfully and he sits up straight in his seat, adjusting his blazer even though it didn't need to be adjusted.
"People should be here may minute, is is okay if they see us in here first thing in the morning?"
"Of course, I'll just say we had to get some paperwork out of the way- it's not a total lie, having a security guard is quite the tall order."
"Ahhh being at risk of injuries and all that?"
"You betcha! That's why we don't have one!"
...the way he's just telling on himself under no pressure at all is quite amusing. He probably feels comfortable doing this because your not an actual employee... And you signed an NDA.
You tilt your head and take in a breath before asking him something.
"M.r Tenna if I may ask, how...safe...is your building?"
"Wich part?"
"All of them, just in general."
"Well my dressing room is pure chaos, it looks like a tornado ripped though there so probably a fire hazard... The printer in the common area of the office has been out of colored ink so we made a homemade concoction for the time being...oh and don't get me STARTED on the backstage!"
"...you mean one of the places your at the most?"
Tenna nods enthusiastically.
"Tell me what you can"
"the control panels need to be replaced- the knobs and switches get jammed on occasion, the stage lights recently fell down- good thing Mike was there to grab the wires so they didn't fall all the way to the floor and shatter! And some of the props I use for skits like my fake guns are a little 𝘵𝘰𝘰 powerful-"
"Okay okay you can stop there...um- you are a very very popular and upstanding man m.r Tenna... Why is your building in such a state?"
"I don't have time to fix it! Not enough time to hire people and besides I already have enough going on, our temporary fixes are doing fine- it's just-"
Tenna takes a deep breath and looks to the side, composing himself before he looks back at you.
Seems like the state of this place is a sore spot for him...
"Tenna it's alright, I just wanted to know if there were any hazards I should know about in case something happens to you that isn't caused by your body. No judgement from me I promise, I know you'll get to it when you can."
You had to mentally stop yourself from putting your hand on his arm to comfort him... What on earth is wrong with you? You just met this guy! And besides he totally should have this place safe enough for his employees to work in considering how much money he probably makes...although he DID say he implemented some fixes so it's not like the place is totally neglected...
Tenna stands up from his chair but looks down at you and continues speaking.
"I understand, thank you for the concern but this place should be safe 𝘦𝘯𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 to the point you can pay those flaws no mind."
You nod knowingly, he does know this place better than you do and he has no reason to lie to you.
You hear the back door to the building open, employees are coming in.
Your nervous... Why are you nervous? Yes you want to do a good job today but the pressure is finally setting in... You try not to let it get to you but you can feel your body temperature rise, your on the verge of sweating.
Tenna glances down at you.
"Ready for the grand tour?"
You look up at Tenna and force a smile, although the smile doesn't feel so forced after a moment.
"Yep!"
You stand up out of your chair and stand beside Tenna, ready to exit his office when he is. Before he opens the door he pauses to speak.
"Listen, don't sweat it today! I promise nobody will get suspicious, and even if they are suspicious, what is there to be suspicious about? A new hire? Ha!"
You chuckle. His timing is impeccable.
"Alright Tenna, thank you."
"Just stick with me and everything will sail as smooth as a boat!"
He reaches for the door handle.
Interesting... Seems like he kind of wants you to literally just stick with him all day. Honestly that makes you feel safer than just being left to your own devices. You were feeling pretty confident but Tennas kind of a big name and you'd feel gutted if you got busted.
He opens the door.
You both step out into the hallway-
Various workers and pippins are scurrying about, filing into the common area, their cubicles, some go to the front desk, but one pipin stands in front of Tenna.
"Tenna I have this months report ready!"
"Excellent! Put it on my desk before 5"
"Your... Desk?"
"Yep!"
Tenna puts his hands on his hips, striking a triumphant pose.
Weird, where do they normally put his reports? Find wherever he's standing at the moment and stuff the report into his hands? Sounds like a recipe for disaster for the poor Pippin who gives him that monthly report.
"I will sit down at my DESK and look at it! ᴿᵃᵗʰᵉʳ ᵗʰᵃⁿ ˡᵉᵗᵗᶦⁿᵍ ᴹᶦᵏᵉ ˡᵒᵒᵏ ᵃᵗ ᶦᵗ ᵃⁿᵈ ᵗʰᵉⁿ ᵗᵉˡˡ ᵐᵉ ʷʰᵃᵗ ᶦᵗ ˢᵃʸˢ"
Ah. That checks out.
"Uhh okay! And who's this with you boss?"
