Chapter Text
Nobody expected for an inanimate object to come to life, least of all the object.
A moment ago you didn’t exist. Your only purpose was to provide recorded entertainment for any who tuned in, making sure their boredoms were cured and satisfaction was met. You’d turn on, and then off. Volume up, then volume down. Change the channel, then change it again. A simple purpose.
So when the TV picked himself up from the floor, a black liquid-like smoke rising from the thin vents on either side of his slightly misshapen cubic head, one could imagine his surprise to see he was…standing. And watching. And feeling. And most of all…
Real.
It all started one fateful September evening, just as the winds were picking up and the chill of winter was starting to become more and more apparent. The two Dreemurr kids who lived at the top of the town had a Friday to themselves, as it was a long weekend to celebrate a holiday that only canines of the town seemed to participate in; yet neither of the children were complaining.
“Oh dear…are you sure you can not make it?” Toriel’s worried voice hung over the telephone. Kris looked over their shoulder from the TV, which was aptly playing their favorite cartoons loudly from its speakers. They noticed how Toriel tapped her foot in an antsy matter, rubbing the insides of her ears between her thumb and index finger. Toriel allowed a small sigh to escape the gaps of her teeth, clearing her throat to make herself sound less disappointed.
“…It is alright, I understand. Thank you anyway.” She hummed before hanging the line. By now Asriel also noticed his mother’s anxious demeanor. He leaned behind Kris to get a better look, inquisitively tilting his head. “Everything okay, Mom?”
”Hm? Oh yes, everything is fine.” Toriel picked her head up with a more upbeat attitude as if to mask her stress.
“It is just…” She trailed off, rubbing the inside of her nose bridge delicately. “I have been called to a district meeting at the last minute and unfortunately, the usual babysitter can not make it.”
Kris raised their eyebrows a little in satisfaction. They never liked that babysitter. She was always too strict and never let Kris play any little pranks on Noelle, even the harmless ones. Plus, she always made Noelle nervous anytime she’d come over to watch her and Kris. It made playing with Noelle no fun, as the poor doe was always so squeamish anytime Kris tried to interact with her.
Asriel seemed to catch onto the situation as well. His little black eyes sparkled with questions as he scooted away from the television. “Does this mean Kris and I get to be home alone?”
Toriel hesitated. “I do not know…you two are much too young to fend for yourselves just yet…” She sighed.
“We can watch ourselves!” Asriel piped up with his usual chipper attitude. He stood up, clumsily kicking aside his oversized pant legs to give his mother a confident pose with his hands on his hips. “Kris and I will be super-duper extra responsible!”
Toriel’s eyes flickered over to Kris, who seemed to be avoiding her gaze awkwardly by staring at the TV at an awkward angle. “Kris? Can I trust you can not destroy anything while I am gone?”
Toriel couldn’t exactly understand why Kris was so adamant on causing destruction whenever not under the watchful eye of her or Asgore. She chalked it up to an adolescent human trait at first, but after looking online, she started to doubt these so-called “human experts” more and more. She sighed, clearly not having the energy to argue. “I ask that you at least do not burn down the house. May I get your word on that?”
”Okay.” Kris responded, nodding their head vigorously before fixing their crooked red headband on their head.
Toriel exhaled at their lack of a genuine tone. “I suppose I will only be gone for a little bit…not to mention your father coming back soon…”
“See? We’ll be fine, we promise!” Asriel encouraged. Toriel softly smiled at her son’s confidence. She had to admit, he had been growing more mature over the years, especially for his age. Though, Toriel had a hard time deciphering whether or not that was because Kris was still chaotic by comparison.
Toriel slid on her purple cardigan and grabbed the keys off the coat rack. “Alright…you two can stay here by yourselves.”
Kris and Asriel exchanged excited glances, unable to keep their excited squealed for their new found privilege. “BUT!” Toriel interjected, cutting off their hyped energy quickly. “No TV while I am not here!”
Both Asriel and Kris groaned, their heads flopping back dramatically as they let their inconvenienced woes audible to the world. “Do not think I can not tell whether or not you have been doing it or not, either! The screen always is lighter after you have turned it off.” Toriel pointed out as she watched Asriel go over and turn the TV off, thus proving her statement as faint traces of red and blue blotches floated around the glass faceplate.
“I will have someone come check on you in a little bit, okay?” Toriel waltzed over to give a gentle kiss to both of her children on the forehead, rubbing Kris’ cheek affectionately before making her way towards the door.
”I love you both, behave please!” Toriel waved goodbye before shutting the door. The kids watched her pull out of the driveway and into the frigid autumn until she was out of view, before flopping back onto the floor.
”FREEEDDOOOOM!” Kris cheered, immediately sprinting around the house in a triumphant cry. Asriel followed close behind, laughing joyfully at the wonderful feeling of independence.
“We can do whatever we want now!” He cheered. Both of the kids stopped, excitedly turning to each other. “What do you wanna do?” Asriel smiled.
”Lets…! Uhm…let’s…uh…” Kris trailed off. Uh oh. They were so excited to have the house to themselves they didn’t think about what to do with it. When Kris led with no answers, Asriel’s excitement seemed to deflate a bit. This was going to take a while, wasn’t it?
The two children sat in the living room, twiddling their thumbs. Usually when they were bored they’d run up to their parents to ask for ideas. Yet the lack of adults seemed to be an issue as neither child knew what to play.
“We could uhhhh…” Asriel went to suggest, repeating the same sentence he had for the past 15 minutes. “Drrrrraw pictures? I still have those multi-color crayons Dess let me borrow!”
“Nah.” Kris sighed as they kicked their feet up in the air. They were laying on their back with the legs propped against the couch, aimlessly fidgeting with their fingers while trying to think of a solution. They kept looking at the TV, hoping their stare would magically turn it on.
“Come on Kris, I’ve suggested everything and anything ever!” Asriel complained, crawling over to his sibling and looking at them with a dejected look. “There’s gotta be something we can do!”
Kris put a finger to their chin, tapping it rhythmically before turning their head to give Asriel a mischievous look. “Watch TV?”
