It was a late night at the mansion's Color Cafe, and while darkners dined and talked, Swatch simply busied themself by rearranging the decorative white roses that adorned the curtains around their bar table.

The activity at the cafe tended to die down past the rush hour, but as head butler and boss of the restaurant, Swatch could not leave their station unless requested by Queen herself, usually for some nonsense task that they had long stopped trying to make sense of.

But Swatch didn't mind the job, finding solace in the calmer later hours of the night as they allowed themself to relax and indulge in their own thoughts, occasionally humming if it was loud enough that no one could hear them.

Their moment of peace was short-lived, however, when they noticed someone angrily storming inside the cafe. Cyber City's Golden Boy, Spamton G. Spamton himself. His bright red suit had seen better days, his slicked black hair was in a mess, and his pale face was red with anger.

Swatch had never seen him in such a state, but for what he lacked in height, the Addison easily made up for in vanity, ego and presence alone.

Always with a perfect smile, perfect hair, and perfect suit and tie, to see him in such a deplorable and shaky state was odd, to say the least. Swatch saw as the Addison sat down on one of the bar stools, burying his hands in his hair and letting out a shaky breath.

"Good evening Mr. Spamton." Swatch greeted, letting go of their chores to tend to the Addison. But Spamton didn't reply, instead looking at them with a frustrated look on his face. A single strand of hair fell over his flushed face and the bags under his eyes appeared as if puffy and red. Universal signs of someone who was not having a good day.

"Just [[Give me]] the str0ngest [[Drink the pain away!]] you have." He responded, lowering his face again.

"You know I'm not allowed to do that…" Swatch looked in concern, approaching the distressed Addison.

"R-Right…! B3cause y-y0u're t00 Good for me as well, huh?!" Spamton snapped, instead getting a stern look from Swatch who turned their back to him, refusing to indulge the entitlement.

He didn't say anything else and Swatch instead filled a cup of water for him, sliding it to him "Drink. You're dehydrated." They turned back, refusing to allow him to snap back at them.

Swatch never really knew what to think of Spamton. The spoiled Addison who had risen to fame so suddenly was always an oddity to them. Though at times he'd come to the cafe, striking up a conversation with them. Swatch had gotten the feeling that Spamton seemed to enjoy hearing himself talk, and despite dealing with boring rich entitled patrons all day, the Addison's tales were often so strange and bizarre that Swatch couldn't help but get absorbed into the conversation.

Maybe it was because Swatch had no choice but to be there, but it really seemed that Spamton just needed someone who would bother to listen to him. Truth be told, it was clear to anyone but Spamton himself that others only bothered to indulge him for his money and status, as oftentimes, Swatch was subjected to gossip from other darkners who quietly regarded him as a joke, a fad, and annoying.

It almost made Swatch pity the Addison, who would often appear excited to see them, before proceeding to dump whatever life story had taken place that day. On other days, he'd appear almost distracted and dismissive of them. It seemed today was one of those.

Swatch didn't feel too sure whether to regard Spamton as a friend or just another customer. But regardless of how they felt, they still drew the line at disrespect.

"I'm s0rry… " Swatch turned around in surprise, the words spoken so meekly out of Spamton's mouth. He was still keeping his head low, fingers buried in his own hair "I sh-sh0uldn't hav3 [[Yelled]] [[Scream For H3lp ]] !"

Even his glitches seemed to be getting worse. Swatch sighed and approached him again "Might I recommend a warm and relaxing cup of tea to soothe the nerves?" They spoke, allowing only a small bit of warmth into their voice, but keeping their distance.

"S-Sure…" He mumbled, seeming shaky and Swatch quietly went to work.

Things were quiet for a few seconds, as Swatch allowed themself to zone out for a moment. He must have had a bad day, at least this wasn't a common occurrence.

"H-H0w was y0ur [[Daytime]], Swatch?"

Swatch stopped in surprise. Neither was that.

"Wh-What…?" They looked back at Spamton, his expression tired yet sincere.

"Y0ur [[Day]]… Did it go [[Well]] ?"

They couldn't tell whether they were more surprised by him asking how their day went, or the fact that he actually remembered what their name was. They blushed a bit with this but shrugged it off as him just being apologetic.