"Oh! This is our new ✧°.ꜱᴇᴄᴜʀɪᴛʏ ɢᴜᴀʀᴅ⋆˙⟡! be sure to give them a warm welcome! Today is their first day so they will be with me today."
Tenna does jazz hands and gestures towards you like you are some exiting grand reveal.
Unanimously the building is filled with various cheery greetings, it makes you smile, you really do feel like part of the team now. How they are so happy to work here and greet a new coworker dispite the less than favorable working conditions is a mystery.
And you definitely caught Tenna implying you have no choice but to stay by his side today... Whatever, you'll only be here for the day anyway.
He probably doesn't want you to cause trouble on accident.
Tenna looks down at you, and you look up at him.
Good lord his chest is huge-
"Come! I'll start with the least exiting area... The common area!"
You both stand side by side and walk down the hall, deeper into the building towards the main entrance, you had entered through the back door.
"Why isn't it exiting?"
"It's common! ᵃⁿᵈ ᶦᵗ ʰᵃˢ ᵗʰᵉ ˡᵉᵃˢᵗ ᵖʰᵒᵗᵒˢ ᵒᶠ ᵐᵉ ᵒⁿ ᵗʰᵉ ʷᵃˡˡˢ ᵒᵘᵗ ᵒᶠ ᵃˡˡ ᵗʰᵉ ʳᵒᵒᵐˢ "
"doesn't mean it's not exiting, you gotta appreciate the little things in life!"
Tenna was clearly just cracking a joke, but you felt like retaliating for some reason.
Tenna huffs and gives you a pleased smile.
"True! I do want to give the common area a makeover one day because this is used as the break room as well as the waiting area, because I agree with you, small things matter. And why neglect it when I can make it just as 𝐣𝐚𝐰-𝐝𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐠 as the rest of this place?"
You give Tennas side a gentle nudge with your elbow.
"Exactly."
Tenna just looks down at you and smiles warmly. Thankfully he took that well... Why are you acting like you've known him for years?
Tenna stops walking abruptly. You stop as well.
"Here she is!"
The room is large and open, there's a few tables lining a wall for employees to sit at on their break as well as a neat row of comfortable chairs to use as a waiting area, near the front door there's a desk with what you assume to be a receptionist at the front. There's also a water cooler and vending machine nearby in the hall.
Your favorite part of the room though is the small room at the end of the hallway before it turns into the open floor plan made entirely of frosted glass that contained a fridge, sink, coffee machine, and microwave for the employees to use.
None of the other closed off rooms are made of frosted glass, it's probably because the employees wanted a closed off room to make their food in but Tenna wanted to be able to make sure they aren't slacking off in there... This was probably the compromise. And it explains why it's at the very end of the hallway before it turns into this open room, it was a last minute addition to the building.
What an odd guy.
"Ahhh what would I do without this room? We hold every celebration here. Birthdays, one year work anniversaries, welcome parties, employee of the month parties, boss appreciation parties, housewarming parties, national grilled cheese day parties, we even had a party when someone got a cyst removed once! It wouldn't have been that gross if the cake wasn't round and filled with green frosting!"
Your head slowly turns to Tenna. He looks down at you and is met with a look of pure confusion and disgust. Tenna let's out a brief laugh before moving on.
"Nnnnext up- the bathrooms!"
You snicker and both of you turn on your heels, walking back down the hallway.
Tenna stops in his tracks Infront of the restrooms... It's exactly what you'd expect. Just three doors next to each other for male, female, and gender neutral / disability stalls.
"Wow... Jaw dropping Tenna."
"Oh you haven't seen nothing yet, stay tuned!"
Before you walk off, Tenna speaks again, causing you to stop in your tracks and turn to him.
"If you see an ominous black goo in the corner of the men's room pay it no mind, the last travel advisor I had fell in and we have yet to get him back, it's a crime scene now."
Your jaw drops open for obvious reasons, but there's no reason to question it, that guys probably fine.
"It's a shame I have to find another one! I was supposed to go to Cabo last month."
Oh boy.
You both continue walking down the hall and he stops in front of a door that is kind of close to the stage but doesn't seem to lead backstage.
Tenna opens the door, and it's his dressing room!
A large vanity with a lit up mirror is pushed against a wall, boxes of multiple wacky props are stacked against the opposing wall, and there's a large clothes rack adorned with various suits and costumes as well as a coat rack just used for hats. Amusing.
It's also very nicely decorated, sleek framed posters of Tenna and even a few photos from fans line the walls, Your personal favorite item is the tiny plush version of Tenna that sat on his vanity! It seems very well made but still a handmade gift from a employee or fan.