Asriel frowned. “Kris, you know we can’t do that. Not after what Dess recorded…” He trailed off, remembering the certain “incident” which caused both her banishment from using the CRT’s recording feature. Kris blew out a breath, their curiosity of those videos remaining as active as ever.
As them and Asriel sat on the living room floor pondering activities, Asriel’s eyes suddenly lit up with an idea. “Ooh! I have an idea! Let’s play hide and seek!”
Kris sat up, raising their eyebrows with interest. “Okay!” They accepted excitedly. Hide and seek was one of those games the two hardly played anymore, especially since everytime they did play, Asgore would accidentally reveal the location of one of them by conveniently looking at he direction of the hider.
”Okay, you hide, I’ll seek!” Asriel put a proud hand on his chest. Kris’ shoulders fell.
”Aw cmon! You have bigger ears, you can hear better than me!” They complained.
”No no, it’ll be fun, I swear!” Asriel assured. Kris was doubtful but complied. “I’ll start counting upstairs!” Asriel smiled before rushing up. Kris waited at the bottom to hear Asriel start counting, which he did starting at 20.
20 seconds to find a hiding spot. Kris nervously browsed the downstairs area, ruling out hiding spots as they went along. They could hide behind mom’s chair? No…they always hid there when in a pickle. It’d probably be the first place Asriel would check. Maybe the bathroom? Kris shuddered, thinking about the time they got stuck behind the sink pipes in the bathroom and had to be rescued by Catti’s dad.
They couldn’t exactly go upstairs, Asriel would hear them scuttling around and would surely find them before they got to a good hiding spot. Kris could hear Asriel start to get to 10, the lower the count the higher his voice rose with excitement. Kris ran around the living room like a headless chicken, nervously trying to narrow down any hiding spots as they heard Asriel start to narrow down.
”3…2…” He was taking a dramatically long time. Kris couldn’t tell if he was trying to go easy on them or prolong their suffering. But that’s when Kris spotted it. A small gap behind the TV juuust large enough to maybe squeeze through. Kris didn’t have time to consider another option as they heard Asriel call, “Ready or not, here I come!” Followed by rapid footsteps descending the stairs.
Kris sucked in a breath and squeezed behind the TV stand, making their stomach as flat as possible to maneuver through the tight gap. It was proving to be more difficult than they thought, as the back of the TV jutted out and grazed their cheek, essentially pinning their head against the back of the wall. They put their hands on the warm electrical object, trying to create a bit of space between them and the wall.
”If I could just…” They whispered quietly to themselves as they started to shove the TV further up the platform. It screeched and roared with a deep resistance, quivering a little as Kris pushed it up. They paused, their breath being caught in their throat as they listened for any signs of Asriel. But they could hear him shuffling around the bathroom, presumably checking there first. If they could just push up the TV a little further…
It slid against the small red cloth which started to retreat further and further away from Kris. If they could make a little more space, they could crouch down and be obscured from view completely. As Kris inched the TV further and further away from them, they could hear Asriel’s soft footsteps approach as well as his soft giggles.
”Kriiiiiiis…” He called ominously. “Kris where are youuuuuuuu…?”
Kris couldn’t help but think of the punishment Asriel would give them if they were found. They knew they would have to surrender their TV time for the night once Dad came home, and they weren’t exactly looking forward to watch anymore cartoons about monsters getting really mad and suddenly getting overpowered abilities.
Asriel was in the living room now, looking around for any signs of Kris. He went to the chair immediately, checking behind it before frowning at the absence of his sibling. “Maybe they’re under the couch…” He theorized with a menacing tone, convinced that Kris would be hiding there. Yet as he got to his knees and ducked under, he disappointedly muttered “Oh wait…no…”
He seemed to be stumped. Kris was honestly surprised they didn’t hide here sooner. It was flawless! Or well…almost flawless. They could still feel the burn of the back of the TV radiate their chest. They just had to create a little more room. A bit risky in front of Asriel, sure, but they couldn’t keep letting the TV crush their rib cage.
They started to push it just a little bit forward, their grip shaky as the thought of Asriel catching them clouded their mind. Asriel paused to listen, suddenly hearing the slight nudge of the TV. “AHA!” He spun around, pointing a finger at Kris. “Gotcha!”
Kris gasped, instinctively flinching and launching their arms forward. This sudden spastic movement caused the TV to fly forward, the red cloth preventing any friction from stopping it from toppling over the edge. The CRT slammed onto the ground, a loud and deafening “CRACK!” echoing out into the living room.
Kris and Asriel froze, gasping as they put their hands up to their mouths. Yet before either could process the accident or even play the blame game, they TV started to emit a black smoke. It bubbled like a liquid and rose up to the ceiling, covering it in a dark atmosphere that hung over the children. Asriel stepped back, unable to form any thoughts into words as the smoke eventually started to mask the entire TV.
“Auuuugh…”
What sounded like a small, staticky groan started to come from the TV, as sudden limb like appendages sprouted from its basis. It stood, humanoid in shape. It put what looked land a hand to it’s head, rubbing it as the shadow faded away from it’s form.
”Yeowch! You kids gotta be careful…” It spoke with a cheery voice. “You almost…”
”…broke me?”
✧°˖ . ݁˖︵‿❀‿︵˖ . ݁˖°✧
As its shape materialized, what was standing in front of Kris and Asriel was their TV now perched on top of a tall man wearing a flashing red suit, white cartoonish gloves, and a bright yellow tie. A long wire cord tail stuck out from the back of him, swaying gently back and forth. His shoes and belt matched this hue of yellow, with the belt even mimicking the silhouette of his head. Speaking of, what was once a dull brown, sort of withering machine was now bright and purple TV, slightly misshapen around the corners. The antennas were now longer with a bouncy flair to them, folding over slightly at it’s own weight.
Yet the most noticeable part about him was the long nose that jutted out from his white screen. He didn’t have any eyes, so one’s attention would naturally be drawn to it. As the TV man situated himself, both Kris and Asriel grouped together and staring dumbfounded at the spectacle in front of them.
