Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Most would argue that time runs linear. Only one direction, continuing forward towards an unknown future infinitely.

However, in the sepia monotoned colorless world of ink, death, and fear, time ran more like an exhausting reel; rolling rapidly, only to skip and rewind back to the beginning to start over.

Henry couldn’t say much about the subject other than he wished that one day the reel would either fall off, burn, or change in some way and let them go. It made him think about an old rodent he used to have as a kid, running itself to exhaustion on a little wheel in a similar manner. Oddly enough, he felt a strong pity for it now if this was its idea of entertainment; he didn’t find even a little amusement in it other than his personal messages used to mock the purgatory.

No matter how many times he tried, Henry always ended drawing another tally mark; it was an unsolvable puzzle he couldn’t find the answer to. Despite the endless repetition however, something kept him going- something was still moving him forward again, and again each time he opened that door. The thought that there had to be something more- something maybe he’d missed last time. Something like a secret message, a key, or some other route he hadn’t tried yet. And even though he was running out of options, Henry still felt something push him forward…

And that something he’d recognized was perhaps the most important thing in the entire realm. It was hope. The hope that made him believe there had to be a way, but he just couldn’t see it yet… but someday, he’d find it.

For now however, Henry was simply sitting and resting with his back against the exit door, eyes closed and running a hand through his hair; he had, once again, used ‘the end’ to return to the beginning to run the course all over again. 

It was ironic, in a way- in this world, the end was also the beginning; it was as if they’d merged to become one in the same. Neither one truly lead anywhere, nor granted escape. At least, not yet.

Because of this, Henry wanted to try and take a break at the beginning before diving back into it, merely to see if he could. Usually he’d take his breaks with Boris, but this time he just wanted to catch his breath without inhaling ink fumes the machine so merrily spewed.

Quietly rolling his head on his shoulders, he wondered what it was like for the soulless Ink demon who had to redo this as much as he did; did it even think at all for that matter? Was it aware of anything, or simply following a written script- mindless like some program meant to torture him? Or was he the torturer himself, continuously foiling the demon’s attempts to kill him and free itself each time by burning it with the end reel?

The cycling thoughts began to hurt Henry’s head, so he decides to not try and ponder it too hard for the moment. 

In the quiet now, he idly taps his fingers on his knee to random bits of the many tunes he’s sure he’d heard at least a hundred times at this point. His favorite personally was the soft tune hummed by Alice Angel, despite how much he hated the ink studio’s version of her for what she always did to Boris. It was rather hopeful compared to the other songs, which were quite adamant about hatred and suffering like the writing scrawled on the walls. No, the sort-of-hopeful lyrics of lonely angel were much preferred, but only when sang by someone not bent on hurting his friends.

Lost in his thoughts about music, Henry hadn’t noticed something watching from the nearby shadows with gleaming curious eyes. While he was sitting and tapping, another presence had been drawn by the sound. Henry, however, had been staring at the ceiling until movement caught his eye making him glance over nervously. Unsure if he’d actually seen something, he figures he’d try an unlikely but plausible approach to find out:

“Hello?...”

His small query went unanswered in the dusty silence of the currently inactive studio, only making him feel less safe. There shouldn’t be anyone else but him before the machine was on… there couldn’t be; it had never happened before. With the many countless times he’d run the wheel never seeing a difference, there couldn’t be one now. Right?

Unable to quell the nagging thought, Henry decides he might as well investigate to hopefully get some form of an answer, or satisfy his paranoia at the least. Maybe it was just a trick of the light from one of the many old flickering projectors? Or perhaps he was losing his mind finally (if he hadn’t already) and hallucinating, which surprisingly hadn’t happened yet- at least to his knowledge. Either way, he sighs and finally rises from against the exit door, staring down the hall for a long moment before beginning to investigate. Pausing now and again, he stops to call a ‘Hello?’ into the silence, still with no answer.

Sighing once again to himself, Henry decides it wasn’t worth the effort; if something was there, it’d be bound to find him anyways right? Resigned, he begins heading for his old desk to at least sit in a chair instead of on the floor; his back ached enough without him making it worse. However, he pauses mid step at a sound he hadn’t hear before, foot hovering over the floorboards. 

A quiet tune was being hummed from somewhere- and it was definitely not from him, as the voice actually had proper rhythm and pitch. Whoever it was, they were clearly familiar with singing of some sort, which made him immediately think of the musician obsessed with Bendy. The voice however was rather high pitched, even for the antsy not-so-masculine musician… it only made him more confused, yet curious.

Following the sound, Henry found himself going in circles, realizing it wasn’t coming from any linear direction- somehow it was everywhere, yet nowhere at the same time. Holding his head, he decides maybe he had finally started to hallucinate when an almost mocking chuckle broke the musical humming. Looking around wildly, he still couldn’t find the source and it was really beginning to edge his paranoid thoughts; was something actually happening, or was it just him? It was too much to hope, surely, that something could’ve changed that might break the cycle so suddenly.

Then again, before ending up here at the beginning again during one of his many rewinds, Henry could have sworn the last thing he’d seen was the giant beast form bendy clawing at its own face like trying to tear something off instead of reaching for him…

“You’re rather twitchy these days, huh?”

Henry flinched roughly enough to make the floorboards clack under his shoes as he practically jumped a foot into the air (surprisingly in his age, he was still running and jumping around the place). Turning on his heels, he couldn’t bring himself to speak or move from what he saw… utter disbelief, confusion, and strangely enough, amazement held him silently cemented in place.

Before him a little devil he was all too familiar with had his head cocked to one side, a smug grin curled on his face, but not in the twitching menacing way of the Ink demon; no, he was, to put in words “Alice” may use... ‘perfect’. Untouched by ink, uncorrupted by the machine… at least physically, from what he could see. Henry was surprised that he could look so real, yet so fake at the same time… a living cartoon.

“Yeesh, I guess I can’t blame ya for starin’ at a good lookin’ demon pally, but it’s kinda creepy… ya gonna say somethin’ or what?”

At that, Henry opened his mouth before coughing roughly, feeling oddly embarrassed by his lack of composure. He had created Bendy to be easily charismatic, showing up anyone in the room; but he hadn’t expected it would be him one day. Clearing his throat, he stood up straighter as he looked down on Bendy, confused and slightly cautious expecting something to go wrong… was he asleep? Could you really dream in this place when it was already a living nightmare? Either way, Henry finally responds;

“Sorry, but in my circumstance it’s just… well, not to offend you, but your presence usually isn’t a good thing around here.”

He can only think of the horrible sound coming from the Ink demon as it tried to catch him while running…

“Whaaat? Little ol’ me? A bad presence? No way, i’m a perfect angel!”

At that, the little demon batted his eyes innocently, and Henry could almost see the comical ironic halo over his head before Bendy waved a hand laughing at his own sarcasm

“Nah, I get it; I know what’s been goin’ on ‘round here. It’s just a shame I only JUST figured out how ta get in on all of your, uhhhhh, ‘fun’ heh-heh”

Henry looked unamused at that, instinctively holding up the viewing device and prompting a curious expression from the little devil who blinked a few times. Through the glass nothing changed, he was simply just… well, him.

“That some kinda spy glass?? You tryin’ ta read my mind or somethin’?”

Bendy tapped his head with a comical hollow knocking noise coming from it somehow, winking at Henry before continuing to speak

 “Look, I may be plenty smart an’ full ‘a secrets, butcha ain’t findin’ anythin’ on me!”

Henry shook his head in response, putting away the device while now wondering if he could trust this situation… To be fair, at the worst he’d have to pull himself from the strange ink tunnel like he typically did when he made a mistake, and at best… Well, a deviation from the cycle meant maybe it was losing its track finally.

Sighing now, Henry skeptically inspects the little demon

“It’s not that… I just… well, it’s hard to believe what you see. At least, for me…”

Bendy trots confidently up to him now, making Henry take a step back only to elicit an inquisitive look from the demon who shakes his head with a shrug

“Look, I ain’t gonna bite if that’s what yer worried about; I only bite chumps an’ good lookin’ gals if they say I can, not dusty old bones! Though, ta be fair I might be just as happy ta bite a good lookin’ guy too… oh, that makes me think of-”

Henry stares as Bendy goes on a tangent list of all the things he’d be glad to bite, unable to help himself from breaking into a large smile; this was his creation. His own imagination- alive! Right in front of him, in the way Joey had only been able to dream of… and he was somehow lucky enough to see it, even if it might just be an illusion.