"Don't you practice your lines in here? Where's your papers you slacker?"
"Hey! I still don't have the ones I need for today printed out, they will be in here soon."
"You don't keep any old ones?"
"Sometimes! If I have an especially spectacular performance I might keep a page or two to take inspiration from later, but I especially have to throw away the ones I dislike, so I don't reherse them like a broken record!"
"It's good you leave stuff like that in the past."
You look up at Tenna and his chest rises and falls as he lets out a sigh.
"It was difficult, making that a habit."
"Sounds like it."
...you give him a quick and gentle pat on his upper back... You had to stand on your tip-toes to reach it.
You instantly regret it.
You feel him look down at you. Your too nervous to look back up. You idiot.
"Moving on!"
Tenna turns on his heel and you quickly scurry to his side.
You and Tenna continue walking down the hallway but only for a brief moment, you make it to the door that leads backstage.
"Ooh open it! I'm exited."
Tenna reaches towards the doorknob... Dramatically slow.
You laugh and pretend to whine.
"Oh come onnnn!"
"Sorry! I seem to be malfunctioning... Try unplugging and then plugging me back in!"
"Oh whatever! Chop chop you don't have all day."
Tenna finally grabs the doorknob and opens the door.
"Voilà! Backstage. This is where the magic happens."
You slowly walk Infront of him and begin looking around. There's a thin wall dividing backstage from the main stage, it's well lit back there from how bright the stage lights are.
there's tons of monitors on desks stacked high with papers, and various control panels with more knobs and switches than you can count- and your favorite... The iconic rope used to close the curtains abruptly.
"Oooh! I bet it's super chaotic back here."
"For sure! My stagehands are used to the chaos by now, even when other people are back here like my set designers or costume crew."
"Are they all here now?"
"Hm, my set designers maybe, everyone else doesn't clock in for a while, why?"
"I'm just curious, I really like stuff like this, the production that goes into things anyways- like plays or concerts and of course shows like yours. This was a very neat plus for helping you."
You give him a bright unfiltered smile of pure joy. You really wouldn't be seeing something so cool and secretive unless he chose to show you. Safety hazards aside.
Interestingly... You see two small pink ovals appear on Tennas cheeks...possibly blush. His expression is blank besides that. You decide to not bring attention to it in case it's nothing, You will remember that though...
"Have you taken it all in? The stage is waiting for it's star!"
"Mhm! After you."
You and Tenna exit the room- or so you thought. You actually bump into his backside rather than walking through the door. He stopped abruptly for some reason.
You lean quite far to the side to peek around him, it was a Pippin. He almost ran into someone who happened to be right outside as he opened the door. Strange, why didn't they knock or something?
After Tenna and the employee exchange apologies (or Tenna passive aggressively telling the employee to be more careful rather) he looks down at you from over his shoulder.
"Sorry! Normally they are better about not standing idly Infront of doors."
"It's fine, let's go!"
It was not fine. He's huge... Being that close to him emphasized his height even more. And your not a short person, the average height of about 5"4, Tenna is at least 7 feet tall, No joke. Your head is more than a few inches below his shoulders. His body is also oddly warm. Too warm.
You and Tenna walk a few feet to the main stage door, not far from the backstage door.
He opens the door and... It's so cool! but mostly bright! The live audience seats wrap around the stage, and on the ceiling there's all the cameras and stage lights! And looking to the stage, it's obviously quite plain besides the drawn curtain, but you can almost see Tenna up there if you imagine hard enough.
"Ahh my home! Well, one of many."
"One of many?"
"Home is where the heart is after all! I've had many things I've loved over the years but I can always come back home to my trusty stage!"
You honestly never considered Tenna could have had a interesting life or other professions outside of the show... Sounds harsh but that just goes to show how hard it is to know Tenna outside of him being on stage.
Now that you think about it, he's quite secretive in general. You can't think of a single time he's been interviewed beyond surface level questions, he's never on talk shows, doesn't have an autobiography... Probably because he doesn't have time for any of that stuff.
But maybe, just maybe, he will tell you why he was so adamant on you fixing him stay a secret. It would be easier if he just introduced you as his "doctor", there's nothing wrong with having a doctor, but he's going to great lengths to not give anything away.
You would say your not paid enough care, but you totally are. And he's been lenient with you so far. That is also a mystery, how is he so patient with you? Or is he just more lax than usual when he's with you?
"Well-"
Tenna turns to you.
"I've shown you everything there is to show you! Minus Mike's office and the cubicles- but those are though the door close to the front desk and I didn't want to disturb anyone."