Neither kid knew what to say, least of all how to feel. They stammered on their own thoughts, unsure whether or not to scream or hide. They both froze the moment the TV man made eye(?) contact with them. He seemed to pause, in pure disbelief himself he was staring at the Dreemurr kids. As the three were locked in a tense stare down, eventually Kris broke the silence.
”Are you gonna kill us?” They shakily asked.
”What?” The TV guy proclaimed with a confused chuckle. “N-No! No, no, no, I would never!” He held up his hands passively, giving a crooked yet friendly smile to the kids.
Asriel, still not fully convinced, shielded Kris from whatever danger may arise. Yet he seemed to grow more doubtful as the TV guy looked around confused at his environment, rubbing the back of his head with a frown. “I…uhm…” He spoke again, his voice surprisingly upbeat for being so befuddled.
His antennas seem to lift as he remembered the series of events that led to his sudden appearance. “Oh! Kris, are you alright? You didn’t burn yourself at all did you?” The TV guy leaned down to check Kris for any injuries that could have come from his radiating head. Yet Kris shrunk away, still suspicious of the stranger.
”How do you know my name?” They asked with a wavy tone. The CRT backed off, nervously tapping his fingers together at the question. “W-Well, I’m your TV of course!” He answered. He at least knew that much. The TV’s uplifting smile seemed to quell the children a bit, as Asriel relaxed his defensive stance and Kris’ shoulders seemed to sink.
”But…” Asriel muttered, giving the TV a once over. “How?”
”I, uh…” He stuttered, adjusting his collar furiously. “Don’t really know myself…heh…”
He was suddenly filled with…memories. Memories of before he became what he is now. He remembered first being plugged in, cycling through Asgore’s favorite cowboy specials, Toriel’s cooking channels, watching the two parents bring home their infant son, witnessing Kris be introduced into the Dreemurr household for the first time…
So how was he here? How did he know all of this? Who even was he? It was a bit too much for the TV to think about at the moment; it started to fry his antenna’s as they sparked overwhelmingly.
Kris turned to Asriel, grabbing their brother’s shoulders and turning him around. “Asriel…do you know what this means?”
Asriel blinked absently, his gaze flicking from the TV to Kris. “Uhm…what?”
”This means we can watch TV anytime we want now!” Kris said with an excited chirp. Asriel’s face shifted to uncertainty. “Uhh…I don’t think that’s the best course of action right now…”
”Well hold on a minute, Kris!” The TV chimed in. He leaned down to Kris’ level, his tailcoat brushing against the carpet. “Toriel said not to watch any TV while she’s gone. As much as I love entertaining you kids, I think following her rules is more important!”
“Aww what? You heard that?” Kris pouted. The TV nodded, giving a sheepish grin. “(Besides, I don’t think you or I would rather face the wrath of your mother…)” Tenna added, as he pulled his shirt collar forward; pursing his lips to the side as well as if to whisper his statement.
The kids couldn’t help but stifle a giggle, a feeling that made the TV man’s heart flutter.
“Well…what else does a TV do if your not a TV?” Kris questioned.
The TV paused, scratching what would be his chin while he thought about Kris’ statement. “Uh…good question.” He nodded. He started to pace, clicking his tongue and lashing his tail back and forth as Asriel and Kris watched. His movements were goofy in a sense, they could tell he was definitely putting a more showstopper spin on his movements. They had to admit, it was quite funny. That reaction seemed to grow an involuntary smile on the CRT’s face.
”Well…I have arms and legs now so…I can do a lot of things!” He took a small bow to the kids, whose laughter grew. “What do you want to do?”
Kris and Asriel glanced at each other. “Uhhh…give us a second.” Kris stalled, grabbing Asriel’s shoulders and grouping him in a huddle.
”How do we know we can trust this guy?” Kris whispered, glancing over at the TV briefly. The CRT observed them curiously, sometimes averting his gaze to look around at the living room surrounding him.
”Well…he says he knows us…” Asriel shrugged, not entirely convinced on his own point.
”Maybe we should quiz ‘em.” Kris suggested with a determined glint in their eyes.
”Ooh, okay!”
Asriel and Kris straightened up, with Asriel clearing his throat to grab the TV’s attention (who promptly put down the action figurine he was studying in the window).
”Alright, uhm…” Asriel hesitated, realizing the TV never properly introduced himself. “…What’s your name?”
The TV paused, “blinking” absently. “I…don’t know.” He stammered out, his lip curling as the questions of his identity flipped in his head. “I’ve never really had one before..”
Asriel’s eyebrows furrowed with sympathy. “Oh! Well, Kris and I can give you a name!” He chirped. Asriel turned to Kris, hoping to get the ball rolling on ideas on what to name the sudden humanoid robot(?) standing in their living room.
“Uhhh…” Kris pondered, giving the CRT a once over to try and grab any discernible traits. Their eyes led upwards to the TV’s antenna’s, which twitched and crackled with small sparks of electricity.
”Tenna…”
”Tenna?” Asriel echoed. Kris nodded.
”Yeah. Like anTENNA.” They used their hands to gesture out the syllables. “Cause he has those funky looking antennas.”
The TV tilted his head. “Funky, eh? I’d call ‘em more funny.” He reached up a hand to swat at them, one of the more crooked one’s bouncing up and down and making the children giggle.
”Tenna sounds more like a last name.” Asriel said. He took a moment to observe the TV once more, snapping his fingers once an idea popped into his head. “How about his first name is Ant? Yknow, since his antenna’s also look like an ants!”
Asriel looked towards the TV for approval, who was slowly nodding his head the more he thought about the name.
”Ant Tenna, huh?” The CRT smiled, liking the ring to it. He could practically hum a tune to that name. “I like it!”
“Well then, folks! Mr. Ant Tenna, glad to make your presence!” Tenna extended a hand out for the children to shake, in which they did with a suspicious but amused grip.
”Alright Tenna…” Kris questioned, deciding to stick to their naming idea. “In order to prove that you aren’t a dangerous stranger, we are gonna ask you a couple of questions.” They held their chin high in the air, prompting Asriel to do the same.