Kneeling in front of Bendy now, Henry can’t stop himself from pulling the little devil into a tight hug instantly cutting his chatter. Squirming a bit, Bendy gives him a look

“Wh- hey, old mister… I’m not some teddy bear if that’s what yer thinkin’! I know i’m good lookin’, but I ain’t a cute toy-”

“You’re… Alive. I can’t believe it- I mean, I can’t really believe the other things here, but I really can’t believe this!... But are you really real?...”

Silently slumped in Henry’s grasp for the moment, Bendy seems to be comprehending Henry’s words before he shoves with a struggle out of his arms, giving him a dirty look and pointing at him accusingly

“Alright, alright; let’s get a few things straight here- yeah, It’s me, Bendy the ‘dancin’ demon’; the ‘devil darlin’’ himself in the flesh. Everyone knows who /I/ am, but don’t think I don’t know who /you/ are! Ya left us with that… that… oh i’m so mad I can’t think of an insult to call him that’s family friendly enough! I have a lot ta say ta you, but we’d be sittin’ here so long ya’d turn ta dust! Whaddya have ta say for yerself, huh?!”

“I… I don’t know. I’m not sure I can even take your word that you’re, well… actually real.”

Puffing a bit, the little demon taps one foot impatiently putting his non-pointed hand on his hip; the gesture was rather cute, but seeing him in reality was still somewhat uncanny.

“Listen, bub, yer just gonna have ta take my word fer it- yer able ta touche me, aren’tcha?? So there, I’m real! But whatta ‘bout the whole ‘abanonin’ the studio’ thing, huh?? Ya left me an’ all the others behind! How can ya even begin ta-”

“I’m sorry.”

The sudden response clearly caught Bendy off guard, as his expression goes blank and his pointed finger seems to droop slightly.

“You… hm. Well- sorry ain’t gonna fix it because-”

“Look, I didn’t know this would happen…how could anyone have? I left because I thought Joey was talking mad about his dreams, thinking too big for a cartoon I just wanted to share; and I wanted a family… I’m sorry. I didn’t mean for it to…”

Bendy clasps a hand on Henry’s mouth suddenly, looking like the jittery one now with a big clenched grimace on his face

“ALRIGHT alright, I don’t wanna make an old man grovel an’ cry! That ain’t a good feelin’, ya know?? We’ll just… set it aside fer now, eh? Cause first thing’s first; this place? Neither you nor I WANNA be here. See, I want out… and from what I can tell, yer the only guy who can do that! Whaddya say?”

Henry blinks at him for a moment before Bendy realizes he can’t quite speak and removes his hand dramatically, wiping it off for comedic effect making Henry smile a little again, but it quickly changes to a frown as he realizes the implication being given

“You mean...you know about the machine? And the Ink demon? All the people, the searchers, the ink- you want… to help? To change it? 

Bendy grimaces a little again, holding up and waving his hands at him now

“Woah woah woah- nobody said anythin’ ‘bout that! I just wanna leave- get outta this dingy place, y’know??”

Henry frowns a little at that, but furrows his brow instead, questioning;

“Can we even do that?... I mean, is there actually a way out?...”

Bendy closes his eyes, a smile now gleaming at Henry as he waves a finger at him again, seemingly in on something Henry wasn’t aware of

“Why Henry, you’ve been scrawlin’ on the walls about havin’ hope, right? You of all people should be full ‘a it, then, unless yer a hypocrite!”

Henry blinks a few times, looking dumbfounded

“How did you-?”

“Know ‘bout that? There’s a lot I’ve been witnessin’ since ya got here, old pal; I just haven’t been able ta say much ‘til now. I had my hands and tongue tied!”

Henry stares long and hard at Bendy, unsure what to think or believe at this point; could he even trust him? After all, even if he was telling the truth, he was still a demon that was based around mischief… could Henry believe he truly wanted to help, or was this a ruse by the Ink demon? 

Once again, however, he takes a moment to remind himself that even if it was, the worst that could happen would be temporary ‘death’ if he could really call it that. It never felt good, but it wasn’t permanent at least. 

Sighing, Henry deflates a bit before nodding at the smiling demon

“Right… if you know what’s been going on, then you know what needs to be done i’m assuming? Before we get into that though, I just want a bit of a break first…”

Bendy tilts his head for a moment, looking much like an owl before he shrugs and walks past Henry to his old desk, patting the chair with a smile

“Then take a load off, pally; I’m in no rush yet! It’s not like the place is racin’ ta fall apart, or the less pleasant and not-as-pretty ‘me’ is ‘round right now. After all, yer old bones probably need a break, and not the ‘snapping them’ kind huh?”

Henry smiles again, walking over and slumping into the chair with a heavy wheeze, sinking against it; it may not be the most comfortable or sizable chair, but it was a place to sit down. Looking at his desk was also never tiresome from the nostalgia he always found in it, always tempting him to pick up a pen and draw again. He was considering actually doing so (if only for a bit), when he suddenly flinches from Bendy scrambling up onto the chair with him, plopping promptly into his lap all innocent smiles with his hands folded together. 

Giving Bendy a questioning look at first, Henry decides it wasn’t the strangest thing that’s happened to him; it might as well at this point.

“You comfortable there?...”

“Maaaybe…”

Bendy then chuckles at some joke Henry failed to see, but he doesn’t question it; instead, he picks up a fountain pen having decided to take up his idea of drawing. Instead of the typical black ink however, he decides to use his own as it was both more convenient and less offensive to him. The black ink usually left him uncomfortable to the point he didn’t want to touch it more than he had to. 

Pulling his own ink well from a pocket, he sets it on the desk’s convenient tool shelf before tapping on Bendy to get his attention making the little devil whip his head around to look up at him

“Hold this for me, will you?”

He promptly presses the looking glass into Bendy’s hands without waiting for a response, but the demon doesn’t seem to mind as an awed open-mouth smile shows he’s clearly enjoying the new ‘toy’. Looking around the place with it, Bendy seems to be having fun before Henry grips the top of it guiding and guides him to aim it at the work desk, revealing many different golden Bendy drawings nearly filling out the whole desk. In response, the little demon holds perfectly still, much to Henry’s relief as he happily views the drawings.

“Wow… ya sure are good at this drawin’ thing! Am I yer favorite ta draw?”

Henry smiles, starting a small sketch in a free space of Bendy holding the looking glass, feeling inspired by the curious demon

“Sometimes… you’re the first thing I really created that made it big, after all.”

Bendy smiles while holding the glass, watching excitedly as Henry scratches glowing gold lines onto the wood, forming the image before him. Bendy starts to bounce in his lap a bit then, making Henry have to pause and give him a questioning look

“Hey, calm down- what’re you so excited about?”

“I wanna try!”

“What? Drawing?”

“Yes! Can I? Can I, Can I?”

Henry can’t help but snort at that; Bendy was just like a little kid bothering a parent over something. He supposes in a way, Bendy might as well be his kid with their shared traits… an enthusiasm for the arts, an awkwardly persistent cheeriness even in the face of problems, and an apparently easy-to-approach demeanor. Huh... maybe Henry had put a little more him into Bendy than he’d realized?

“Alright, fine. I’ll show you how, but only if you stop bouncing on and crushing my legs.”

“Okay! I’ll be a perfect angel, Promise!”

The little demon dramatically crosses over his heart while holding up his other hand, beaming at Henry who holds the glass now, taking out a second pen for Bendy. Looking at the glass, Bendy seems confused before looking to Henry again

“What’s that thing for anyways? It’s kinda heavy an’ annoyin’ ta hold up like that, ain’t it? Ya need glasses or somethin’ ta draw?”

“...What? No, it’s a looking glass… it’s the only way to see my messages; without it, nobody can see them.”

“What, ya mean the gold writing everywhere?”

Henry silently stares at him for a moment before questioning

“You... can see it? Without the glass?”

“Well, apparently that’s weird, but yeah. Ya mean nobody else can without that lookin’ glass?”

