Chapter Text
“Aaah I still can't believe we're here!” Elnina had looped an arm around Lanino’s, meanwhile her gaze tipped up to watch the dazzling lights. “It's been ages since the laptop has been back!”
“Is it as beautiful as you remember?” Lanino questioned, a wry smile on his lips, almost as if he knew the answer before asking the question.
Elnina's nose scrunched, though, she kept a polite smile.
“I mean–pretty to look at, but it's still a city at the end of the day, love.”
“You're awfully quiet, Tenna.”
“Huh?” With his attention grabbed, it was hard to miss the slight worry written on the lovebirds’ faces. “Ah–sorry! I was caught up in my own head. It's just been so long.” Tenna's smile was soft and, in a perfect world, disarming.
“I'm sure it will be a treat getting to experience a show for a change, hm?” Lanino’s own gaze turned to meet with Tenna who released a soft puff of air.
“The same could be said for you two. It will be a nice treat for all of us.”
Tenna knew their reasoning behind the trip, he wasn't dense. He knew he hadn't been particularly pleasant as of late. The family had been fighting. The family had been fighting a lot. His ratings were taking a bit of a hit, though the kids still seemed invested in him. Still, he would have preferred it not been during the height of screaming in the home.
It was just hit, after hit, after hit. With the return of the laptop, it seemed like a perfect time to try and cheer their dear friend up a bit. Even if being in the city again stung a bit, they didn't need to know that. After all, he didn't own the entire city.
Despite the rough memories, Tenna wouldn’t lie and say he had no fondness for the city. He had many fun memories of parties, galas, meeting with friends, photo shoots, all things he hadn’t reminisced on in quite some time. Walking the streets filled him with nostalgia, both of the sweet and aching varieties.
He hated that he still allowed so much of his life to be tainted by a man who hadn't even been around for over half a decade. Tenna would have liked to have said he never thought of the mailman any more but that would have been a flat lie. It was infrequent now, often revolving around his anger. Though, of course, the dull ache would be ever present. He hadn't expected him to leave such a mark on every facet of his life. Sitting in the theater, it was hard not to think about the numerous shows he'd taken Tenna to. In his reminiscing, he found his gaze wandered to one of the boxes, occupied by what looked like a couple; he'd remembered the champagne they, themselves, had shared over the show. The aftermath.
“Tenna, you alright? Your fist is–pretty tightly clenched.”
“Oh. It is.” He had no excuse for that one. He flexed his hand at the mention and, instead, moved to rub the back of his neck. “Sorry. I guess I'm still in my head. I'll feel better once the show starts.”
Elnina smiled, though not before placing a comforting hand on his knee.
“You should enjoy it. I've heard good things. Apparently the lead actress is quite the talent.”
Elnina knew him well; just as she said, he had enjoyed the performance. They had elected to see a lighter hearted comedic show. Tenna also had to admit that it had been nice to sit back and enjoy someone else's performance as opposed to his own. His breaks from the stage were few and far between; a quiet night getting to kick back and enjoy himself was a coveted opportunity. Well, quiet for a short while, anyhow. Unsurprisingly, he hadn't gone without being recognized himself. Upon entering the lobby, he had been crowded by various fans of the show asking for pictures and autographs. He’d always had a hard time saying no; it was what led to his signing of a handful of autographs as they attempted to exit the theater. It was only after Elnina grabbed his hand was he forced away and shoved into a cab.
“I knew we weren’t going anywhere for a while if I left it up to you.” Elnina had mused, meanwhile, Lanino had given the driver the appropriate address. “We would’ve missed our reservations.”
“Right–sorry.” Tenna flushed. “I completely forgot about the reservations. Hah–what would I do without you?”
“Well, you would miss a lot more plans, that’s for certain.”
“Hey, I’m good with time when I’m on the clock. You can’t blame me for loosening up when I’m not working.”
“I have to give you that much. I don’t think you’ve ever missed a cue, Ant.” Lanino had sat in the front of the cab, and he turned to look over his shoulder to give that compliment.
“Like I said; punctual where it matters. And if someone is waiting for me. That’s obviously why I keep you two around, to drag me off when necessary.”
“Hey, we’re here to lean on, but we’re not your keeper. If you need someone getting you to places on time, hire an assistant.” Although she’d made the comment, they both knew damn well she would have been happy to keep track of his appointments if needed.
“Maybe I’ll have to consider it.” Tenna mused and pushed back against the seat. “Unrelated, are either of you considering a new direction in your careers?”