"Why? Cuz you only go in there to yell at them and they would be freaked out?"
Tenna reaches up and hooks a finger on his tie, loosening it from his neck a bit.
"I don't go in there to have tea-parties that's for certain."
You giggle.
"Well I'm spending the day with you so just do what you normally would! And I'll...be there to protect you of course."
"Haha my knight in shining armor! So glad you'll come when I call."
Tenna turns and starts walking back down the hall, possibly to his office. He begins to speak as you walk.
"I'm going to see if that monthly report is on my desk yet."
"Are you sure that's a good idea before the show? What if you see something you don't like?"
Tenna stops in his tracks.
"Ah... Your right..."
He checks his watch.
"I still have a few hours untill my lines are on my desk so let's chat!"
Oh? You don't sense he's upset with you but this is definitely odd. Surely there's something he could do, like buy printer ink for the employees in the cubicles...
You choose to stay silent because honestly when isn't chatting more fun than working? He's not feeling well anyway so you decide to be lenient.
Wait, why do you care what he does? Your just here to kill time and not look suspicious. That's it.
Tenna opens the door and you both file in, you sit down at your respective chair as he closes the door.
He sits down and sighs passively before inhaling... Seems like he wants to say something.
"So... When it's showtime..."
Tenna pauses and sits up straighter as he thinks, his mouth remained slightly open in hesitation.
"Showtime is when I have the most problems."
Could be stress related.
"Anything I should look out for?"
"Trust me you'll know when something is wrong when you see it... Your authorized to go everywhere so don't be shy about wandering around if you need to."
He's inviting you to be able to reach him no matter where he is. These must be some intense looking malfunctions.
"I do have one favor to ask you though."
You perk up, focusing all your attention on him.
"If something big happens just make everyone get out. You can say it's a safety precaution for me or others."
"Nobody will question me?"
"Who questions security guards besides the people doing something they are supposed to?"
Fair enough.
"Alright Tenna, that's no problem... But I do have a question for you too."
Tenna tilts his head inquisitivly, his antennas flopping to the side.
How cute!
"I want to know why you don't feel comfortable introducing me for what I am... I'm technically your doctor, everyone has one of those, you just needed a uh less traditional one."
Tenna sits up straight again and puts his hands on the table, interlocking his fingers as he thinks.
It takes him quite a while to collect his thoughts, he looks down at his hands while he speaks to you.
"I can't let anyone know I'm having malfunctions. Most news stories about me are just speculations but- if they actually have evidence I'm Ill, everyone's gonna want me gone."
"Why do you think that?"
Tenna meets your eyes. He looks deeply concerned.
"Everything must be perfect... 𝙄 have to be perfect for them. And my employees- if they see me in such a state I have no clue what they would do."
"Are you certain they wouldn't just be encouraging you to rest and get medical help?"
"That's part of it, but I know I can handle this. The other part is- not to toot my own horn- me being off air would make people forget about me... In my absence they would watch other shows, and that's not good for my ratings. I haven't taken a day off since I started this business so people would definitely assume the worst of my health."
"Is it just part of your routine to work yourself to the bone?"
Tennas shoulders tense... That was an uncomfortable question, but he answers regardless.
"Yes. I have an image I need to uphold and I have no room to mess up. The show is my life, my routine, so I want to get better so I can be in tip-top shape, but I also can't trust anyone with this information... All publicity is good publicity but not in this case."
"You've told me the state of your building, are you sure no freak accidents would happen? Wouldn't your fans and employees have the same reaction?"
"That's different! Those are accidents that I could triumphantly and confidently recover from, being physically ill is much more taboo and less awesome-tastic than surviving a stage light crashing down onto my head."
He's got a point. Even when he's not on stage he has to perform.
"Tenna, if I may... I greatly respect your dedication to your job and not losing your fans, but I also want you to be well enough to make choices like that. Something that contributes to poor health is stress... Keep that in mind."
His antennas twitch and he lowers his head slightly, saying nothing more. The moment of silence grows and fills the room like an uncomfortable steam, encasing your body and making you worry.
Tenna breaks the silence.
"I admit... I waited too long to find a doctor, But 𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘦 keep this between us. The damage control id have to do even if I'm entirely fixable would be much greater than I'm willing to commit to. And I just... Would rather people not see me like this, publicity and ratings aside."
He meets your eyes again.
"- I don't want them to think less of me, even subconsciously, ᴵ ⁿᵉᵉᵈ ᵗʰᵉᵐ, ᴵ ⁿᵉᵉᵈ ᵗʰᵉᶦʳ ᵛᶦᵉʷˢ..."