“No… not even me.”

“Oh...weird. Guess i’m just special!”

He chuckles at Henry, who just feels even more clueless, deciding it’s a mystery that will remain that for the time being; instead he tries step by step to show Bendy how to draw now. The small moment of respite feels rather charming and refreshing to him, as anything different from the grueling grind of the loop was far more than welcome- even if it meant mentoring a little demon on how to draw himself.

The way Bendy drew himself however… was… interesting.

“Bendy… that’s not how you look at all”

“Yes it is! I’m incredibly handsome and strong~”

“If you actually had muscles like that, I doubt anyone would find you charming as much as they do.”

“What?? Ya don’t think they’d like it if I had beef?”

“Absolutely not.”

“Pfft, fine. Ya took all of it anyways, but not in the muscular way”

Bendy prods Henry in the stomach, prompting him to frown and look down at his gut before he looks at Bendy

“Just because i’m soft doesn’t mean i’m not strong. I could still crush you either way”

Bendy cackles, kicking his legs and nearly knocking the ink over prompting Henry to catch the bottle and reseal it with a sigh of relief, re-pocketing it.

“I’m just teasin’ ya, old man! I know yer strong; I’ve seen ya fight nonstop since ya got here! Y’know, fer yer age yer pretty well off...”

Henry rolls his eyes at the comment, but smiles again while leaning back in his chair, admiring the charming contrast of his professional drawings to the happy scribbles made by Bendy. 

However, it strangely made his heart ache for some reason he couldn’t remember. It reminded him of a kid trying to mimic their parent… why did that feel so familiar? Having lost some of his memories, Henry wondered if there was something important he was missing from his old life… the emptiness suddenly left him feeling colder than the ink for once.

The feeling only lingered as Bendy had clearly caught on, the worry on his cartoonish face making Henry feel more somber. In response, the little demon questions;

“Henry?... What’re ya thinkin’? You were smilin’ a second ago, but now yer all sad, an’ it’s really bummin’ me out… that’s sayin’ a lot, ‘cause i’m a cartoon character meant to be uppity as a kid on a sugar high!”

Sighing, Henry places down his pen before gently taking hold of Bendy, lifting him to the floor as the little demon frowns the whole way down before Henry gets up himself with a grunt. Henry glances to the desk one more time, gently touching it before shaking his head

“It’s just… my memories. They’re a little messed up...”

Sometimes, he became aware something had gone missing, but not what; it was a lot like trying to separate ink from water with his hands, feeling so close but impossible to do. Regardless, it didn’t stop him from feeling the emotions those fleeting glimpses came with… and he wasn’t sure if he could even say all that to the little demon.

Bendy frowns up at him still before he shakes his head, putting his hands on his hips and rocking back and forth on the creaking floor

“Memories aren’t all that great anyways. Ya probably ain’t missin’ much... ‘sides, ya’ve been here so long, whatever it was is probably long gone!”

He smiles cheekily, clearly meaning it to be a joke, but instead Henry feels it sting; he was right. Whatever he was missing was likely long gone… but who had he left behind? What had happened to them? Had time passed normally for them while he was trapped here? If he ever escaped, would he even have something to return to? The thoughts terrified him, making him frozen in place before fingers snapping in his face pull him out of it.

“HEY! Don’t die on me now, old man! We haven’t even tried gettin’ out yet, an’ I still need ya! Clearly sittin’ ‘round here ain’t gonna fix anythin’, so why don’t we try movin’ this along and see where it takes us?”

Henry shakes his head a bit to clear his mind before giving a small nod

“Right- get things moving…”

Just like a rodent getting back on its wheel, he could only sit so long before he had to get back on track. 

Putting his hands on his hips now, Henry looks around the studio, taking it in one more time before making his way to the ink machine room. Bendy trotted after him now, seemingly way too energetic for the horrors awaiting them. Henry wonders if he had truly watched everything, because he’s convinced nobody would ever be so eager to dive into what he had to repeatedly go through. Then again, Bendy was Bendy; a darling devil with a penchant for deviousness, so it likely was well within his realm of things he’d be up for.

Hopping over the pipe, Henry watches as Bendy sprang over it effortlessly after him into the room where the machine was hiding, laying in wait to be raised yet again. 

Leaning over the rail a bit to try and see better, Henry flinches as Bendy jumps up and clings to the rail next to him trying to do the same, a hand held to his forehead over his squinting eyes as if it would make him see it better. Stepping back, Henry grabs the two dry cells and plugs them in before raising the ever ominous machine from the darkened depths of the floor, Bendy’s gaze following it up with a blank look that Henry wondered was either awe, disappointment, disinterest, or a mix as the machine clanked into view. Sighing, Henry puts hands on his hips.

“Well then... back to the old grind. let’s get this started, shall we?”

Bendy leans back from the rail while still holding onto it, smiling at Henry

“Kick-start an’ old machine, an’ turn runnin’ fer our lives? You bet!”

Henry can’t help but smile a little at that, even if it was what was about to happen. Though he didn’t entirely trust Bendy just yet, the little demon was easily capturing his heart anyways; after all, Henry had a soft spot for him just like all his characters. The thought makes him wonder how he and Boris would interact…

Either way, it was time to move forward and find out.

Chapter Text

Completing the menial tasks to activate the machine was routine as usual, aside from Bendy’s commentary and fanatics making things ever slightly more difficult and delayed. Upon seeing the unfortunately dissected Boris, he had exclaimed “YIKES! Looks like he didn’t have the guts to stand up to the ink demon!” before cackling at the poor taste of a pun. As much as Henry hated to admit it, he almost snorted at the joke- partially from surprise, partially because it was just well timed.

Aside from that, the other typical surprises including the falling board and cardboard Bendys had long lost their effect on Henry. This time, however, his heart jolted hard when they caused his new devilish companion to yell suddenly and loudly right next to him each time. Throwing a side glance to him, Henry received a disgruntled and clearly surprised look that almost said ‘I didn’t get scared!’ from Bendy.

Sighing and clutching his chest for a moment, Henry wondered how much worse the rest of this ordeal would be with the easily jumpy demon he had forgotten had the bravery of a newborn chicken. Not to mention how he’d react upon actually meeting the other Bendy, who he was most certainly convinced wouldn’t care to spare even another version of himself- if they could even be compared. Regardless, they continued on, searching for what they needed and running around the empty halls.

Now having placed the items and restored the ink flow, Henry took in and released a heavy breath as his hand gripped the lever that would soon release hell upon him all over again. Each time he pulled it, he felt it got harder to do- almost as if each time he turned on the machine it made him weaker, taking a part of his strength. Henry knew, however, it was more likely his own hesitation to move into the horror again and not the machine. 

He looks aside to Bendy, who was distracted by looking at the doll of himself before turning on his heel to meet Henry’s eyes.

“What? Ya don’t gotta wait on me, i’m ready whenever you are old man!”

Henry gives him a skeptical look 

“You can say you’re ready, but I don’t know if you can handle it…”

“What?! Don’t doubt me! I’ve been through hell ‘n back in a handbasket, just flip the switch already! A little bit ‘a ink never hurt nobody!.... Well… okay, maybe not true, BUT i’m sure we can handle it.”

Turning to look at the switch, Henry shrugs, guessing they might as well trudge on; plus, it would be interesting to see the two different Bendy’s collide. 

Yanking it down with a spark, the machine in the distance could be heard clunking to life as the pipes all leaked with the force bearing through them with their now active ink streams. Looking up for a moment, Henry wonders what being inside one would feel like before glancing to Bendy, who with obvious disgust was kicking away a bit of ink that dripped on his shoe. 

Now all that was left was to approach the machine, and inevitably be chased deeper into the inky hell of the studio…Bracing himself a little, Henry turns to the little demon

“Let’s do this.”

“Whatever ya say, old man!”

The walk to the machine felt like it was far too long, yet far too short at the same time. Just barely out of reach of the now boarded up ink machine entrance, Henry didn’t really want to edge closer, and Bendy clearly felt the same as he stuck by his side with no sign of a smile on his face. Apparently, he did know what was coming after all, which made Henry hope he would be keen on where to run once the chase began. He looks down at bendy now, questioning:

“What’re you thinking?”