”Ooh, I love quizzes!” Tenna clapped his hands excitedly. “Those game shows your mom puts on are always my favorite!”
“Okay uhm…” Asriel tried to think of an easy question to start, just to test Tenna’s knowledge. ”What is my favorite TV show?” He asked proudly. Tenna chuckled.
”That’s an easy one! You don’t have one! But you are quite impartial to those fighting cartoon shows where they ‘power up.’” Tenna flexed his arms and made his antenna’s standing up straight. Asriel snickered. “Yeah…you’re right.”
”You’re making it too simple! Of course the TV will know the TV questions!” Kris scolded, flicking the back of Asriel’s head playfully. They stepped forward, folding their arms. “How about this? What’s my favorite food?”
Tenna took a moment to think. He tried to recall how often Toriel browsed the cooking channels, taking note of the several pastries saved in the recordings. His gaze flickered over to the kitchen, noticing a recently used pie tin sitting on the counter. In a moment it clicked for him. “Well, your mother’s butterscotch pie, of course!”
Kris’ eyebrows raised. They clearly didn’t anticipate for Tenna to answer that correctly. “Huh. Okay. This guy’s pretty good.”
Tenna clasped his hands together to do a small victory shake, sound effects from an audience blaring from his speakers. “Oh please, hold your applause for later, folks!” He humbly cooed. Asriel and Kris laughed, their trust for Tenna growing more and more apparent by the second.
”Okay, rapid fire!” Asriel instructed.
”Who’s the two girls that come over sometimes?”
”I believe it’s Noelle and December, right? They sure do like their Christmas Specials.”
“What’s our favorite thing to get at the diner?”
”A good ol’ cup of hot chocolate! Makes for a cozy evening.”
”What weapons would I use if I was the super god of hyperdeath?!”
”Something about a Shocker Breaker, a Chaos Buster, and that one move you called your ‘ultimate Hyper Goner.’”
”Wowie, Kris! Tenna really does know everything about us!” Asriel gasped in awe. Tenna straightened out his jacket proudly. “See? I would never harm my two most loyal viewers of the Dreemurr family!”
Kris had seem to fully relax at this point, circling Tenna to observe his features.
”He looks like a gameshow host.” Kris giggled, fiddling with the ends of his tailcoat playfully. “Man…if Mom was here she’d flip.”
Tenna paused. “Oh right! Your mother isn’t here…is she?”
Asriel shook his head. “She had to go to a ‘district meeting’ or somethin’…so Kris and I are home alone!”
Tenna’s expression shifted. “You two are a bit young to be left alone, aren’tcha?” He tilted his head.
”No way! Kris and I are responsible!” Asriel said with a confident sway of his toes. His timing seemed to be ironic, as just as Kris finished circling Tenna they bumped into the TV stand behind it, knocking over a couple of decorations onto the ground.
Tenna’s smile wavered. “I see..”
”We’re just bored, honestly.” Kris admitted after hastily cleaning up their mess, going to stand next to Asriel with their hands shoved in their short pockets.
Tenna tapped a finger on the side of his screen, thinking aloud with a tuned “Hmmm…”
”Well, perhaps I can help with that!” Tenna adjusted his shirt collar, flicking it out with a proud puffing of his chest. “After all, what else is a TV for?”
Kris and Asriel’s eyes lit up. “Ooh! Can you play hide and seek with us?” Asriel pleaded.
”I don’t see why not!” Tenna hummed.
Kris and Asriel exchanged an excited squeal. “Okay! You count and we hide!” Asriel instructed. Tenna nodded, turning around and covering his nonexistent eyes.
”I hope you kids are ready, cause I won’t be making this easy for you!” He challenged. Tenna could hear the giggles of Asriel and Kris get fainter and fainter as he counted aloud. Finally when he reached zero, he turned around with a quick spin to scan the living room. Of course, it was empty at first glance. Tenna cracked his knuckles (something he now realized felt extremely good) and started his hunt. To up the atmosphere, an eerie tune started to radiate out of his speakers, filling the house with a sense of tension as he creeped around.
Now being able to look around the house, Tenna couldn’t help but be all too familiarized with the place despite never seeing any part but the couch before. He could recall parts of home videos the Dreemurrs would play on the VHS occasionally, noting the similarities in environment like it was his own memory. It was almost like second nature to him, like he’d been living there for years.
Well, he had been living there for years. This was the first time he was able to actually move around to see it. His feet shuffled against the shaggy carpet, creating a jolt of static that caused Tenna to finally glance down at himself. He couldn’t help but examine himself in awe, running a hand down the seams of his jacket and twisting his shins to get a better look at his lower half. Even despite the gloves Tenna could feel the comfortable coarseness of the suit rub against his fingertips. He extended his arm out, gazing at his hands as a small spark of some positive emotion evoked in his chest.
Tenna moved his hand towards the sunlight. It was warm and welcoming. Enveloping his hand in its soft orange glow, Tenna took a small breath in to relish in this feeling of existence. Another sense hit his screen, smell. The house smelled of fresh cinnamon; a homey smell that cradled Tenna in it’s familiarity.
How could everything be so familiar and so new at the same time? Tenna thought. He hadn’t even thought about why he was here yet. It couldn’t just be to play games with the children, right? He wouldn’t mind that, it was entertainment for them nonetheless. But if they wanted to just have someone to play with so bad, why not contact any of their friends? Why him, why the TV? What was he to do other than to flip through channels and put on shows for the little ones?
Tenna hung on these thoughts as it slowed his search, his face growing ever the more distant as thoughts of his purpose plagued his mind.
Tenna could’ve sworn he had heard the quiet pitter-patter of the children’s feet against the soft carpet from the other room, which quickly snapped him out of his delusions. Tenna cleared his throat to get back into character as he slowly made his way towards what he assumed the children’s room was. Tenna pushed open the door, an ominous creak squealing throughout the small room and allowing the light from the hallway to pour in.
Tenna paused, giving a quick glance around the room. Kris’s side yielded no results; but the lack of decor definitely struck Tenna anew. He could’ve sworn they had more stuff on their side during those home movies, or at least more than what he was presented with. Tenna eyebrows furrowed down ever so slightly before the muffled giggle of one of the children took him out of his thoughts.
