Chapter Text
Tenna had been acting off all day, so Battat wasn't even remotely surprised when filming was called off early. He was, however, surprised at the breakdown Tenna had that had resulted in the end of filming. Everyone had grown used to the yelling that usually accompanied his breakdowns, but this one was primarily hysterical crying, resulting in half the staff standing there awkwardly, and the other half attempting to console him. In the end, Tenna was completely drained, and Battat had to step up and tell everyone to wrap up for the day. He was writing down a few notes for his report later when Elnina walked in.
"Yes?" he asked irritably.
"Hey, um, would you mind taking Tenna home?" she asked.
Battat scowled. "Why would he need me to do that? He's a grown TV."
"Yes right, but... we're worried about him," she said, fiddling with her pointer stick. "With... you know..."
That was fair. Battat was honestly pretty worried too, but he'd gotten good at compartmentalizing.
"And you're asking me because...?" he asked, putting on his best poker face.
Surely his embarrassing crush on their boss wasn't that obvious, right?
She frowned and pursed her lips in confusion. "You're his personal assistant?"
Oh, right, of course.
"Yeah, but we're not really friends or anything," he grumbled, putting his hands on his hips. "Why can't you do it if you're so worried?"
"We would! We usually do, but we have a date," Elnina explained apologetically.
"I see," Battat deadpanned.
"We've had these reservations for months, but we can cancel if you really don't want to..." Elnina offered.
"No, I'll do it," Battat said.
He'd never been to Tenna's house. He didn't even know what it looked like. He'd barely had a conversation with Tenna that was longer than two minutes, and all of it was strictly work related. What was he even supposed to do here?
Elnina gave him a relieved smile and led him to where she'd left Lanino and Tenna. Battat followed numbly, vaguely aware of the chatter between her and Lanino. Tenna looked zoned out and uninterested, as if he'd rather be anywhere else. Battat could relate.
"Okay, my darling dewdrop and I are going to head out, but we're leaving you in Battat's capable hands, Tenna," Lanino said, patting Tenna's arm consolingly.
One of his antennae twitched, and he slowly turned his screen in his direction before looking over at Battat. Battat raised his hand in an awkward half-wave. The couple walked between them, and Battat put his hand down to pick at the edge of his poncho. God, this was so uncomfortable. Tenna was still staring at him.
"Uh, I actually have to go grab my bag, but I'll be right back," he said.
Tenna didn't say anything, so Battat decided to just leave and hope he would still be there when he got back. He was only gone for a minute or two, but when he got back, Tenna's demeanor was entirely different. Instead of sitting against the wall vacantly, he was standing at his full height and packing impatiently.
"So you're my babysitter for the night," he said in lieu of a greeting.
Battat scowled. "That's not— We're just worried about you."
The two of them headed out the door, and Battat wondered whether they'd have to figure out a way to use his car or Tenna would be up to using his powers. Wait, did Tenna even know how to get to his house in a car? He supposed he was about to find out.
"Why?" Tenna scoffed. "I can take care of myself, thanks."
"Well, Elnina seemed to think you would do something," Battat sighed.
That seemed to take a bit of the wind out of Tenna's sails. He ran a hand over his casing.
"I haven't— I've gotten a lot better with that," he mumbled.
"Not sure how trustworthy that statement is," Battat muttered.
"Yeah, I bet a dice boy would know a lot about trustworthiness," Tenna sneered. "You could just wait til I'm asleep and claim I did it to myself."
Battat stopped in his tracks, his grip tightening on his bag.
"Hey, what did I ever do to you, huh?" he snapped, glaring at Tenna sternly. "If you're gonna treat me like shit, I'm just gonna go home."
Tenna shoulders raised defensively. "I didn't—"
At Battat's narrowed eyes, he dropped them again, hunching over slightly. "Sorry," he mumbled.
"If I wanted to hurt you, I could do it whenever," Battat grumbled. "Look, I don't— Let's just drop it. Can you take us there or what?"
"My powers aren't cooperating," Tenna muttered, looking away and gripping his tail anxiously.
"Great," Battat groaned, picking up the pace as he headed toward his car.
Tenna meekly followed him, shrinking gradually. Battat couldn't tell if he was doing it on purpose or if he just felt bad about their exchange. If that was the case, then good! He should feel bad. Battat threw his bag in the backseat, while Tenna sat in the passenger seat. He wasn't much taller than Battat now. It was weird.