“I’m wonderin’ how they boarded the door up that fast, an’ why.”

“You want to do it?”

“What?? No way! That’s your job!”

Henry almost smiles at the humor of the situation, but he’d be lying if he said he wasn’t afraid; it always startled him every time, because no amount of repetition could prepare him for the violent anger with which the Ink demon threw itself at him each time they faced off. Bracing himself, Henry steps forward, but feels a tug on his pants that stops him and makes him look down to a visibly shaking Bendy

“H-Hey… M-m-maybe we don’t have ta do it? Right? We can just...stay here! Draw on the desks, a-an’ not piss off ink demons!”

Shaking his head, Henry finds himself gently comforting the little devil with a pat on the head; it makes Bendy close his eyes for a moment before pouting up at him. Giving him a sympathetic look, Henry couldn’t blame him for the reluctance.

“Sorry, champ. There’s only one way to go, and that’s through this.”

Swallowing nervously, Bendy lets go of him while looking down with clear upset, but Henry knew they had to move on; they couldn’t stay there forever. He knew because he’d tried already. Though surely he could sit indefinitely, it changed nothing and got very dull very quickly.

Walking forward now, he faces the boarded doorway waiting for the inevitable, knowing exactly what would happen. Despite it, he still seemed to never be prepared for it; the moment he reaches the boards, he’s face to face with the Ink demon who sends him reeling backwards into Bendy, who scrambles just as hard. Not hesitating, Henry turns heel and runs hoping Bendy was wise enough to follow suit; the sound of fast paced steps behind him proved as much. 

Breathing heavily, Henry wished there was some way to fight the demon back for probably the millionth time. It’d at least make him feel somewhat better if he could try to stand up for himself against him at least once. 

Taking a chance to look back. he notices Bendy was falling behind having shorter legs than him. Exasperated, Henry painfully makes the split-second decision to slow down and grab up the little demon into his arms. The action places him uncomfortably close to the violent bursting pipes the Ink demon was breaking just behind them before Henry bolts fast as he can possibly manage, which sadly isn’t much faster. Heading for the exit instinctually, Bendy suddenly squirms in his arms yelling;

“WAIT!! IT’S NOT GOIN’ TA WORK! YA CAN’T GO THAT WAY!”

“Don’t have a choice! Even if I try to go anywhere else, he just blocks me in towards the exit; I’ve tried!”

An expression of horror on the poor devil’s face makes Henry almost forget his own fear to pity him instead, but the moment the floor gives way and they begin to fall, he’s yelling loud as he can. His yell is soon combined with the high pitched cry of his cartoon buddy who was clinging so tightly Henry almost can’t get the air to keep yelling on the way down. 

Above, the Ink demon stares after them growling loud frustration before slinking away, allowing them to fall. To the Ink demon, the extra ‘demon’ hopefully wouldn’t matter in the end, as everything was still following on script... for now.

Below meanwhile, Henry rolls himself midair to shield the little demon with his body from the quickly arriving collision with the inky floor he always somehow survived. In his arms however, Bendy was still struggling in protest

“WHAT’RE YA DOIN’?! STOP THAT!! I-I don’t want some old man sacrificin’ himself fer me! That’s messed up- Henry! HENRY- HENRY STOP!”

Despite the pleas, Henry merely holds him tighter, bracing himself before the impact briefly stuns him with pain and knocks him black.

Chapter Text

The imagery flashed behind his eyes, blurry and almost too fast to make out- yet it was clear on what they meant to him. The ominous wheelchair that belonged to joey, the ink machine itself, and the Ink demon who constantly haunted him. Each one made his head feel like it was burning and splitting open, yet Henry couldn’t move or respond as the rumbling made his ears feel they would burst.

Groaning in pain, Henry opens his eyes to blurry dim vision before blinking repeatedly to clear it up. Somehow, he finds himself laying in the magic circle that typically made him blackout… had the fall done it this time? What was going on? As his vision clears, he’s relieved to see the little demon leaning over him, worried but safe. It seems he must’ve been reacting to the imagery after all.

“A-are ya okay?? You were twitchin’, a-an’ yellin’- usually that fall doesn’t take you out like that, right?? I thought I killed ya- I thought maybe my extra weight did ya in ‘cause ya just wouldn’t wake up, a-and I had to drain ink, and try to pull you around- which ya weigh A LOT- but I wasn’t gonna just leave ya an’-”

Henry returns the favor from earlier, and clasps a hand over Bendy’s mouth making him blink a couple times. 

Henry calmly addresses him now that he could hear himself think;

“I’m alright. I appreciate you worrying and doing all that for me, but you can calm down; even if it had really hurt me, i’d just come back like nothing happened… it’s okay.”

Bendy nods, so Henry moves his hand, now groaning as he gets up while rubbing the back of his head and looking around

“Well… this place doesn’t get any less creepy than usual, that’s for sure…”

He looks to Bendy, who still looks fairly upset while clasping his hands together.

“...hey? What’s up?”

Bendy silently looks down kicking at the floor a bit

“...the coffins. There’s a lotta them, an’ these aren’t the only ones… they’re all kinda… y’know? I don’t think they deserved it…”

Henry stares silently for a moment, processing the fact that he should be just as upset- yet somehow, he had become numb to this fact, which, he realizes now, is rather scary. How could he just accept and be okay with this? Was he really growing apathetic from it all? 

The other difficult thing for him to process was the empathy coming from his little devil friend; He had written Bendy to be a mischievous yet friendly demon, but had forgotten as much thanks to the cruel relentless Ink version who had been tormenting him for so long. Simply put, the contrast was jarring.

“...No, they didn’t. I’m sorry little buddy…”

Before he can say anything else however, Bendy huffs stomping a foot and putting his hands on his hips and glaring up at Henry

“Who ya callin’ LITTLE?! I ain’t that small!”

Henry stares once more, caught off guard by the change in mood before he breaks into a smile; he can’t help it with Bendy, and it only prompts a continuation;

“HEY! Whatcha smilin’ about?! It ain’t funny, I’m not small!”

“Yeah, okay.. Sure you aren’t.”

Both of them pause for a long quiet moment before Henry tacks on,

“Short stack.”

Stamping repeatedly now, Bendy throws a small fit at him, huffing and puffing about being ‘low average’ which only amuses Henry more making him feel better. Walking over now, Henry scoops up the little demon into his arms to give him a tight hug which instantly quiets him. Bendy slumps then, still grumpy, but he clearly wasn’t fighting it this time. Pouting, he sighs in the grasp;

“...whatever. Let’s just keep goin’. An’ put me down, will ya?”

Henry sets him down gently, still smiling before he looks to the hatchet resting on one of the coffins waiting for him. Hefting it up into his hand, he silently assesses the blade before walking to the boards blocking their way, not bothering to question whether Bendy had brought it with them or not; it simply wasn’t the most important thing at the moment.

“Forward it is...”

Breaking his way through, Henry opens the door leading to the rooms just before the music department (Bendy happily chewing on the contents of a soup can he had eagerly snatched from the shelves). They both pause as the distorted inky figure of the man Henry still couldn’t entirely identify trudged by like clockwork just on time. Though Henry assumed he might be the old music director, he couldn’t exactly ask the man… at least, he hadn’t tried. 

Once again failing to get said man’s attention, Henry sighs as Bendy swallows before trotting through the inky hall over to where he disappeared, looking around in confusion before seeing the ink stain on the wall.

“Hm. Gross! They just kinda shlorp through the place, don’t they?”

Henry blankly stares at him for a moment

“....they what?”

Bendy snorts bacon soup onto the floor before swallowing so he doesn’t choke, laughing at Henry’s reaction

“They SCHLORP through the walls! Y’know, inkify! Squishify! Splorch around, seep, squelch, absorb-”

“OKAY, I get it. I more of didn’t know why you had to use that word, and say it like that”

Bendy snorts again, wagging a finger at Henry

“You know why! It’s funny!”

Bendy sticks his tongue out at him with a grin before tossing the now empty can over his shoulder looking at the wall once more.

“Wonder who that bozo even was anyways. Kinda creepy, wearin’ a cut-out of my face like that.”