Tenna whirled around on his heels, now gazing at Asriel’s side of the room with a careful watch. He could just barely make out the silhouette of Asriel hiding under his bed; the kid covering his mouth and stifling chuckles at his brilliant hiding spot. Tenna shrugged, allowing his playfulness get the better of him.
”Boy oh boy, these kids are tricky to find!” He’d woe aloud, putting a dramatic hand towards the top of his head. “I don’t think I could ever do it!”
Once again, Asriel’s breathy snickers emanated from under the mattress. Tenna smirked, shuffling his feet out of view from the young boy. “Guess I better look downstairs again, maybe thats where those rascals are hiding!” Tenna boasted, making loud stomping sounds to give the illusion he was out of the room. He gradually made his marching go quieter, as he slowly crept up on Asriel’s blind side.
The kid slowly stuck his head out from underneath the bed, both of his ears cocked forward to listen for Tenna. Tenna staid still, even making sure his vents weren’t making much noise. Eventually Asriel crawled from underneath his bed frame, standing up to scope for another spot to trick the TV in.
Yet he couldn’t help but get this sinking feeling out being watched. The fur on the back of his neck slowly stood, as Asriel felt a looming presence over his shoulder. He didn’t get a chance to slowly blink over before he felt something snatch his waist and lift you high into the sky. He screeched with a mixture of surprise and elation, laughing loudly as Tenna effortlessly picked up the wriggling Dreemurr.
“Gotcha!” Tenna grinned as Asriel’s childish attempt at escapes halted.
”Aww man…” Asriel sighed. His disappointment was a veil to mask his obvious thrill. Never had someone been able to sneak on him like that apart from Kris, least of all his parents. “You really are good at this, Mr. Tenna!”
”Oh please, just call me Tenna! You named me, afterall.” Tenna shook his head politely as he put Asriel down. “(But hey folks, just don’t call me late to dinner!)”
Asriel chuckled as the TV crouched down to comedically whisper the last part into Asriel’s ear.
”Where’s Kris? Did you find them yet?” Asriel asked once Tenna stood back up. ”Not yet…” Tenna mumbled, doing one last check around the room. “But I’m sure I’ll find them quicker if I had an excellent listener on my team.”
Tenna seemed to “wink” at Asriel, who thankfully caught onto Tenna’s plan with a mischievous snicker. “C’mon, I think I know where they are!”
Tenna stumbled forward as Asriel grabbed his hand and yanked him forward, dragging him down the stairs and back towards the living room. They both stayed quiet for a minute in hoping to hear any stray footsteps from the well-disguised human. Yet the house was dead-silent; enough to hear a pin drop.
”Darn it…where is Kris…” Asriel muttered to himself as he started his routine of checking all possible hiding spots. Tenna took a moment to survey the room, his height giving him a slight advantage over the area.
He sensed a scuttle behind him, whirling around to look at what could have possibly made that noise. Tenna could see one of the bottom kitchen cabinets slightly ajar. His eyebrows raised inquisitively as he signaled over Asriel by tapping his shoulder with his electrical tail before gesturing with his head.
Asriel curiously waltzed over, both of his ears heightened for any noise. When he caught sight of the cabinet as well, he picked up on the softest creak indicating movement. A devious smile crept up his face as he snuck towards it, instructing Tenna silently to be on the blind side. The two hovered over the slightly opened cabinet, with Asriel doing a silent count down on when to strike.
As soon as his pointer finger fell into his palm, both Asriel and Tenna sprung forward with a shared “AHA!”
Yet opening the cabinet, Kris was nowhere to be found. Both of them leaned back in confusion.
“What the—?! Where’d they go?!” Asriel pouted.
Suddenly, the cabinet to the right flung open and Kris sprung out, cackling and laughing as their genius plan had come to fruition. Yet as they went to make a mad dash towards the upstairs, Kris suddenly felt something grasp their waist and haul them off their feet. Kris squealed as they were turned upside down, eventually meeting Tenna’s amused face.
”Aha! You aren’t getting away this time!” Tenna pridefully scolded. Kris hardly responded, unable to keep their excitement contained as the funnest game of hide and seek came to an end. As they were dangling upside down, their horn headband started to slip from their head and eventually fall off. However, Tenna caught it with his foot; carefully whirling around Kris to be right side-up and placing them back onto the floor.
”Can’t forget this!” He purred as he carefully placed the headband back on their head. Kris smiled up at Tenna; a wide, misshapen grin that exposed the slight gap between their teeth. It radiated a sincerity only a child could possess, one filled with such unbridled childhood wonder it made Tenna feel warm in his chest. His eyebrows caved inward as he could feel his tail start to wag with glee. He liked this feeling. That sense of purpose Kris had always brought him. Yet this time it felt different. A bit more…personal.
“That was awesome Tenna!” Asriel cheered, snapping Tenna out of his heartwarming trance. “I hadn’t had a game of hide and seek that intense in like…ever!”
”Yeah!” Kris agreed, basically hopping on their toes. Tenna grinned again as he put a hand to his collar. “I’m thrilled to hear it! But if I’m being honest, you two were the stars of today’s show!”
Tenna flung his arms up in the air, a sudden burst of applause bursting from his speakers as he congratulated the siblings. “I have never seen a hiding place like that, folks! What a performance!”
His words were enunciated to bring forth a fantastical display. Asriel and Kris cheered along with him, taking their respective bows to an invisible crowd as Tenna settled down the sound effects.
“Let’s do it again!” Asriel encouraged. Yet before either children could run to a hiding spot, a large and low gurgle emanated from the depths of Kris’ stomach. They wrapped their arms around it, a sudden fatigued frown sprawling on their face.
”I’m hungry…” They immediately complained. Asriel opened his mouth to object in favor of playing one more round before his own belly rumbled with a new sensation of hunger. “Ugh…me too..”
“Can you make us something Tenna?” Asriel pleaded with large, innocent eyes. Tenna hesitated, reaching a hand to the back of his neck to rub it.