Battat shook off his discomfort and started the car. He was grateful Tenna hadn't made any snide comments about how shitty his car was. He didn't really have the energy to deal with that right now.
Either Tenna wasn't feeling cooperative, or he genuinely didn't know how to drive to his place. Whatever the case, Battat had to look through his phone to find a picture of his address and plug it into his GPS, and then they were finally off. The drive was awkward, with Tenna staring out the window listlessly while Battat white-knuckled the steering wheel. It was the longest ten minutes of Battat's life.
Tenna sprang out of the car and was unlocking the door before Battat was even parked, and for a few seconds he worried that Tenna was going to slam the door in his face, but Tenna simply held it open and stood to the side while Battat scrambled up the steps. Predictably, everything was huge, but surprisingly, it was pretty messy. Clothes, papers, books, random knickknacks... piles of them were strewn everywhere. Battat could barely make out the shape of a couch underneath everything. The coffee table had a stack of paper taller than him on it.
Tenna finished locking the door, a distressed burst of static coming from his speakers as he spotted where Battat's focus was. "Don't—! Look... at that..."
Battat frowned in concern but allowed Tenna to steer him toward the hall.
"What was all that?" he asked, throwing a look back over his shoulder.
Tenna winced. "Just a bunch of paperwork... I haven't really cleaned up in a while. I wasn't expecting company."
Tenna's room wasn't exactly clean, but comparatively, it was pretty tidy. While Tenna dismissed himself to brush his teeth and change, Battat set his bag on a clean patch of carpet and peeled off his poncho, tossing his suspenders and tie on top of it and kicking his shoes off. Sleeping in his work clothes wasn't ideal, but he'd honestly had way worse conditions before. He'd fallen asleep at his desk more than once in the past two months. He stood awkwardly in front of the bed, waiting for Tenna. It suddenly sank in that he would be sleeping in the same bed as Tenna. A bed that was so big, he wouldn't even be able to get into it on his own. He wasn't sure how he felt about that.
While he was busy contemplating his life choices, Tenna emerged from the bathroom. Battat was relieved for half a second until he registered the obvious.
"You're not wearing a shirt?!" he squawked.
Tenna looked down at his TV Time-branded sweatpants. "No?"
"W-why not?" Battat asked.
His eyes flicked over Tenna's chest, taking in the flattering shapes of the metal panels, the number of dials and buttons, and the placement of his VCR player. He swallowed nervously.
"It smothers my vents," Tenna complained. "And it's my house."
"That's fair," Battat muttered faintly.
"Need help?" Tenna asked, gesturing toward the bed.
"Oh, y-yeah," Battat murmured.
He'd already forgotten about that part. Tenna tossed him on the bed, and Battat squeaked in surprise at the suddenness, fighting to keep a blush off his cheeks. He'd be lying if he said he hadn't had dreams that started like this before. Tenna settled in alongside him, pulling the blanket up and swinging his tail out to plug into the nearest socket. He leaned over and turned the nightstand light off, and Battat absolutely did not gawk at his arms and back as he did so, thank you very much.
Tenna's screen flicked off immediately after, but Battat lay there stiffly, clutching the edge of the blanket and staring up at the ceiling. He wasn't sure what to think about all this. He was in an unfamiliar house with someone who barely knew him. He was pretty familiar with how Tenna operated at work, but it was starting to dawn on him how little he actually knew about him. He wondered if Tenna had been feeling the same way about him. They may have worked together for a while now, but they were practically strangers. But despite Tenna's earlier accusations, he was still out like a light next to him.
The bed was way too soft for his liking, and his work clothes felt scratchy and uncomfortable in comparison. The heat from Tenna's vents was almost enough to make him sweat, and he nearly yelped in shock when Tenna's arm fell around his waist and pulled him in closer. He should have felt suffocated, but instead, lying in Tenna's huge bed, with Tenna's arm securely around him, he was starting to feel strangely at peace. Tenna was fine, and Battat had actually managed to stick up for himself without anything bad happening. Tenna had let him into his house despite his discomfort, and Battat was grateful for that. He hadn't managed to screw this up, and he wouldn't have to tell Elnina that he'd been kicked out tomorrow.
He felt weirdly satisfied about the way things had shaken out. He couldn't remember a time he'd ever felt so calm, though that may have just been the exhaustion overtaking him. He closed his eyes, trying to soak in the feeling for just a moment longer.