It was now Henry’s turn to snort, as he knew they’d both have to encounter the ‘bozo’ in charge of the music department later; Then, Bendy could see just how creepy the strange man was.

“Well, it only gets worse from here… so let’s go”

“Gee.. I’m just full of excitement for what happens next, Henry. Thanks.”

Grinning with amusement, Henry flips the first of the three switches to power the doorway before looking to Bendy again

“You’re welcome”

Chapter Text

Walking around the music department, Henry was taking his time to do everything because he knew that once he powers up the place they’ll have to deal with more danger. The short lived respite before having searchers test his heart without warning was more than welcome, but he wondered if Bendy knew what was coming. The little demon had suggested he knew what typically happens, and managed to drag Henry with the axe to the magic circle earlier… but he wasn’t sure.

If He did, perhaps the little demon would be just as reluctant to throw the power switch. The persistent tapping of an impatient shoe however suggested otherwise, as always. Forward, forward, forward; it seemed Bendy was almost in a rush to get somewhere at this rate despite his previous statement of ‘no rush’. Sighing, Bendy gives him a look now;

“Yer stallin’. Why’re ya always doin’ that, huh? Not even just now, but each time ya go through the studio! Ya know what’s gonna happen, ya do it, it happens! Are ya just tryin’ ta make me grumpy?”

Henry shakes his head, sighing at the impatient demon

“You know, I never took you for the impatient type, but I guess it makes sense to me now. If you really want to rush through this, you can be my guest and do it for me”

Bendy makes a face at the suggestion, not moving from his place

“I can’t.”

Henry found that response odd, and rather interesting.

“Can’t? or won’t?”

“Can’t. Y’know, as in, ‘not allowed to’? No permission? Banned, illegal, breaks the rules an’ all that?”

Henry raises an eyebrow at him now, not quite understanding; wasn’t the whole point of their team up to stray from the norm in order to derail the process from cycling again? Or had that just been Henry’s assumption, and Bendy was just hoping they’d ‘magically’ find a way out?... Sighing, Henry puts his hands on his hips

“Okay…by whose rules?”

Without hesitation, Bendy looks away blurting

“Ink demon’s. trust me…I’ve tried. It just…it doesn’t work, okay? So don’t make me try!... please?”

Henry was only left with even more questions than before, but he decides it’d be pointless and a bit rude to push him when he seemed so afraid. The stubbornness on the other hand was Henry’s fault, as it was one of the character flaws he had given Bendy; one he also had himself. 

Of course aside from that, the cockiness, slight narcissism, lack of bravery, and need for attention was some of many they didn’t share. In fact, they reminded him of a certain someone else he knew too well... now, Henry was wondering if maybe he shouldn’t have given Bendy so many of their traits. But then again, he thinks he would’ve liked that less, as it was easier to write from experience.

Shaking his head of the frivolous thoughts, Henry finally responds

“Alright, I won’t make you do anything. Just… you know what happens when I turn on the power, right? You’re not going to like it, and you don’t really have a weapon.”

At that, Bendy blinks looking around at the currently dormant ink puddles before tapping his chin, squinting one eye shut in thought.

“hm… fair point. I have a solution though! Henry, flip that switch!”

Sighing, he does so to the grinning delight of Bendy. Suddenly, Henry finds the demon jumping onto his back now, clinging to him as searchers burst from the floor howling their hoarse cries. Pointing dramatically over his shoulder, Bendy cries back;

“GET ‘EM, HENRY!”

Of course. What else had he expected?

Fighting through all the searchers and going on a scavenger hunt for the keys that never had a set location, Henry found himself paused on the stage of instruments. They hadn’t seen a sign of the ink man from earlier yet, but he knew it was only a matter of time. Part of him worried how their interaction would change, but as he looks up at the cardboard cutout smiling down on them with Bendy still on his back, he gets a different idea.

“Hey Bendy, want to watch me play a game?”

“ohhh, I love games! What kinda game are we playin’?”

At that, Henry wastes his time playing with the projector until the stage was filled with the cutouts much to Bendy’s delight, and then disappointment as they move each time they attempt to get near them.

“This is stupid. I wanna touch ‘em!”

“trust me…you really don’t.”

“says you…”

Taking the time now to bother using the projector to actually try and unlock the… ‘sanctuary’ (that he really found quite sad and underwhelming), Henry watches Bendy happily jumping to the different instruments and messing with them, but at the same time, messing up the pattern.

“Bendy! I’m trying to do something here!”

“And I wanna play music! Why do ya get all the fun, huh?”

“Bendy-“

Ignoring him unsurprisingly, Bendy snatches up the violin from its chair, standing on it now while beaming a large grin at Henry

“Can ya sing?”

“wh- me? Sing? Hahaha, hahaha… no.”

Bendy makes a face of disappointment at him as he ‘tsks’ a few times before shrugging

“Guess /I’ll/ just perform fer ya then!”

Rolling his eyes, Henry leans his back against the wall below the banister from where the army of cardboard Bendys were silently watching. As the actual Bendy begins drawing out a captivating tune however on the violin’s strings, Henry finds himself engaged by the song, unintentionally tuning out their surroundings. 

Smiling with his eyes closed, Bendy began to sing; he had a natural affinity for any kind of musical talent thanks to the cartoons, and on top of it, the ability to capture anyone listening in an almost trance-like way. Henry realizes it’s a little too effective as he hears movement from above, his attention snapping away to look directly up at the inky figure who somehow hadn’t seen him below.

Leaning over the rail trying to get a closer look, the musician was clearly enthralled by the music; the moment is cut short however as the violin’s bow snaps, making Henry glance to Bendy who curses “FIDDLESTICKS”. Glancing back up, there was no sign of the musician anymore. It seemed he’d merely been interested in the music… or so Henry hoped. Moving off the wall now, Henry approaches the stage

“If you’re done having your fun, we have a ‘sanctuary’ to open.”

“ughhh, fine. You win.”

Plucking out the tune with the now running projector, Henry is quick to enter once the door opens to do what he needs to; he pauses at the doorway however, noticing something was different. This time, the musician was nowhere near the banister like he usually was to watch Henry panic and fight searchers. That’s when clattering chairs and the panicked yelling of his demon friend caught his attention- the searchers were swarming after the poor fellow instead of him.

“BENDY!”

Henry tries to rush forward, but gets blocked by two angry searchers causing him to swing his axe wildly, wanting to get to Bendy. When he defeats them however, the sight cleared before him baffles him completely along with what he hears;

“GET BACK! Don’t touch him! Your filthy formless bodies are not WORTHY!”

Before him, Henry can only stare as he witnesses Bendy cowering behind the musician himself, using the violin the demon had been playing earlier to violently take out any searcher daring enough to draw too close. 

Within moments they had been dashed with sad pangs of the violin’s strings, the last one dissolving away into a puddle. Henry attempts to speak, but merely stutters;

“Wh…who…why...”

Bendy blinks as the commotion dies down, his quivering state of fear replaced with an immediate beaming grin as he jumps off the chair he had been taking refuge on. Running past the inky man looking down at a puddle still, Bendy runs straight to Henry before jumping into his arms, causing him to stumble with a grunt.

“There were so many of ‘em, I thought I was a goner!”

Henry gently pats Bendy, still staring at the musician who finally turns his masked face towards them, the unnervingly worn look going right through him. Henry shakes his head, finally bringing up the question:

“Why did you help? Aren’t you supposed to be… the bad guy?”

Sighing in disdain at the ruined violin, the supposed music director tosses it away carelessly behind him before dusting his hands and crossing his arms. His charmingly charismatic voice pipes up behind the mask, somehow not obscured by it

“I couldn’t let them harm him. Our savior is far above the grubby hands of these sinners. And as much as i’d be happy to watch them tear you apart, I had to take action instead...”