”Uh…I dunno…I’ve never really made something before…” He shifted his weight, fidgeting with his feet as he tapped his soles on the ground.
“Please Tenna?” Kris whined. “You’re a grown up! All grown ups can cook!”
Tenna suppressed a cringe, confused on where they could have learned something like that. Even he knew about Asgore’s mediocre cooking skills; recalling some panic he had heard a couple of months ago while he was trying to boil some simple packaged noodles.
”Well…I can try!” He straightened himself out, putting on a more confident demeanor. “I’m sure there is something I can remember from your mother’s cooking shows!”
Asriel and Kris lit up before giving a synonymous “Hooray!”
With that Tenna dismissed the children to the living room to play, both of them scrambling off with glee as they went to get their respective toys. He turned towards the kitchen, clapping his gloved hands together.
”Okay…you got this!” He stated with a wavering proudness. Surely it couldn’t be too hard, right? Toriel did frequent those cooking shows often; perhaps there was something he could learn…
Tenna switched his channels, his face disappearing into the screen to now display a friendly cooking broadcast. He turned towards the kitchen, getting himself quickly familiarized with the room. He was surprised how efficient he could work, especially since he’d never had limbs before. However his movements felt more than natural, like he had been doing it his entire life. As Tenna chopped ingredients and stirred others, he could’ve sworn he had felt that same sense of familiarity wash over him. Or at least, what he thought was familiarity. He had still been only existing for 30 minutes by now.
The kitchen started to fill with a savory scent that made Kris and Asriel’s mouth drool. They hungrily looked back, trying to get a peak at what Tenna was making. Yet each time they did, Tenna would push them out and say “Don’t look, it’s a surprise!”
Finally, Tenna’s masterpiece was done, and he called the kids towards the dining table. Asriel and Kris practically leapt from their seats, dropping any fake plastic swords or playing cards that they were holding. They hurriedly sat in there seats, glancing over at Tenna with their tongues sticking out from their lips.
Tenna held their dishes behind his back, clearing his throat to gain his playful energy back. “Gents and others, today Chef Tenna has prepared a oh-so-special dish for our fine diners here at the Dreemurr household today…” He introduced the meal with an exaggerated fancy accent, pursing his lips to hold an invisible mustache. “May I present to you two a baked mac and cheese sprinkled with bread crumbs and other various greens, topped with bacon for the human and…snails for the monster.” He had found the dehydrated snails in the cupboard just before the bread crumbs. The recipe didn’t call for it but he figured a little improvising never hurt anyone.
As Tenna placed the bowls of mac and cheese in front of the children, he could see their eyes sparkle in wonder at the dish he had prepared. They immediately started digging in, not hesitating to scarf it down with an unprecedented amount of speed no child should ever possess. Tenna’s eyebrows flicked upward with surprise, unsure how to respond to such a ravenous response. He even had to shield himself from the stray bits of food that managed to splatter about, flicking a bread crumb from his shoulder. Eventually Asriel spoke through a mouthful of pasta. “Thism is aurmmazimg!” He mumbled, some noodles and crumbs flying out from his teeth.
“Aha! Say it don’t spray it, kid!” Tenna warned as Asriel swallowed the last of his food. In mere minutes it was gone, with both Asriel and Kris licking their plates afterwards.
”Wow! That was as good as Mom’s cooking!” Asriel sighed, rubbing his belly with a satisfied smile. Tenna beamed, both of his antennas raising upwards. “Aww well, I guess we do watch from the same channel…”
Kris hopped off their seat and grabbed onto Tenna’s pant leg. Tenna looked down, surprised at this sudden show of affection. “Can you look after us Tenna?” They asked.
Tenna was speechless, “blinking” around as he tried to process what Kris had just said. “What? Look after you?” He repeated with a sheepish breath.
”Yeah! You’re super fun and you make really good food! That’s like the best thing ever!” Asriel agreed. Tenna could feel his wiring get hot. Take care of children? Surely that’s not what a TV does. TV’s are supposed to provide entertainment! To make you laugh and cry! To give insight and to give empathy. To teach you how to be…
…a person.
Tenna quietly bit his lip, hanging on his thoughts. He opened his mouth to speak, taking a slow breath inward as he did so. Yet before he could get another word out, a sudden rapid knocking sounded from the door. It made all three of them nearly jump out of their skin. They all whirled around to gaze at the front door as if in fear of it opening on it’s own.
”Helllllooooo? Anybody in there?” An old croaky voice called from the outside. A voice Tenna didn’t recognize. It couldn’t have been a relative, the only people that really came over were the Holiday’s. He looked to the kids to inquire, yet both of them seemed to pale a bit.
“Oh crud, it’s Mr. Boom!” Asriel squeaked. Tenna’s shoulders fell. “Mr. Boom? Is he a neighbor?”
”He’s Father Alvin’s…father.” Asriel explained quickly; an explanation that fell flat on Tenna’s ears since he had no idea who Father Alvin was either. “Oh gosh, I totally forgot someone was coming to check on us!” Tenna fixed his tie, striding forward with a confident step. “No worries kids! I’ll just introduce myself! I’m sure Mr. Boom is a nice fellow.”
Before he could even reach the living room carpet, both Kris and Asriel ran in front of him to stop him. “No! You can’t do that!” Asriel protested. Tenna paused, flashing him a confused look.
”Mr. Boom doesn’t know about you! I-If he found out we let a stranger in our house…” Asriel trailed off.
Well, Tenna wouldn’t exactly consider himself a stranger considering he was there for the two Dreemurr kids all of their life, but he hadn’t thought of that before. Realization dawned on Tenna’s face as his antenna’s drooped downwards towards his nose. “O-Oh! Yeah! That would be uhm…pretty bad!”
“Look you gotta hide and—!” Kris attempted to warn Tenna, but was cut off as the door handle suddenly started jiggling. They could hear the jingle of the spare keys followed by Gerson’s war torn voice. “I’m just gonna come in if ya don’t mind!”