Battat had woken up at a relatively normal time for once, feeling oddly refreshed. Tenna looked peaceful, so he carefully extricated himself and decided to let him sleep in. There was no telling what sort of mood he'd be in when he woke up. It was best to just leave him be and get a head start on his own work. A little before 11:00, Battat was startled out of the zone by heavy footsteps reverberating through the house.
"Oh good, you're up," he greeted.
He was relieved Tenna hadn't been around to watch him scramble to get into his chair.
"You've got a bit of a full schedule here, but i tried to make it lighter for you," he added.
Tenna came into view and went straight to the cabinets for a bowl and cereal.
"What the hell are you wearing?" Battat choked.
It was a floor-length, ruffly wine red bathrobe, and it was completely sheer. Battat could make out each individual panel and seam on his back, and when Tenna turned toward him, Battat nearly fainted at the way his dials and buttons pressed into the fabric. It was somehow more tantalizing than seeing him shirtless. The robe clashed horribly with his TV Time sweatpants, and now that Battat had better lighting, he could see just how little they left to the imagination. He swallowed nervously, hoping he wasn't drooling as he forced his eyes to look back up at Tenna's face.
"Hm?" Tenna looked down like he'd completely forgotten what he just put on. "Oh, this was a gift from Mettaton."
"You look like you're about to get told about your husband's murder," Battat observed.
"It's really soft though. Wanna feel?" Tenna extended a sleeve, and Battat batted it away in irritation before it could land in his coffee.
"Wow, that is soft," he murmured despite himself.
Why would Mettaton give Tenna something like that? Was he trying to make a move or something? Battat couldn't blame him, but that didn't stop the jealousy twisting his gut and balling his hands into fists. Any sane person would be falling all over themself to get the chance to see Tenna like this. It was a nice robe though; Mettaton had good taste.
"A-anyway, your schedule," he said, clearing his throat.
Tenna began digging into his cereal while Battat spoke.
"I moved filming to tomorrow, so they're shooting the segment without you today. All you have to do is look over the script revisions. You do have to be in before 1, because that's when the union reps' visit is," he started.
Tenna groaned. "Can't you push that back?"
"You know I can't. They're just checking in, so try not to fight with them," Battat warned.
"I know," Tenna whined.
Battat hummed doubtfully. "Then, you have to look over a few contracts that are up for renewal. They have to be done by the end of the day, so don't try to weasel out of it. I'll handle the contractor calls, so don't even worry about it. Then, you have therapy at 5:30, and I was told to remind you about the thing he gave you last time?"
Tenna sighed. "I'll remember to bring it," he mumbled before shoving more cereal in his mouth.
"And finally, Toriel called about if you're still on for watching the kids tonight. I told her you had a rough day yesterday, so it's up in the air," Battat finished.
Tenna hummed around his spoon, popping it out of his mouth and pointing it in Battat's direction.
"Nope, that's definitely happening. I should call her back," he said.
"Maybe just wait it out a bit, see how you're feeling later?" Battat suggested.
"Not up for discussion," Tenna said, scooping another spoonful. "We have plans."
Battat couldn't help but feel worried. Tenna usually liked to lay in bed for hours the day after one of his episodes, and if he came into the studio, he was often moody and unresponsive. Sure, he was chipper now, but there was no guarantee he would stay that way for long.
"Can't you reschedule?" Battat asked. "I'm sure they'd understand."
"No, I promised I would take them to a concert," Tenna said irritably.
"I just don't feel comfortable with you going out as the only adult supervision," Battat explained.
Tenna perked up. "Then come with me!"
"What?! But I don't have a ticket!" Battat exclaimed.
Not to mention that he'd never met the kids Tenna cared so much about. He barely remembered their names.
"I'll pull some strings; don't worry! Besides, I uh. Feel bad about what I said yesterday," Tenna added in a mumble.
"Oh?" Battat prompted.
"You've only ever been a good, reliable employee. I'm sorry I said that," Tenna said.
Part of Battat thrilled at finally receiving acknowledgment for his efforts. Plus he slept great last night, which was a rarity.
"Apology accepted," he decided.
Tenna gave him a relieved smile, and Battat couldn't help but smile back. The two of them sat in a companionable silence, Battat sipping his coffee while Tenna ate his cereal before he suddenly straightened up.
"Oh!" he exclaimed.
Battat looked at him curiously.
"I actually have to call her," he said, rising from his chair.
His screen displayed a list of contacts, and Battat looked away politely but not far enough that he couldn't watch out the corner of his eye.