That had earned him the laughter of his friends, and Tenna couldn’t help but smile to himself.
Despite getting caught up at the theater, the trio had thankfully made it to the restaurant on time; while he never would have admitted it, Tenna would have been upset if their table had been given away. Then again, while he didn't particularly like to do it, he wouldn't have been against throwing his name around. He liked the place; no, it wasn't the fanciest, but he liked the food and the atmosphere and he liked the memories it held.
At least at first.
They meant well. Tenna knew he had been a lot to handle–he’d always been a lot to handle, but with the abandonment and the fighting he knew it was more than everyone was used to. He'd tried to be better for them–though, granted, it came after months (years) of meltdowns and tantrums. Now he tried to keep them contained to his room. Even then, it seemed it was still easy to clock he was not doing even remotely well.
The lovers had just wanted to cheer him up; give him a night of fun where he hadn't needed to worry about the show, or the family, or anything he had been fretting over for months. And, while he had enjoyed himself, there was just too much tied to this place. Flashes of the past came to mind, causing his heart to ache. He smiled through it, sipping his wine, engaging in conversation. He'd neglected to notice when his foot began bouncing anxiously.
They'd reminisced about the first time they'd come to this restaurant; how Tenna's had a glass of wine spilled on him and how mortified the poor waiter was. They teased that it had been the moment he must have realized red was a good color on him.
“Excuse me, I'll be right back. If the waiter comes by, order me another glass of Chardonnay.”
Excusing himself was typically code for him going to take a smoke break. He knew they had to be upset with him, Elnina especially. God, she's been riding him for years trying to get him to quit–he was pretty damn close too.
Oh well, he'd thought as he struck his lighter and lifted it to the cigarette held between his lips. At the very least, the hit of nicotine calmed his nerves. With a sigh, smoke came billowing from his mouth. He couldn't keep doing this to himself, but moreover, them. He hated worrying everyone around him. He hated the deep anxiety that had settled in his chest. His heart raced more often than not anymore. If ever he thought he forgot his deep seated fear of becoming irrelevant, it always managed to rear its ugly head.
He took another drag from his cigarette. Too many things at once made him particularly unpleasant. One more, he told himself. Then he'd let Elnina whip him into shape.
“I'm sorry.”
“I DON'T NEED YOU TO BE [ apology video ] I NEED YOU TO [ fix issue ]!”
Tenna's attention turned to the alleyway beside the restaurant. A diner stood beside on the opposite side of the gap; he assumed it was either workers from that or the restaurant.
“There's nothing I can do. Look it's not you, it's just–”
“[ bull spit ] IT'S NOT–[ discriminate ]!”
“Augh, dammit, don't make this harder than it needs to be.”
Poor guy, Tenna briefly thought. It looked like he was getting the short end of the stick. He flicked some ash from his cigarette and took another drag.
“YOU [ know it ] THAT I [ knead ] THIS JOB! I CAN'T HELP–
CAN’T–
CAN'T HELP–
TICKS.”
“I know.” The second voice heaved a sigh.
“THEN DON'T [ do it ] THIS! I–I GOT YOU THIS [ gig ]!”
“Yea, years ago!”
“PLEASE!
PLEASE.
[ last chance ]!”
“Okay! Okay. But you need to get the ticks under control, Spamton. I can't keep vouching for you.”
Every inch of him tensed. Tenna almost felt as if his brain stalled. Spamton? He quickly shook his head and was once more flicking the ash from his cigarette. No, that made no sense. Truthfully, he hadn’t seen a single scrap of him or his ads anywhere. Perhaps that should have been slightly unnerving, now that he considered it, but no, Tenna found it mildly vindicating. He left, and for what? For his name to be completely wiped from every inch of the city. He couldn’t help the snort that escaped him with that thought.
Regardless, Spamton didn't sound like that. Or, maybe he did but, he didn't speak like that. And what he would be doing working at a diner? Unless he'd hit rock bottom, he was still an Addison. He always had that to fall back on.
“THANK YOU.”
“Yea. You’re closing tomorrow just–get it together, alright?”
“I WILL.”
Tenna heard a door shut. Footsteps soon approached him, and for some reason his heart began to thrum harder than usual. A small man emerged from the alleyway, a cigarette clenched between his teeth, meanwhile he seemed intent on fussing with his lighter.
“[ @&#$?&! ] COME ON.”
His hand was shaking; Tenna assumed it made it difficult for him to strike the flame.
“Need help?”