The three of them froze as the door unlocked, slowly creaking open as the old man started to step inside. Both Kris and Asriel looked back at Tenna with panicked faces, trying to encourage him silently to do something. Tenna hesitated, unsure what to do. He couldn’t exactly hide anywhere due to his size. Running upstairs wouldn’t be plausible either, what if Mr. Boom heard him creeping around up there?
Tenna didn’t have time to think of any other solution however, as the door swung open as revealed the old turtle monster to the house. “Ah! Kris! Asriel! There ya are! Was starting to think this house was abandoned, gehehe!”
Kris and Asriel spun around to greet Gerson with unnaturally wide grins. Maybe if they pretended Tenna wasn’t there he wouldn’t notice. “H-Hi Mr. Boom!” Asriel practically cheeped, his windpipes unable to keep himself from speaking in a high-pitch.
As Gerson entered he casually shut the door behind him. “I’m just here to check in…make sure you kids are being responsible and all and uh…” He trailed off, looking behind the kids with a confused eyebrow tilt upward. His one remaining eye seemed to lift with confusion as he pointed to behind the kids.
”Why’s uh…why’s yer TV over there?”
Kris and Asriel tensed with bewilderment. They both turned around to see why Gerson wasn’t freaking out, suddenly realizing the old man’s minimal reaction. Tenna was no longer there, instead the normal, slightly dusty TV sat in its place. ”Huh??” Asriel and Kris blurted out in baffled panic. Gerson hobbled forward, a small grin forming on his wrinkled face.
“You know, your mother told me you youngins’ weren’t allowed to watch TV today...” He snickered, going to give a hearty pat on-top of normal TV-Tenna’s head. Kris could’ve sworn they saw the TV flinch as he did so.
“But I didn’t expect ya to take it off the stand!” Gerson laughed once more. Asriel and Kris joined him in awkward solidarity, hoping their giggles would mask their nervousness.
”We uh…wanted to uhm…” Asriel tried to form an excuse, coming up short and looking at Kris for guidance.
”Weeeeee wanted to play with the TV!” Kris finished the lie. Gerson looked back with a puzzled look. Asriel shot them a gaze clearly reading “What the heck??”
”We figured if we couldn’t watch it we could play with it…?” Kris kept it going, lifting their shoulders high in the air as they didn’t even believe their own tone. Gerson stayed silent for a moment, scanning Kris’ face. Just as they thought their deception had slipped through, Gerson let out another good-hearty laugh. ”Ah you kids and your creativeness! I gotta give it to you, playing with the actual TV is quite imaginative!” Gerson playfully elbowed Asriel, who nodded with a curled smile.
”I’m honestly more impressed on how you got it over here.” Gerson circled the CRT observingly, eventually standing in front of its screen. “Why don’t you kids help me move it back up, yeah?”
Kris and Asriel eagerly got to the other sides, helping Gerson lift Tenna up from the ground. He was surpassingly light, Kris found. They just hoped their sweaty palms wouldn’t give way and accidentally break him again.
The three set Tenna down back onto the TV stand, with Gerson fixing Tenna’s angle to be more aligned. “Ah! There we go!”
”Dont worry kids, I won’t tell your mother. Consider it a favor.” Gerson winked (or at least, what Kris assumed to be a wink. It was kinda hard to tell, he only had one eye). Asriel nodded, hiding his own erratic demeanor by smoothing down his ears.
”Hey, why don’t I whip up somethin’ for you kids real quick?” Gerson offered before hobbling over to the kitchen.
”Oh, it’s okay! You don’t have to do that!” Asriel politely declined as he trailed Gerson. The old turtle didn't seem to listen however, as their conversation faded into the background. Kris turned to Tenna, cupping their hand to their mouth and leaning down. “Psst, you okay?”
Like magic the TV switched on. “I’m—oh—kay!” The speech was broken as Tenna flipped channels to convey a message. Kris relaxed. A part of them was worried Tenna was just stuck in TV form forever but he still seemed to have some control. “Don’t you—worry—about—‘lil’ ol me!’” Tenna’s broken speech made Kris smile, as they stifled a giggle by putting their fingers to their mouth.
Tenna couldn’t see much in this form. He was back to the way his memory portrayed him; a wide vision of the living room slightly rounded around the corners with a more fish-eye lense. It was a bit disorienting, but something he would have to get used to, he was sure. As he tried his best to subtly converse with Kris, Tenna heard a loud crash from the kitchen.
”Oh whoops! Dropped the pan!” Gerson said from the other room.
”That’s okay, Mr. Boom! We can—OW!!” Another crash was heard as another kitchen tool was dropped onto the little kid’s foot.
”Oh! There goes another! Sorry about that kid, these cabinets are hard to reach around, heheh!”
Even without a face, Tenna could feel himself cringe. He trusted Toriel with her decisions, but was this really the best she could do…?
“Is—that—guys!—okay—?” Tenna briefly asked Kris. Kris shrugged, watching the situation unfold in the kitchen. By now Gerson had accidentally turned on the garbage disposal and dropped a fork or two in whole trying to get some clean dishes.
“I dunno. He’s kinda old…” They whispered.
”Oye! Kris! I know I said I wouldn’t rat ye out to your Mom but don’t expect me to look past that TV rule!” Gerson called from the kitchen. Kris jumped, quickly turning the nob on Tenna’s face to switch him off. They gave him an apologetic look before running to help Asriel deal with the old man.
As Tenna watched them go, a new feeling of maternal obligation washed over his body. He couldn’t just leave these two in this guy’s care! He couldn’t barely scrape together anything in the kitchen, least of all get around! Those poor kids would run him in circles! Even worse, Tenna thought, get bored and become unhappy. That would be the cruelest outcome of all.
He thought back to what Kris suggested. Become their babysitter, huh? It’s not like he had anything else to do, least of all anywhere to go. He had a blast playing with the kids today; who knew that doing something other than TV was so much fun? Besides, he knew how to cook and cleaning couldn’t be that hard to figure out. He knows everything he possibly could about the kids, what could go wrong?