"Hello~!" Tenna said cheerily, turning his back to Battat.
"I'm fine really," he insisted. "No, he's just being a little dramatic."
Battat resented that assessment, but he would let it slide. There was a pause, presumably while Toriel spoke.
"Okay," Tenna said petulantly. "I just don't want to flake out on them, and you guys have a date too."
So he was babysitting then? Battat didn't understand their dynamic. Another pause.
"I won't! Battat is gonna come with me anyway," Tenna added.
Oh, so it was official now. Maybe he could get overtime pay for this. Pause again.
"If anything goes wrong, which it won't, one of us will call you," Tenna assured.
Battat was starting to feel like he was eavesdropping on a kid calling their mother.
"I promise. Mhm. Okay. Love you too. Buh-bye," Tenna said, finally turning back to Battat and sitting down.
A thought suddenly occured to Battat.
"Why do you even have a landline?" he blurted.
Tenna paused, his spoon halfway up to his mouth. "It takes my calls when I'm asleep," he explained as though it were obvious.
"Huh," Battat muttered.
He had never thought of that. He lifted up his cup for another sip and was dismayed to find it was empty.
The work day went off without a hitch. Tenna had apparently decided to listen to him for once and followed his suggestions to get things done in a timely manner. Finally, Tenna was off to his appointment, and Battat was staying behind to help shut things down for the day. It wasn't technically in his job description, but it made him feel better to make sure things were done correctly.
He knew it was coming, but he still cringed when Jongler and Pluey approached him.
"Ain't dose yesterday's clothes?" Jongler asked.
"No," Battat lied. "All my uniforms look the same."
Pluey gave him an unimpressed look and pinched the edge of his poncho, thumb tracing over an old coffee stain. He let out a few skeptical notes.
Battat flushed. "Maybe I have multiple ponchos with that exact stain. You don't know."
"Youse came in with Tenna," Jongler said unhelpfully. "And Elnina asked you how he was."
Yes, Tenna bursting in the door and addressing everyone had done nothing to keep their sleepover under wraps, and Elnina certainly hadn't helped. It hadn't stopped Battat from trying to hide behind Tenna's massive figure, but he still caught people smirking at him and shooting him knowing looks. They didn't know, because nothing had happened! He cringed remembering it. Thankfully, Jongler was intimidating enough that everyone else was currently steering clear of them.
"Okay, and what about it?" Battat asked stubbornly.
If he gave in, the two of them would harrass him about Tenna endlessly, especially since they'd gotten him to admit his crush the last time they went out drinking. He couldn't let that happen; he'd die of embarrassment.
Pluey put his hands on his hips and let out a flat tune.
"We know youse did, so just say so," Jongler added.
Battat crossed his arms petulantly. "Okay, fine," he huffed. "You're partially right. Elnina asked me to watch him, so I took him home and slept over at his place, and that's all."
Jongler narrowed their eye. "Tenna said 'See youse later'."
Battat swallowed nervously. "He just meant tomorrow?"
Just then, Battat's phone rang, and Pluey snatched it out of his hand before he could answer.
"Hey!" he squawked.
Pluey showed Jongler the screen, and they nodded in agreement. It... couldn't actually be Tenna, right?
"Answer him, Plue," they said, using their unfair height and strength difference to pick Battat up and hold him out of reach.
"Him?!" Battat shrieked.
Pluey held a finger to his lips, and Battat's mouth clicked shut reflexively. He let out a cheerful note.
Battat seethed. Of course Tenna would choose now of all times to call. He couldn't even hear Tenna's obnoxiously loud voice, and every other thing Pluey said was a compliment, so he couldn't grasp what they were even talking about. Wait...
"Are you flirting with him?!" he screeched indignantly.
Pluey turned and winked at him. That was it. Battat thrashed in Jongler's grasp.
"Lemme down!" he shouted. "I'll kill him! I'm gonna kill you, Pluey!"
Pluey laughed melodically.
"Hey, Bat, youse gonna hurt yerself," Jongler warned, holding him out at arm's length like an unruly cat.
Mercifully, Pluey hung up and dropped the phone in Battat's hands. He rubbed a hand over Battat's head comfortingly and made a few apologetic notes.
"Sure," Battat grumbled, while Jongler gingerly set him down. "What did he say?"
Pluey let out a teasing tune.
"Wh— That makes it sound like a date!" Battat protested.
"In dat case, shouldn't youse go home an' get ready?" Jongler asked.