"My… My day went well…" Swatch responded, not used to being prompted like this. They only felt so comfortable disclosing personal information with cafe patrons. "Mostly uneventful. Unless you count the weekly melon barrel smashing."

This seemed to get a half-hearted chuckle out of Spamton, as his previous anger had just been replaced with him looking solemn. Swatch was waiting for him to begin a tangent into his own conversation where he'd talk about events in his day like he usually did, but instead, Spamton just remained silent.

The tea was soon finished, and they quietly handled it to him "Careful. It's hot."

"Th4nks…" He muttered before taking a small sip of it, not saying anything else.

"...Can I ask?" Swatch inquired after a few seconds, their neutral expression now worried as Spamton's small grey eyes looked at them for a split second before facing away again.

"…"

"Is there something in your mind?" Swatch continued, noticing Spamton's pensive look into his tea.

"[[Siblings]] … Th3y're the [ W0rst ] …" He scoffed, his bitter tone returning, causing Swatch to blink in surprise.

"I… did not know you had siblings…"

"Hah! EHEAHEAH ! N0t any [M0r3] I Don't!" His voice glitched whenever he became more exalted.

Swatch simply frowned with this, which oddly enough, Spamton actually seemed to notice, looking away from them. Nothing about his behaviour seemed normal, which wouldn't be surprising, but a curious side of Swatch couldn't help but feel a tinge of concern for the smaller Addison.

"I'm sorry for your… Uhm… Loss…?" Swatch seemed apologetic, but Spamton was just quiet, his small shaking hands holding the warm tea cup, segmented fingers anxiously tapping on it.

"S-SuRE! M0re like th3ir [Count Your Losses!] If you ask m3, HAH!" He snapped, "I'm feeling G-Gr3aT !"

Denial. Swatch was far too familiar with the feeling, remaining in silence as they vacantly focused back on the work.

"You g0t any [[Brothers and Sisters]] ?" The Addison continued.

"Uhm..." Swatch hummed, glancing at one of the Swatchlings in the distance. They weren't sure whether to regard them as siblings or family or anything else. If anything, the Swatchlings were improved manifestations of Swatch's original code. Better in every way, but yet, they still regarded Swatch as their elder, someone to look up to, despite their older and inferior code. "...In a way."

"Y-Y3ah ! Mine are like [That] t-too…" Spamton sighed "I-It's just n0t [Fair Game] ! They always l00ked [Down] on me for being the [Just a little guy!] and N0W that I made it [[BIG]], THEY JUST THEY JUST THEY JUST–" With his stress, his voice had begun to loop, but before Swatch could do anything about it, Spamton simply hit the side of his head with his wrist, effectively causing the looping to stop as he took a quivering breath.

Swatch looked almost frozen by this sudden action, blinking in surprise when they saw Spamton looking back at them, his odd behaviour seeming to completely go over his head. "Th-Th3y're [[ALL OUT]] jealous, that's wh4t!"

Swatch offered a sympathetic look but took notice of other clients stealing glances in the distance, their curious eyes set on the distressed Addison.

"I don't n33d them! I [[NEVER]] needed them! They c4n keep runnin' their [[Failed Business]] for all I care!" He continued, taking a quick sip of the tea before wincing from the heat.

"P-Please be careful…" Swatch muttered, the curious eyes on the Addison were making them feel anxious. It was a strange feeling that Swatch didn't recall having about a situation like this,

Instead, Spamton just closed his eyes, burying his hands in his hair as he took quivering breaths "Y-You [[See]] them too, r-right…? [[Staring]]… Th-They're all jealous! Everyone's waiting to see me fail…"

Swatch frowned in concern, approaching him quietly "I think it is best if you get some rest, Mr. Spamton… You've had a rough day, it seems…"

"I j-just [[Wanted]] to make them proud of me…" He whimpered, clenching his teeth "BUT ALL THIS TIME, I had just been a [[Daily Reminder]] of how much b-b3tter they were in comparison!"

"I'm… I'm sorry…" Swatch muttered, what else were they supposed to say? It wasn't their job to be a therapist, and maybe all Spamton needed was someone to listen?