Henry stares blankly, a common thing he finds himself doing lately thanks to Bendy. Bendy seemed to be enjoying his chaos however as he giggles chaotically in Henry’s arms while kicking his feet

“He means me! He yelled somethin’ like ‘my lord!’ all dramatic, then came in ta save me! Whatta hero~”

Immediately, the musician’s demeanor changes as if he turned into a whole new person

“Anything for you, my lord. I’m honored to have helped someone so gracious and powerful, giving me even a bit of your attention-“

Henry makes a face similar to eating something far too sour crossed with smelling something terrible at the same time. The only thing he found more unbearable than all the ink, repetition, and fear, was the worship. And lord, (not the ink demon he notes), was it especially unbearable from the mouth of this guy. Bendy continues to giggle like a kid however in Henry’s arms before beaming at him

“Why don’t /you/ worship me like that, huh?!”

“Because you’re a demon, not a god, and the last thing you need is your head to get any bigger-”

“How dare you!”

Henry blinks as he’s cut off by the musician, who now threateningly approaches him, making Henry instinctively back up from remembering the hatchet fight they’d typically end up having later on.

“How dare you insult our savior! He will be the one who sets us free, and removes us from this perpetual hell- and all you have to say are petty insults?”

Bendy snickers from Henry’s arms still, giving him a devious look of pure smug attitude. In response, Henry decides to defy the whole situation. He simply drops Bendy without warning to the floor with a following ‘ACK!’ and resounding thud. As if on a tripwire response, the musician tackles Henry right back without any warning, sending them both yelling and flying backwards to the floor. On the way down, he shouts at Henry;

“NOW you’ve crossed a LINE!”

“You’re completely out of your MIND!”

Henry wrestles with the angry ink man while Bendy gets up, dusting himself off and giving Henry a smug look once more 

“That’s whatcha get!”

Despite the attack however, Henry finds that the musician may be strong with a weapon, but without one… well, he currently had the man in a choke hold while he flailed his arms angrily. Henry thinks how the guy really isn’t all that built, his scrawniness reflective of the lack of true strength in him. Bendy pouts from nearby with unamusement as he’d realized his new ‘follower’ had almost no physical power over Henry.

Henry was still struggling somewhat to hold him however, so he finally tries to calm the man;

“Alright, alright- if you stop squirming and trying to fight me, i’ll let you go. Got it?”

“You will face damnation for your sin- HRK”

Henry had tightened his elbow around the man’s throat now (partially wondering if ink people even breathed), hoping he’d give in. At the very least, this way he didn’t have to hear him speak. 

Holding him for a good minute, he feels the musician starting to get more desperate before whacking at Henry’s arms letting out a choked “OKAY!”. Letting go of him finally, Henry gets up and backs away while giving him a look before the musician inhales deeply, holding his throat.

“You’re a barbarian, you know that?! Man-handling a creator like some- some wild brute-”

“I’m a creator too, you know; the creator of ‘your lord’? /I/ created Bendy.”

At that, both the inky musician and Bendy turn to stare at Henry for a long moment before the musician questions:

“What?”

“I said, I created Bendy. Joey probably lied to you and said he did, but it was really me.”

Sitting silently now, the musician’s gaze was starting to burn into Henry making him uncomfortable. Had Joey really have them believe otherwise? Or had they all just forgotten over time because of his absence? Or, the more likely answer, had the machine taken all their memories? Regardless of which however, the musician rises to his feet and grabs him by his shoulders suddenly making Henry flinch

“I KNEW IT! I Knew that face was familiar! You’re that guy from the portraits in Joey Drew’s office! Whatever your name is…”

Henry furrows his brow, curious; he’d never really had a chance to talk to this guy before…

“You saw pictures of me?... also, how do you know Joey? I mean- I’m assuming you worked here…”

Huffing, the man shakes his head

“Faded memories, mostly of his old office. He was the boss…”

He trails off before letting go of Henry finally and holding up his hands to continue

“If you had a connection to the boss, then you must be a part of it all! This hellish mystery- and not just some obnoxious lost soul. You’re a cog, a key, in this whole mechanism of suffering… but now the true question is, are you a good part or a bad part? And just how are you related?...”

Henry slowly looks to Bendy as the musician goes on his tangent, raising an eyebrow to which Bendy winks in return, merely smiling at him. Henry looks back to the man, interrupting him then;

“Not to be rude, but… I don’t really know who you are either, or what you have to do with all of this besides being related to the music department. I… actually don’t have any more of a clue than you do about everything. My memories are a little… gone.”

At that, the man straightens up silently, assessing Henry’s words before speaking again

“Well... that’s rather unfortunate. I haven’t any memories myself before I was… trapped in this inky horror. not even my own name… All I do know is that I will be the one to help the Ink demon set us free. Nonetheless, we might as well assume ourselves greeted at this point; no need to be enemies if you’re ‘friends’ with him”

Sammy gestures at Bendy then, who waves at Henry

“Either way, I suppose we can put aside our… differences for now.”

He offers a hand to Henry then, who hesitates; the inky musician always tied him up and tried sacrificing him… could he really trust him? Considering the alternative to accepting would probably be more violence, Henry sighs a little before taking and shaking his hand briefly.

“Right, well I at least have a name; I’m Henry.”

The musician releases his hand then, getting rather interrogative all of a sudden

“You say you created him? Our savior? Are you responsible for all of this, then? You better clarify before you give me anymore reason to justify potentially turning on you-”

Henry holds up his hands defensively now, nervous at the change in attitude

“No! I didn’t do this! Joey did! I’m just an old friend; I was his partner before all of this, but all I did was create the original Bendy cartoon then have my work stolen. It was just a cartoon!”

Bendy interrupts him with a huff

“Just a cartoon?! Wow, Henry, then you’re just an old man who draws!”

He ignores the outburst from the demon, continuing to defend himself from the still hostile musician

“What i’m saying is true; I used to work here 30 years ago as the head artist and animator! I just… can’t remember much else, besides Joey making the machine. I don’t know anything after that though because I left, then showed up here somehow one day”

The musician stays in Henry’s face for a moment longer before leaning back now, deciding apparently he was telling the truth (to Henry’s own relief). Crossing his arms, the musician looks at him with a tilted head

“Very well; I’ll believe you for now, since I don’t have much frame of reference myself. Plus, you actually know your own name… that’s more than can be said for most here.”

The man sighs irritability then, shaking his head

“I still won’t trust you entirely, but I am curious as to your claim that Joey is responsible. Of course I know that myself, but if you weren’t here to see it, how can you be sure?... Either way though, with our savior…”

Henry watches as he turns to Bendy then, who pauses mid biting on a can of soup he had found while they were talking, trying to open it

“Our Savior will set us free, and we will get our revenge! It will be glorious, fulfilling, and wonderful- I shall be the shepard who heralds in our freedom by his side…”

Henry looks at Bendy again as the man preaches praises about him, staring at the little demon who was now rolling around trying very hard to pry open the can ridiculously.

“Mm-hm... I have a question for you- how… exactly do you plan on having him save us? What is it exactly that you believe he’s supposed to do?”

“Why, use his boundless power to free us! He will cleanse the sin from all this Ink, and restore the faithful!”

Henry puts a hand over his face, the other on his hip as he tries to comprehend what was being suggested.

“You… you think he has some kind of ‘holy magic’ powers that will fix this?”

“Well, perhaps not holy so to speak, but certainly powerful. He had the power to bring himself to life, did he not? He chased the wretch who did this to us away; he can free us!”

Sliding the hand off his face looking drained, Henry stares at the musician’s ink smile through the Bendy masks’ open mouth. Why, he wonders again, the mouth and not the eyes was beyond him.

“Look, I really don’t want to crush your hopes because hope is important, but uh… Bendy isn’t really.. Well, he can’t do that.”

“BLASPHEMY! He brought us back to life, he can restore us!”

Henry had flinched at the outburst of a response before he looks over to Bendy, who was now sitting in angry disappointment on the floor with his arms crossed, glaring down at the chewed up can that still wasn’t open.

“Listen… Bendy, this Bendy, doesn’t have that kind of power. At least, not from what I’ve seen. And the Ink demon? Isn’t exactly our friend. No matter how much you ‘believe’, that demon has no empathy or soul. It’s evil.”

Bendy looks suddenly very offended at Henry for whatever reason, likely his calling him out for not being powerful in front of his ‘follower’; the inky man however looked even more offended somehow

“Evil?! You’re a deluded sheep who cannot see his glory! He purges corruption, and punishes the sinful... perhaps you are just a mistake he’s working to erase”

Henry looks unamused before turning to Bendy

“Tell him.”