"It's not a date!" Battat shouted, stamping his foot in emphasis.
But his denial and insistence that it was a perfectly platonic outing turned out to be useless, and he shortly found himself at home, wondering what to wear. Tenna had said it was a concert but hadn't provided any further details aside from telling Pluey when he'd pick him up. After deliberating for twenty minutes, Battat decided on a simple t-shirt and jeans combo. He put on his only hoodie, which embarrassingly had the TV Time logo emblazoned on the back, and a pair of sneakers and called it good.
Another thirty minutes of waiting later, Tenna finally showed up right on time, announcing his presence by ringing the doorbell numerous times and knocking incessantly.
"I'm coming!" Battat shouted. "Knock it off!"
He yanked the door open, glaring at the man on the other side.
"Oh good, I just wanted to make sure you wouldn't try to get out of it," Tenna said mildly as though he hadn't just been trying to break the door down.
Battat stared. It felt weird to see Tenna wear anything outside of his stage wardrobe. Seeing him like this was even stranger than seeing him in pajamas. Tenna was wearing a leather jacket and ripped jeans, complete with a v-neck t-shirt, fingerless gloves, and pants chains. On anyone else, Battat might call the ensemble tacky, but Tenna was pretty enough to pull it off effortlessly.
"What?" Tenna asked. "I don't look bad, do I?"
"No!" Battat assured. "I just feel a little underdressed, is all."
"Dess helped me pick this out," Tenna preened. "She said I couldn't wear my 'old man clothes' to the concert, so..."
"You look good," Battat said. He cleared his throat and looked away. "What band is this anyway?"
"Blood Crushers the Band," Tenna replied.
"Uh-huh... And Toriel is okay with this?" Battat asked skeptically.
He'd only spoken to her a couple times, but even just hearing the name, he got the feeling she would disapprove.
Tenna laughed and waved his hand. "What she doesn't know won't hurt her!"
"Right..." Battat sighed.
Well, if anyone was gonna get chewed out, it wasn't gonna be him.
"How are we doing this?" he asked.
"It's two blips to pick up the kids, then three to the concert venue, plus a little walking. I don't want to startle security," Tenna explained.
That made sense. Most concert-goers wouldn't suddenly appear out of thin air, and especially not in a group of six.
"Ready?" Tenna asked.
Battat braced himself and nodded. Being teleported by Tenna was always a little disorienting, but when he knew it was coming, it wasn't so bad. It was awfully convenient, so he couldn't complain. Tenna snapped.
Battat's stomach lurched, and for half a second he felt like he was in freefall, and then they were standing on an unfamiliar street. He took a deep breath while Tenna snapped again.
A small deer girl appeared inches away from him. He yelped and stumbled back into Tenna's leg.
"Elly wins this round!" the other deer girl, presumably Dess, crowed.
Battat put a hand to his heart, gasping for breath.
"Why hello, my loyal little viewers!" Tenna squatted down in front of the group, enthusiastically grinning.
"We're not little! You're just big," Kris said.
"Oh really? Is that why I can do this?" Tenna scooped Kris up and tossed them on his shoulders.
They squealed in surprise, scrambling for purchase at his vents, something that Battat knew firsthand was especially uncomfortable for him. He expected Tenna to complain or scold them, but his broad smile remained. His only tell was the mute symbol that briefly appeared in the corner of his screen.
"Careful, Kris!" Asriel scolded.
"Hey, Tens," Dess greeted. "Who's the little straggler?"
Battat bristled in annoyance.
"Yeah, who's that?" Kris echoed. "Your boyfriend?"
"I'm his assistant," Battat muttered irritably.
"Are you a darkner too?" Noelle asked.
"Elly, you can't just ask people that. Plus, he's obviously like a die or something," Dess said.
Battat already felt tired. "Can you stop talking like I'm not here?"
"Sorry about that," Asriel laughed awkwardly.
"Nevermind all that, I told you to wait by the door," Tenna scolded. "I couldn't live with myself if I crushed one of you!"
"I tried to tell them not to," Asriel said.
"It's fine!" Dess dismissed. "The point of the game is to not get crushed, just get really close."
Tenna hung his head and sighed. Battat could sympathize. He was already regretting this.
Noelle tugged Dess's sleeve and muttered something he didn't catch.
"You down for one more rider?" Dess asked Tenna, gesturing to Noelle, who hid half her face in Dess's jacket and the rest of her body behind Dess's leg.