Suddenly, Tenna begins to...shrink? Right before your eyes. It's only a little bit but immediately you know that's not good, you jump out of your seat and run to his side-
You embrace him in a tight warm hug.
"I promise this will stay between us... I will fix you, and you won't even have to worry anymore. I suspected you didn't want people assuming the worst or forgetting about you, and they won't."
You feel Tennas arms gently embrace you in return, snaking around the small of your back.
A chill runs up your spine.
Being this close to his body you can hear him breathe, but you can also hear his body working... Occasional sparks, buzzing electricity, and the turning of cogs grace your ears.
You also hear an internal fan kick in. Odd.
You attempt to pull away but- surprisingly Tennas grip doesn't waiver. It's gentle so you don't mind hugging him for a moment longer. He probably didn't notice you were trying to pull away.
You hug him even tighter, resting your head on his shoulder and rubbing his back slowly with one of your hands.
Then you feel it- Tennas body is staring to expand back to his original shape! You let go and take a slight step back, remaining Infront of him as he grew.
"Sorry about that! And thank you for helping little old me..."
You grab the sides of his head gently, ensuring he can't look away.
"It's my pleasure! Your secret is safe with me."
Tenna smiles and something makes a bump at the base of his nose... It travels all the way to the end until a red flower pops out!
His body is a mystery.
Wait... Since when did you get so comfortable with him? And why hasn't he said anything about it? Maybe he's just needed a little extra comfort because he's been feeling under the weather. Under normal circumstances he probably wouldn't be so receptive of physical touch like this.
You release his head... And he almost leaned forward? You must have had a more snug grip on him than you had realized, causing him to lean forward as you removed your hands. Or something.
Tenna checks his watch.
"Ah! 3pm already, the time just flies with you doesn't it?"
Tenna laughs nervously immediately after saying that. You don't respond... How on earth COULD you respond? He's just being kind, but his delivery was a bit rough.
"Anyway, come with me to my dressing room, I need to reherse my lines!"
"How long till your on air?"
"We air at 5:30pm sharp!"
"Great, I'm thinking when you are on stage I'll stand at the door the live audience members come through, that way I can see you, and standing in a spot like that is inconspicuous to the fans."
Tenna nods and stands with a slight grunt, he probably didn't want to stand up so soon.
You turn towards the door and reach for the handle-
Something grabs you and pulls you back, covering your mouth- it's a hand... A BIG hand. It covers your entire mouth and jaw, the palm and fingers span across the entire bottom half of your face, ear to ear. Your back is also pressed against his body. Of course you actually knew who it was the whole time, you were just shocked, and almost couldn't believe it. His grip isn't particularly hard but... You can feel your heartbeat between your legs.
What is going on.
Then you hear it, voices right outside of the door that you hadn't noticed before.
"You think that's why we needed security? No way, it's probably because Mike has been turning down a few too many sponsorships."
"No way! we have plenty of sponsorships, it's definitely because if Tenna didn't, he would get in trouble for endangering his contestants lives."
"Oooh you've got a point... He DID recently get in trouble for hosting a baking segment with no food handlers card."
"Are you serious?"
"As a heart attack."
The voices fade as the two employees can be heard walking off... Tenna releases your mouth and you turn to look at him for an explanation.
"I am so sorry! I know I said having you here during the day would make it seem less suspicious if they saw you here after hours but- I am 𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 in my office, let alone with another person twice in one day..."
"Ohhhh right."
You nod knowingly, you should have been more careful.
Tenna reaches around you and quickly opens the door, you both exit and head to the dressing room.
You and Tenna make it to the dressing room and your eyes immediately land on a small desk chair in the corner you hadn't seen previously, you pull it to you and sit behind Tenna as he looms over his vanity. You hear the crinkling and flipping of pages, occasionally there's inaudible whispers and pleased hums coming from Tenna as he reads to himself. You watch his muscles move as he shifts his weight from one foot to the other, You get carried away watching him... Some pages he sets down immediately after reading them, whereas others he pulls closer to his face to re-read once, twice, thrice, as many times as he needs to understand them. Plus the view of his back is... Quite a sight.
"Right! Don't mind me as I reherse, hold your applause for after the 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭 show."
Tenna looks over his shoulder at you and shoots you a cheery smile. You give him a thumbs up.
He turns back to his vanity with a slightly inconvenienced sigh and tugs at the sleeves of his blazer, it slowly slides down his back, revealing his undershirt as it slides down his body.
This is going to be an interesting rehearsal.