By now Kris and Asriel had escorted Gerson out of the kitchen, both of them a little out breath from the shenanigans. “W-We appreciate the help Mr. Boom but…” Asriel paused to swallow a lump in his throat. “Kris and I already ate.”
”Oh! Well then why didn’t ya say so?” Gerson shook his head casually. Tenna could feel the tension of annoyance radiate from the two kids are they stared in a beat of silence at the old man.
“It’s pretty clear to me you two can hold fort. Your mom asked for me to come over to make sure you didn’t have to break anything!” He ended the sentence with a hearty laugh. Kris and Asriel shot a guilty glance at one another.
“Well nothing looks broken so, I think I’ll get out of yer hair.” Gerson said with a stroke of his beard. Kris and Asriel paused.
“Wait, really?” Asriel asked.
“Yeah! You kids are pretty darn responsible in order to be left home alone for this long. I oughta congratulate ya!” Gerson playfully rubbed the top of Asriel’s head, ruffling around his fur and leaving a fluffy mess in his wake.
”’Sides, Toriel only asked I check in. I have a particular date with the missus I surely wouldn’t want to miss!” His eyebrows rose uncomfortably up and down and making Asriel and Kris reel back slightly. Gerson hobbled to the door, tossing the spare keys for Kris to catch. “Keep up the work kids! I’ll let your mother know how good you were!”
Just as he soon as he came, Gerson left. The siblings remained stiff until he shut the door, letting out a breath of relief that the old man had gone. They immediately turned to Tenna, nervously checking around him to make sure he was still alive.
”Tenna? Are you alright?” Asked an anxious Asriel.
Suddenly, a mixture of light and shadow suddenly covered the TV, once again sprouting into the familiar silhouette of Tenna who rose from the TV stand. He stood up, stretching out and shaking his limbs to adjust. “Phew! That was a close one!” He wiped a bead of sweat from his forehead, stepping off the platform and back onto the floor. “You kids alright?”
Asriel and Kris nodded, both of them looking at Tenna with the brightest sparkles in their eyes. “Wowie! So you can transform back into a TV too?” Asriel gasped.
Tenna dusted himself off. “I suppose I can! That’s handy, right?”
Both Kris and Asriel clung onto Tenna’s legs, overjoyed with their new companion. “So cool!” They both said happily. Tenna’s smile reached up towards his metaphorical ears. Never had he been appreciated like this. The gentle touch of the children’s hands wrapped around his legs and the slight heat from their bodies made Tenna feel like a million points. He had never been more fortunate to be alive.
”Kris, do you remember what you asked me before Mr. Boom showed up? To look after you?” Tenna leaned down to be at Kris’ eye level. Through their bangs he could see their crimson eyes sparkle. ”Well, I sure wouldn’t want to leave you kids alone to be bored…and with no offense to Mr. Boom, leave you two alone with him either…” Tenna continued, hanging on his words as he made his decision.
“So, let’s strike a deal. How about I become your new caretaker while your parents aren’t home? And in return, you continue to let me be your TV.” He held out his hand for Kris to shake. Kris looked down at it, their eyebrows wrinkling their forehead as they glanced back up at Tenna’s wide and fanged smile.
Kris confidently took the offer with a shake of the hand. Their entire hand seemed to got lost into Tenna’s palm as he gently wrapped it. Asriel ran in to also shake hands, bouncing on his toes excitedly. “Aw man, we’re gonna have so much fun!” He cheered.
Asriel took Kris’ hand to twirl them around the living room, both of them laughing with elation. Tenna couldn’t help but join in, dancing with the kids around the living room.
This felt right. Almost like it was everything he was meant to be. Dancing around the living room surrounded by two kids who adored him. Providing entertainment to their wildest dreams, giving them things to think about and feel about. Tenna had a whole new purpose now other than what he was originally made to do. Flipping channels and turning up the volume seemed like nothing now.
He was real. And he couldn’t have asked for a better existence.
✧°˖ . ݁˖︵‿❀‿︵˖ . ݁˖°✧
As Gerson closed the door, he waited for a bit for the sound of the children relaxing before going into the window to investigate. The hunched back old man carefully peaked through the window to see the TV slowly start to get up and materialize into a humanoid shape, eventually landing in front of the smiling kids.
Gerson raised his eyebrows. “Never in my years have I seen something like that…” He muttered to himself as he watched Kris and Asriel cling onto the TV man’s legs with a squeal muffled from behind the glass.
To be honest, Gerson had showed up minutes prior than when he opened the door. He had run into Toriel as she was leaving town and she had briefly asked for Gerson to go check on them. Of course, the old man said yes. He always thought those Dreemurr kids had all kinds of untapped potential, and he liked watching them mold into fine young civilians. Those stories Asriel told about him being the “God of Hyperdeath” always put Gerson on the edge of his seat.
While searching for the spare key to let himself in however, that’s when he saw a mysterious stranger walk out of the kitchen. He had stopped at first, confused on whether or not Toriel had someone else come to keep an eye on the kids. The second thought that crossed his mind was some random stranger breaking into the house and was about to harm the children.
Gerson hurried to act, going to slip the key into the keyhole and relive his glory days on whatever sad sap decided to harm these promising kids, when he heard their laughter from behind the door. Once again peaking in he could see the clear joy plastered on Asriel and especially Kris’ face. Kris, who unbeknownst to Gerson, was usually quiet and reluctant around the old man.
He had initially stepped inside to complete his task and introduce himself to the mysterious TV man, yet was surprised to find a regular TV standing in the guy’s place. Ah, so they were hiding the TV guy from him. He could imagine why, trying to explain why there was a different person other than the one supposed to be coming would be tricky.
But a whole TV come to life? Gerson hadn’t come across many robot monsters in his lifetime, least of all one with a TV for a head (if all TV’s could do this his wife’s television had a lot of explaining to do). He stepped away from the window shaking his head. All right, he’d humor them. After all, the guy seemed harmless and those kids seemed to put a lot of trust in him. He could probably help a whole lot more than this old timer anyway…his health wasn’t exactly what it used to be.
Gerson smiled as he walked off into the setting sun, it’s golden light washing the autumn leaves in a golden coat.