"Sure!" Tenna agreed.
Noelle bit her lip, her eyes flicking from Kris to Dess and back to Tenna.
"Don't worry," Tenna whispered conspiratorially. "I won't let Kris kick you off."
"I wouldn't!" Kris protested.
"Didn't your mom tell you not to lie?" Dess asked.
Noelle giggled at Kris's pout. "Okay," she told Tenna, who carefully picked her up and rested her on his hip.
"Oof, you're getting big!" he exclaimed dramatically. "How old are you again?"
"Ten," she declared proudly.
"Wow, you're almost as old as me," Tenna said.
"Really?" she asked, hands covering her mouth in surprise.
"No, he's ancient," Asriel interjected.
"Azzy!" Tenna gasped in mock offense. "I'm practically fresh out the box!"
"Sure, old man," Dess snickered. "Are we gonna get going or what?"
"Alright, alright. Everyone ready?" he asked.
At the chorus of yeses, he snapped once, twice, three times. A few passersby reacted with shock, but otherwise, there was no problem.
"Everyone in one piece?" Tenna asked, looking down at the three he wasn't carrying.
"All good!" Dess said, giving him a thumbs up.
And with that, they were off. Battat had to speedwalk to keep up with Tenna's long stride, which was a little irritating, but at least Dess and Asriel were in the same position. He was fully prepared to tune everyone out, but Asriel sped up to walk alongside him. Battat groaned internally. Apparently he wasn't putting off strong enough "don't speak to me" vibes.
"What made you come along?" Asriel asked.
Battat gestured at Tenna. "I'm his adult supervision."
"So you were worried about him," Asriel translated.
Battat's eye twitched.
"You worry too much! I'm all fine now," Tenna assured.
"Are you feeling sick, Uncle Tenna?" Noelle asked worriedly.
"He better not, or I'm taking him home," Battat said, eyeing Tenna.
"You're no fun," Tenna grumbled.
"Someone has to look after you," Battat huffed.
"So you are his boyfriend," Kris muttered. "Gross."
Battat scowled.
"Kris," Asriel warned.
The rest of the conversation thankfully had nothing to do with him, and soon enough, they were at the venue.
"Come on, kids, get down. I gotta shrink," Tenna said, crouching down.
Noelle obediently hopped out of his arms, but Kris stubbornly gripped his casing.
"Can't you stay big? I wanted a good view," they whined.
"I can't block everyone else's view!" Tenna objected.
"You can ride on my shoulders," Dess offered.
Kris huffed but released Tenna, climbing down with Asriel's help. A moment later, Tenna was only a foot taller than Battat. He rolled his shoulders and stretched before holding out a hand to Battat. Battat stared at it stupidly.
"What are you doing?" he asked.
"Could you hold my hand?" Tenna asked, screen flickering pink. "It makes it easier to stay small."
Battat flushed. Tenna expected him to maintain physical contact for two hours or so? How was he supposed to do that and be totally normal about it? Sure, they'd slept in the same bed last night, but they were both unconscious for most of that. His palms felt sweaty.
"God, it's not like it's a marriage proposal," Dess groaned. "Just take his hand."
Tenna flinched and laughed awkwardly, withdrawing his hand until Dess suddenly grabbed his wrist and Battat's, joining their hands together. Battat stared uselessly at their clasped hands.
"There. Was that so hard?" she griped. "Come on, Azzy."
"Sorry, guys," Asriel mouthed as she dragged him off.
The concert was a blur. Battat could only recall bits and pieces: the thrum of the music, the screams of the crowd, Tenna's beautiful smile, his tail smacking against Battat's leg, their hands interlocked. Any time Tenna's size started to fluctuated, he'd squeeze his hand, and Tenna would shrink. It was almost more entertaining than the concert itself.
He didn't remember falling asleep, but when he awoke, he was being cradled in someone's arms. Their rhythmic steps nearly lulled him back to sleep. He pressed into their warmth but forced his eyes open. He was high in the air, and below him, he could see Asriel carrying a sleeping Noelle on his back and Dess carrying Kris on her shoulders. Kris was eyeing Tenna's tail as it swished through the air alongside them. Battat hoped they wouldn't try to grab it; he didn't want Tenna to get startled and drop him.
"Go back to sleep," Tenna murmured.
Battat considered arguing as a point of pride, but really, he was far too comfortable to want to move, so he simply closed his eyes and listened to the gentle hum of Tenna's body.