“Huh? What?”

“Tell him. How you know the Ink demon isn’t going to help, and only wants us dead”

Bendy stares at Henry for a long moment before slowly turning his gaze to the musician’s, who seemed almost anxious for the answer.

“...I can’t do that!”

“Why?”

“I like bein’ a little brat, not the guy who breaks people’s hearts!”

Henry sighs, shaking his head before taking the can and opening it for Bendy; as the demon excitedly jumps up reaching for it however, he lifts it out of reach

“HEY! Give it!”

“No. Tell him the truth, then you get the soup”

“What?? Soup isn’t worth that!”

“Then why’re you still trying?”

Bendy glares at Henry with a huff before he looks to the musician with a pout, the man still eagerly waiting for his response.

“...I don’t have any powers.”

The musician silently looks down on him, about to respond when Bendy continues cutting him off

“I’m a dancin’ singin’ demon; that’s what I was meant ta be, that’s what I can do! I never had powers in the cartoons, so I don’t really… have any. The Ink demon isn’t like me; he’s all.. Whacked up from stuff done ta ‘im.”

Henry and the musician both now look at him questioningly, glancing to one another before Henry asks

“What stuff? Is there something you know you’re not telling us?”

Bendy blinks, now looking like he was caught red handed as cartoon sweat beads fly off him and he tugs his bowtie

“What? Me? Hidin’ somethin’? No way!”

“Bendy.”

“Alright, alright! While snoopin’ ‘round I just. Heard some tapes ya never found about what Joey did ta make the Ink demon… just… he ain’t right. Don’t push me about it, I don’t like talkin’ ‘bout it…”

Henry was about to press more, but the musician holds a hand up in front of him

“You mean the tape recordings? I’ve listened to many of them, including the ones that clearly have my own voice, but none of them spoke of the Ink demon…”

Bendy helplessly holds his arms in a shrug posture, not wanting to speak before Henry snaps his fingers startling both of the other two before he addresses the inky musician

“That’s it! You said the recordings sound like you- that’s why you seemed familiar too! I don’t know why I never connected that before… man, I feel a little dense now. In one of them I heard a name mentioned, but what was it?...”

The musician, to the relief of Bendy, turns his full attention on Henry now as he was excited to know anything about himself

“What?? What was the name? I need to know!”

Henry puts a hand on his chin in thought, walking past them now towards the main music studio area. He wanted to check the board with records and names of people from the department, and it wasn’t long before his eyes settled on a specific title… the music director. He was the one from the recordings.

Having followed him from behind, the musician presses him

“Well? Do you know??”

“...I think you’re the music director. You’re Sammy Lawrence; does that sound right?”

Paused now, the man seems to be thinking deeply before he grabs Henry by his shoulders again

“Sammy! That’s my name! I remember now; I made the most wonderful music, and really hated my job- oh. Oh dear…”

He backs away from Henry now, almost into Bendy who had been walking in. 

“Are you alright?”

“I… yes. Just a bit of a headache; I can’t remember anything else right now, but… I have a name. That’s what matters. Perhaps it’s just best… we discuss the problem at hand instead for now.” 

Sammy turns to look down at Bendy now, prompting Henry to do the same; in return, the demon just blinks at them in confusion

“Bendy is supposed to be our savior, to free us; that’s what the book said. What’re we going to do now if what you say about his lack of power is true?”

Henry tilts his head, giving Sammy a questioning look

“Book? What book? Do you have some kind of… Bendy bible?”

Sammy snorts at him as if the notion were any more ridiculous than the fact he was clearly worshipping a cartoon character like a god. Not to mention he’d only just remembered his own name. 

“No, not at all. It’s a book written by the foul hands of that Drew who did this to us, but it entails what he learned about our savior and what potential he will bring… The man surely was out of his mind, but on the right track nonetheless. The Ink demon can still save us- even if you don’t believe me. Belief is after all is only half the battle, my friend.”

He then produces said book from inside his own torso, causing both Henry and Bendy to twist their faces in disgust before he offers it to Henry. Reluctantly taking hold of it, Henry recognizes it as a copy of the same book that had been used as a key to turn on the machine; ‘The Illusion of Living’ by Joey Drew. Flipping it open and skimming some random pages, he looks at Sammy with blatant confusion

“Why would you read this if you know and hate Joey, no less believe anything in it?”

Sammy scoffs as if Henry was asking the obvious

“Because I wanted to know something, and what better way to do that than through reading? Also, this book in particular has handwritten notes that are particularly interesting; extra details you won’t find in any other copy...”

Curious at the mention, Henry opens the book again, taking a longer moment this time to see handwriting he recognized all too well scrawled on the inside. The note he had found read: ‘Certain parts still needed; Ink must flow freely, otherwise risking corruptions. New Nozzle?’. Next to it, Henry read a small passage about ‘spiritual flow’ from their world to the ‘other world’, whatever that meant. 

“I don’t understand… how did you find this??”

“Simple; I stole it from his office. He wasn’t around to use it anymore anyways…”

Henry pondered that; would Joey really so carelessly leave something this important behind? What had happened to him- where had he really gone?... Looking up at Sammy, his face must have looked rather confused as Sammy holds his hand out for the book in response

“Here; i’ll show you what I mean.”

Handing over the book, Henry glances over to Bendy, who was holding the second emptied can over his mouth and shaking it vigorously to get the last bit out. The demon turns his own attention to Sammy then as said musician shoves the book almost right in Henry’s face, pointing at a page.

“Here; his book discusses ‘other worlds’. Of course it’s written theoretically, but he truly believed in them, and I believe we have reasonable cause to do so as well seeing our… situation. These ‘other worlds’, or dimensions, are connected to normal reality through seemingly normal things; our cartoons, for one thing. We’re actually connected to not just another plane, but a plethora of multiple thousands. Whether we created them or not is a whole other philosophical dilemma we don’t need right now, so let’s just focus on the fact there are other dimensions and we’re in one.”

He then turns the pages, tapping on a drawing of the Ink demon for Henry

“Here, he writes about ‘entities’ referred to as ‘keys’; they’re beings in these alternate dimensions with power strong enough to actually tamper with them, and even move between them; can you believe that?? It’s incredible, and exactly what the Ink demon is!”

He turns the page then to a bunch of drawings obscuring the text of theorized ‘keys’, at least from what Henry could tell

“These key entities have quite a bit of power beyond that even, possessing strange capabilities most others don’t have. In the Ink demon’s case, he was theorized to have been born without a soul; something it seems wasn’t supposed to be possible, at least not in our own dimension“

Nearby, Bendy finally stopped fiddling with the can to make a bit of a face at Sammy, something crossed between concern, curiosity, and... sadness? Henry wasn’t sure; his cute features could be hard to read at times, as they made rather simple expressions. Sammy continued speaking regardless, nearly pushing the book into Henry’s face again, who puts a hand on it to move it a bit away

“So you see, Henry, the Ink demon will set us free! He has to! He’s the key that locked us away in this- this Inky Hell in the first place, so he’s the one who can return us home! He can let us out of this cage, and we will be free, returned to our home…so he has to be our savior!”

Henry shakes his head, still not looking all too convinced; if anything, the Ink demon wanted them to stay here and suffer eternally it seemed. Next to them, Bendy hops beside Sammy, pulling his arms down to see the book himself in awe

“Really?? He can do that? Then we really can go home!.... But… how?”

“Also, how would you convince him to let us out anyways?” Henry added;

Sammy lowers the book more for Bendy to happily look over while speaking with a smile

“We believe in him, to answer both of you. I have faith he knows how, and will relinquish us from our torment; at least those who have not sinned… all we have to do is appease him.”

Bendy looked unsatisfied with the answer however, snatching the book from Sammy finally to look through it while speaking

“But what if he doesn’t? What if he needs help, ‘cause he actually hates this place and is takin’ it out on everyone ‘cause he doesn’t know how ta get home?”

Sammy seemed concerned at Bendy’s persistent questions and theory, putting a hand to his chin in thought

“Then… well, I suppose we’d be in a difficult spot. Joey Drew seemed to have found a way himself to activate the key entity’s ability through a machine, but the result was...this. Forcing the ability only twists and mangles everything; it is the most sinful thing to force another unwillingly into actions they did not consent to...”