"W-WELL, I WON'T B3 THAT GUY ANYM0RE! I don't [Need] them! I'm… I'M… I'M H-HAPPY!" He claimed, but Swatch saw how his mouth trembled and tears began to fill his small eyes "I'M HAPPY! Th-Th3y're just JE4LOUS OF MY [[GREAT DEALS]] !"

Swatch tensed up with this, realizing how everyone was staring as the small salesman broke into sobs. For some reason, Swatch felt angered by this, signaling to one of the Swatchlings before getting up and walking to the sobbing Addison.

"Wh-Wh4t're you-?!" He looked up at them, sniffling loudly before Swatch gently placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Allow me to offer you some privacy, Mr. Spamton… Away from the prying eyes… There is no need for them to see you in such a state." A hint of bitterness at the outsiders couldn't help but slip into their words. It made them feel like they had to protect Spamton's dignity to some degree.

As the other Swatchling took over Swatch's place, Spamton got up, taking whimpering breaths as Swatch guided him to a quiet dark break room in the back of the cafe. Spamton was quick to sit on the couch, his breathing heavy as he curled on himself, hands grasping his own chest as he wept.

Swatch was slightly closing the door, leaving only a warm sliver of light from the outside. But as they looked back and saw the Addison's struggle, they quickly rushed to him, noticing as he just covered his head while shaking as his breathing was still heavy "Y-YOU WANT TO SEE ME [[FAIL]] TOO, D-D0NT YOU?!" He seemed to be wheezing.

"Never…" Swatch stated and sat beside him, a hesitant hand reaching for the Addison's back, but stopping before making contact "You're having an anxiety attack…" They realized.

Spamton didn't respond, still breathing heavily, but for a moment, his eyes met Swatch's in recognition before he broke into tears once again.

"This is a safe place… No one is coming to judge you…" The butler quietly muttered.

"M-My… M-My f-family [[HATES]] me!" He cried out "I-I'M A [[Joke's on Me]] and EVERY[[1]] kn0ws it!"

"That's…" Swatch paused, recalling the gossip on Spamton "You're… You're incredibly successful… One of the wealthiest darkners in Cyber City…" Swatch attempted to reassure him, but their lack of knowledge of Addison family dynamics left them unsure of how to approach the situation "Does your family have an issue with this…? I thought Addisons valued business most of everything…"

"Y-Y3AH! As l0ng as it's th3ir [[Own]] busin3ss!" He snapped "But wh3n [ I ] do it, I'm a fr4ud! A-An [[Impostor Syndrome]] ! A-An…. An…"

"Mr. Spamton…" Swatch quietly called, getting Spamton to look away, hugging his own small body for comfort. The bird looked in concern, words escaping them "I'm… Sorry… I do not believe that you are, as you said, a "joke"..." was all they managed to say, cringing at how awkward they were at this.

The Addison sniffed loudly, rubbing his eyes on his sleeve and holding himself as he trembled "Y-Y0u d0n't [[Know It All]]... Y-You dO N0t k-know A-[Any thing]... No [Buddy] does…" He cried out, pausing as he felt Swatch sitting closer to him, his vision too blurry by his own tears to see them clearly.

Swatch looked apprehensive, he was right, there were a lot of things they didn't know. Spamton was nothing but an acquaintance. A strange chatty patron, dealing with an unfortunate situation. They could hear his anxious breathing, gasping when Swatch placed a gentle hand on his shoulder.

The Addison looked at them with tears on his cheeks, closing his eyes as he allowed his head to fall on their chest, causing Swatch to quietly gasp in surprise, blushing at his sudden closeness. His breathing was still laboured, and Swatch did not dare to push him away.

"D-Don't [Leave me be] as well…! N-Not y0u too!" The salesman wept, surprising the bird who didn't see themself as anything beyond a nameless background character in Spamton's life.

"...H-How can I help…?" They continued, their hand carefully holding him to make him comfortable, the way Spamton fit into their arms felt just right, and Swatch couldn't help but feel that protective instinct taking over them.

But Spamton didn't respond, his small hands just clinging to Swatch's arm, desperate for any semblance of stability that their presence would give him.

"Y-Y0u're th3 0nly[[1]] t-to [[Listen up!]] to me, Swatch…"

"You're… You're my valued customer after all…"