“NO, I’M–”
Every inch of the man froze. Slowly–ever so slowly his gaze had turned to meet with him. He stared at his legs for a moment, then his vision trailed up to meet with his face. The cigarette once held between his teeth hit the ground.
“Are you–”
Gone. He bolted. Before Tenna could even react he was down the street and racing around the corner. Okay–there wasn’t any line of reasoning he could come up with to explain that reaction. Tenna’s gaze hesitantly turned to the diner. He had already ditched his friends long enough–they would start to worry. Besides, why did he even care if that little man resembled Spamton? Not only was it clearly not him, but if he had, in fact, washed up, then he deserved it. Who was Tenna to care about his comings and goings anymore? His cigarette butt was flicked and stamped out. He picked it up and wandered over to a nearby trash can to dispose of it before heading back into the restaurant.
His fingers brushed the handle–his body refused to proceed.
“Dammit.” He turned on heel and quickly entered the nearby diner.
“Good Evening.” The hostess greeted. “How many–ohmigosh! M-Mr–you’re Mr. Tenna!”
“Hah–hello, yes.” Tenna had smiled warmly; he could see the girl was younger. That, and he supposed he was used to this response. He could use that to his advantage. “I was wondering if you couldn’t help me with something?”
“I–yes, of course!”
“I actually came here to see Spamton. I was waiting for a while out front–did he leave early? I thought he mentioned he was closing tonight–unless that’s tomorrow?”
“Spamton?” She’d asked incredulously. Her face scrunched briefly, though it seems she may have realized how rude that came off. “That’s tomorrow. He got called out early today–honestly, just between us, I’m surprised he’s lasted this long. He’s constantly breaking things and he’s–well, nevermind. If he does come in tomorrow, he’ll be here until closing, around ten.”
“Drat.” He’d played the part, as if he hadn’t already known that information. “Thank you anyway. I guess I’ll have to swing by tomorrow, then.”
She seemed to be buzzing with the knowledge he would be back.
“Ah, and also, could you keep this between us? I haven't seen him in a long time. I actually planned on surprising him.”
“Sure, of course! Take care!”
“You too.” He'd given a gentle wave before he exited the diner.
He pressed himself against the brick building, meanwhile a hand grasped at the fabric of his shirt. His heart was pounding–he didn't need to breathe, and yet, he swore he would have been lightheaded otherwise. He felt lightheaded; there was a distinct buzzing inside his screen he couldn't dull.
Spamton worked there. That man was Spamton. He couldn't even begin to put together his thoughts on the situation. Of course he was curious–God, he looked like that. He'd been begging for his job; his Spamton didn't beg, not for matters like that. He felt unbelievably hurt and betrayed because, fuck, he leaves to go do this? But nothing trumped the indescribable anger. He leaves to go do this? Promised success and then ran–the fucker deserved this. If he were a big person, he would leave him to stew. It was obvious he was already suffering, he hadn’t needed Tenna there to rub it in his face.
He had twenty four hours to sit on it.
With his heart rate under control, he’d released a soft sigh and returned to the restaurant.
“Tenna!” While they had both called his name upon his approach, Elnina had been the one to hop up from her chair.
“Where were you–we were getting worried!”
“Sorry.” Had been his sheepish response as he took his seat. At the very least, they had refilled his glass. “I ran into a fan–you know how I am about getting away.”
As Elnina eyed him, he’d taken his cup and took a sip. Slowly, she sat back down, though her scrutinizing gaze remained.
“Were you outside smoking?”
“Um–”
“Tenna! You quit!”
“Well, I was trying to quit, actually. I’m not doing a great job of it.”
She released a sigh, and Lanino smiled sheepishly.
“Clearly.” He’d mused behind his own glass, and Elnina had thrown a sharp look at him as well.
“Last hurrah.” She threatened, and Tenna couldn’t help the soft laugh that followed.
“Okay, I swear. Last hurrah.” With that confirmation, she seemed to ease back into her chair.
He knew he was being quieter than usual for the remainder of the meal. Enough so that it had prompted Lanino to ask if he had been alright.
“I am. Sorry. I was just thinking–we’re having so much fun. Why not book a hotel and stay the night? We could find some other things to do in the morning. When do we ever get an opportunity like this?” With no reason to fret, Lanino returned his smile, and he could see his hand moved to grip Elnina’s under the table.
“That sounds wonderful, don’t you agree, love?”
“I do! We never get time out so–let’s enjoy it while we can!”
“Wonderful.”
With a soft smile, Tenna rose his glass to his lips and finished his drink.