Chapter Text
'm...'
Awareness slowly returned to Battat's mind, feeling a soft and warm surface with his hand, body, and head.
It didn't take a rocket scientist to piece together that Mippins was laying on a bed, but something about it wasn't right. Battat didn't remember the bed the trio had being this soft or that he went to bed period.
As strength returned into the dice's muscles, Battat opened his eyes shocked by what he saw:
He, Pluey, and Jongler were laying on a king-sized canopy bed with translucent curtains and a twilight colored blanket was colored with golden stars and a moon. It made the whole bed look like something that was fit for a king or even a celebrity.
Not for three regular darkners.
The whole room had a deep reddish hue instead of the faded purple paint or the wooden walls of the apartment.
A luxurious magenta sofa wrapped around a lower part of the area, creating a half circle around something.
Large windows next to the bed showed the town bathed in the night sky, plenty of homes and business blending in with the dark.
Finally, there was a distinct lack of kitty items; no cat trees, paw print rug, or even stray toys that the cats somehow manage to bring in for an unfortunate darkner to slip on.
It was like the cats from Cat Petterz weren't there period.
"Where....are we?"
Battat tried to get up, only to find himself unable to get up from the bed, "What the?"
First, Batts got his arms freed from the grip of the blanket, finding nothing that could restrain them anywhere.
Then, He moved his little legs underneath the blanket, finding free movement around the mattress.
A soft groan was heard, with Jongler slowly coming to, "Boss....? Is dat yous?"
The green dice immediately looked and hugged Jongler tight, "Jongler!! Thank the angel you're okay! What happened between you and Tenna?!"
Jongler slowly sat up, shuffling against the fuzzy blanket, "All I remember is going to Tenna's office to ask about Pluey...den....Oh shoot! Pluey! Boss, where's-"The familiar yet weak saxophones were heard as Pluey woke up, "🎵🎶....?"
"Pluey! Are yous okay?!"
Pluey first stretched, reawakening muscles that had completely fell asleep, "🎷🎶👍...."
Both the dice and remote sighed in relief. Allowing the Enby continued, "Well after go I in, I saw Pluey in a prison ball lookin' all zoned out...den he grabbed me and...." Jongler tried to fill in the rest but struggled to do so, "I don't remember what happened after he grabbed me."
Pluey shrugged, signalling that he didn't remember anything either.
Battat began to try and wiggle free from the blanket which he found to be tucked into the mattress, while filling the other two what he knew, "From I can properly remember, I found you two trapped in Gacha balls inside of Tenna's office....then...."
A sudden chill went down the dice's spine, remembering that Tenna knew.
HE KNEW THEY WERE PRETENDING TO BE MIKE.
"We need to get out here now before-!!"
CLICK!
The entrance door's handle turned, slowly opening to the host on the other side with an excited grin.
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Ant Tenna hummed his theme song as he entered his penthouse.
Many a night he dreaded coming back to it (even after Ralsei graciously moved the room to make it Tenna's home in the castle). It always was dark and empty, a ghost of what it was before.
It was a reminder how alone he felt.
How he was abandoned by that little mailman.
But it would be a reminder no more!
The CRT turned on the lights while shutting the door, making sure to lock it for the night.
Then he set the bag on the table, growing it and the whole room huge so no one could easily steal his prized darkners from him.
Once the room was the perfect size for the time, Ant Tenna freed the trio's capsules from the bag one at time:
Pluey was first, laying on the plastic's wall like he going to fall asleep. Jongler was next, their whole body looking lethargic, their eyes heavy lidded, and a dreamy look on their face. Battat came out the last, looking very heavy-eyed and curled up on the ball's plastic.
Tenna couldn't but coo at the sight, "Aw....you three must be so SLEEPY after all you done for TV world and me."
He was tempted to release the trio from the prison balls and cuddle them, but he resisted.
There was still so much he needed to do still!
So the cathode moved away from the tables, "Don't worry, my darlings. You'll all get to sleep soon, I just need to take care of some things first!"
So the TV left the mikes while he got to work on finishing things up before he had the trio brought into their new room.
...
...
"PSPSPSPSPS!"
All the cats that resided in the apartment were being led into the carriers that the mikes used for transporting by Ant Tenna.
Even though the thought of stepping back into Mike's room disgusted him to no end, Tenna couldn't just let those sweet little kitties be all alone.
Plus, he could easily make a room for the cats like he did before.
Many were easily lured by treats put into the carriers, and those that were a little difficult...well those types of kitties would just slide towards Tenna by making the floor tilt to the host. Then Ant Tenna would just scoop the kitties up and gently put them in the carrier.
He did for 15 minutes then once all the cats were gathered, the host went onto the apartment itself.
He made bubbles for any objects that were small to be easily moved: Pictures, flower vases, wall decor, knick knacks, etc. Larger stuff were shrunken before being bubbled. Ant Tenna knew those good for nothing employees were eying the apartment that 'Mike' resided in and were waiting to get their grubby hands on it.
They all wanted it so bad?
Fine.
Let them fight over it like the pests they are!
Tenna would just move the stuff to his penthouse, where the mikes would now stay with him. He wasn't going to throw it all away, like some callous fool! Just store until his wonderful darkners wanted to use it again.
Ant Tenna just wanted the mikes to understand that he wanted them to feel at home with him.
That the penthouse could be a far better than that apartment could ever be!
...
...
"Here you go Battsy~"
Tenna had gotten his night clothes on, freeing Battat from his prison ball and handing the night shirt to him. The host thought it was sweet that his darling Battsy was willing preserve a piece of TV Time history with that shirt.
While the entranced dice got changed, the host made a mental note of getting new pajamas for the mike trio.
The ones they had on, the red nightgown and cap, the cat footsie, and the TV time night shirt were fine, but all three of them deserved to have something nicer than just a nightgown, footsie, and night shirt!
Both Jongler and Pluey were already laying on the bed, teeth brushed and jammies on.
They were told not to sleep until Battat was ready to sleep.
Which was difficult because both the remote and figurine could feel heavy weights on their eyelids.
"Whine..."
"I know...I know your sleepy, Pluey. But he will be ready soon"
Right on cue, Battat joined his partners, fully ready to embrace slumber. With a snap of his fingers, the blanket tucked into the sides at Mr. Ant Tenna's command, keeping trio snug and warm, "There.....I'll let you three get some sleep now. Sleep tight, dears."
With that, the lights turned off and all three fell into a deep sleep.
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"There's my precious mikes ❤ I trust you three had a good rest?"
Mr Tenna walked to Battat, Pluey, and Jongler who tried to untuck themselves from the bed, then run towards the exit but couldn't do that al.
It was as if the blankets themselves were obeying the command of the host keeping the mobster, dice and remote down.
"🎶🎵🎷🙀❓❗"
"What the-?! Is can't.....get da blanket off, boss!"
"Tenna, what's going on?! Why can't....we....MOVE???"
Battat, Jongler, and Pluey felt a hand stop their struggling, "I'm sure you all are very confused right now, so let me explain."
Ant Tenna quickly clapped and the light switch flipped on by itself, a spotlight shinning in the center like a stage.
Tenna went to center of the room like it was the stage at TV studio, "You see, after my traitorous employees abandoned me to the roaring knight I thought it was the end.....that no one cared..."
The TV screen darkened to show despondent he felt when everyone showed how little they cared. He even shrunk a little to prove his point.
"But then...you came back Battat! All three of you came back! It showed that I wasn't alone, that someone still cared!"
Growing to his regular size, Tenna swooned with a flower blooming, "You three are truly the best thing that ever happened to TV world....A gift from the angel itself! So I figured I would repay for all you've done!"
Jongler struggled a bit, "B-But chief! We can't stay here, the cats-!"
"Are already here and settling in"
"What about work?!" Battat also began struggling, determined to break the hold the blankets as Tenna smiled at he dice, "You three don't have to worry about that! I've figured out something for each of you!"
"🎶🎵🏠😨❓"
"Did you three really feel at home in MIKE'S apartment?"
This made the trio pause and really think; It was true that they lived in the apartment, they made a lot of memories there, and they decorate to how they wanted...but it wasn't their apartment was it?
It was Mike's apartment.
It was Mike's home.
They agreed to live in the upper area until they found the real Mike. But that begged the question: Where would they go? What would they do?
Mr Ant Tenna smiled happily, he knew he got them with that question. It was one of many counterarguments Tenna came up with if any of his darling mikes tried to argue that they had to go.
He understood why they might want to leave. But surely, the trio would understand with time that he was doing this was for them.
BEEP! BEEP!
The host's wrist watch went off signalling it was time to get up for the day.
Mr. Ant Tenna looked at the panicked mikes and gave them a gentle pet, "I need to get ready now. Why don't you three do the same? After all, what's a host without his special right hands?"
With the that, the blanket holding Jongler, Battat, and Pluey down let them go free from the bed.
But not from Tenna.