Henry thinks how that would actually make sense; it explained the Ink demon’s hatred at least. The idea of Joey pulling the Ink demon unwillingly out of its home through a horrifying machine and squeezing it out into another reality… how on Earth did he think that wouldn’t have gone wrong?

Bendy looks up at Sammy now, frowning

“What good does all yer appeasement and belief do anyhow? I’m pretty sure the Ink demon ain’t exactly the kinda guy ta go grantin’ favors ta anyone...”

Sammy chuckles and crouches in front of him now

“Why, that’s the point; if the Ink demon finds favor in one of us, then perhaps he’ll be convinced to help. The ability is there; he just needs to know it, and have a reason to use it for us. Therefore… belief! ‘Appeasing the Gods’, as one might say...”

Henry hated to admit it, but Sammy’s religious attitude for the Ink demon was starting to seem at least a little logical. He had a sort of proof that there was indeed a way for the Ink demon to free them, as well as a somewhat logical reason to ‘worship’ him, hoping it would help the demon free them. 

Henry thinks how all this time, everyone had mostly assumed Sammy was just a blind worshipper; but perhaps what he really worshipped was self preservation. All of it was an attempt to free himself, regardless of anyone else from the sound of it. Now that, Henry thinks, made more sense than the music director truly worshipping something he once loathed.

Picking up Bendy now, Henry holds him close, glad that this time Bendy didn’t fight or protest against it, and instead simply held onto Henry’s shoulders while looking at Sammy. Turning to the musician himself, Henry sighs

“Either way, we shouldn’t stand around here forever. We need to keep going if we’re going to get anywhere. Also, to convince the Ink demon to be our… ‘key’, we’ll need to find more information which is bound to also be in Joey’s office, which happens to be a long way from here…”

Sammy gives him a questioning look then

“Are you...suggesting I come with you? As in, follow you around doing.. Whatever it is you’re doing?”

Henry nods, remembering then that only he and Bendy were aware there was a loop at all; each time, nobody remembered any previous interaction but him, and apparently Bendy.

“Ah...right… I should probably explain something so you better understand what i’m asking… we should probably sit down first though. Just in case.”

Having gone back to the music room stage, Henry was now sitting with Bendy in his lap while Sammy sat across from them. 

“Look; I’m going to need you to suspend some of your belief for this, though perhaps you’ll be open to it… I’m going to tell you some disturbing things, and I need you to take my word for it. Are you willing to trust me?”

Sighing a bit, Sammy shrugs slightly

“I suppose… I’ll have to hear what you have to say first though.”

Henry explains the loop then, along with everything he’d gone through each time and how it started him over repeatedly. He also takes the time to explain Sammy’s unfortunate fate with both the Ink demon and their later battle, which always ended with an axe to his head. 

Sitting with his hands steepled together, Sammy was clearly not quite pleased; he speaks after a long pause though

“You mean to tell me… each time I did the same thing of trying to sacrifice you like I was planning on doing… our lord would always assault me instead, and you would run away doing a whole trail of meaningless tasks? Then all those other events happen until I try to kill you again, only to get axed... but in the end, you never die? And yet, neither does our lord? What does it all mean?...”

Henry sighs, rubbing a temple as Bendy kicked his feet, being surprisingly quiet for once.

“First of all, please stop calling him our lord; I don’t worship him, and never will. Second, don’t try to think about it too hard; I’ve tried to make sense of it but, it just never does. It always feels like I’ve won, but it just restarts. And no, I never really die or ‘lose’”

Sammy sits up straighter, gazing silently at Henry, then to Bendy who stares right back at him before slowly sticking his tongue out for no reason other than to be cheeky.

“...very well. I can’t make any sense of it either, but I suppose rather than sit around and let myself be destroyed… I will follow you. HOWEVER,” 

He stands so suddenly his chair gets knocked back

“/If/ you are lying to me, I will come back with a VENGEANCE. And I won’t get axed for it, either; i’ll make sure you pay. Otherwise… where shall we be off to next?” 

The swing in Sammy’s demeanor made Henry wonder if the man had been an actor before music or something, but he nods despite it, getting up and lifting Bendy with him who gives a small ‘huhp’ sound having not expected it.

“If you’re coming, we’re going to meet up with an old friend of mine. But before we can do that…”

Henry couldn’t even finish his words as Bendy cuts him off, cringing in his arms

“URRRGH noooo! I don’t want to!”

“We don’t have a choice; it’s necessary to continue.”

Sammy looked lost, and was about to ask before Bendy cuts in again

“I don’t like it!! When he chases us, bad things happen!!”

Sammy seems to finally catch on then, holding up his hands

“You don’t mean provoking the Ink demon?!”

Henry sighs, nodding back

“Yup, we have to. It’s the only way to move forward.”

Both Bendy and Sammy seemed to be on the same page now (unfortunately for Henry), as neither wanted to deal with the Ink demon. Sammy possibly had a better reason as he press Henry;

“What if he kills me again?? Is that necessary to move on?”

“I don’t... think so? I think we just need to be chased by him? And if not, well… I guess we’ll find out”

Sammy did not seem pleased with that answer, but Bendy was amused at the musician’s misfortune; either he would get chased by an angry deadly demon with them… or die. Not exactly anyone’s dream choice. Sighing dramatically with defeat, Sammy slumps forward

“...fine. Since we have no other option. But again, if you’re lying to me-”

“Yeah yeah, damnation, vengeance, i get it- let’s just get this over with so I can meet up with my friend. I have hope for him this time...”

Bendy shakes his head at him, tsking audibly

“I wouldn’t, but… whatever suits you old man”

Henry furrows his brow, not liking Bendy’s negative attitude towards Boris’ fate. Arguing with him would be rather pointless however, especially when they now had to somehow provoke the Ink demon and get away…

Looking up at the speakers now, Henry sighs softly

“Well… time to anger your ‘lord’ again…”

Henry couldn’t see behind Sammy’s mask, but deep down he knew the music director was making a face of disdain.

Chapter Text

Now sitting around the small table in the safehouse, there were four faces silently and very awkwardly staring between one another. It was difficult for any of them to find what to say, especially Boris, who couldn’t speak anyways. Currently, Henry, Sammy, and Bendy were disheveled due to a short but violent chase from a very upset Ink demon. Apparently becoming allied with his ‘prophet’ only made him much angrier for some odd reason. Either way, Boris hadn’t been expect so many of them, and nearly ran away at their first meeting.

Speaking of, Henry glances to said wolf who merely stares back at him. Heaving a sigh, Henry lays his head on the table while folding his arms over it

“Look… I know it’s a little awkward for everyone, but this is what we’re being dealt. Can we just… not make it so awkward?”

The continuing silence suggested otherwise.

Henry keeps his head down as he goes over the events than had transpired in his mind again; It all started when they decided to provoke the demon like Sammy had many times before, but this time, it was much worse. Not having something to attack and gnaw on, the Ink demon seemed angrier than usual when chasing them; it had even let out a sound Henry felt his skin prickle at the mere thought of. Also, it had made the music director scream rather comically thinking back on it.

Aside from that, it had been truly terrifying as the three of them had to book it while avoiding ink, wood boards, and angry searchers- all while the Ink demon was right behind them. The sound of his clawing was still clear in Henry’s mind. To make it all worse, Henry also had to carry both Bendy and Sammy, because neither of them wanted to touch the ink for fear of being pulled in. That, he thinks, was definitely worse than it had been before.

Then there was Boris, who upon reaching their usual meeting point had gotten so startled and scared of Sammy and Bendy, it had taken what felt like an hour to convince him they weren’t evil and going to hurt him. Henry wondered if it was more over Bendy than anything, who happened to be a less scary version of the Ink demon that Boris clearly feared more than anything.

Either way, they had at least gotten to the safehouse, but since have been awkwardly waiting for someone to suggest what would happen next. Naturally, all eyes fell on Henry, but for once he couldn’t suggest anything other than a shrug which had resulted in the now rather awkward staring contest. What Henry wouldn’t give for someone to break the tangible awkwardness…

“So… how’s it goin’ Boris?”

Bendy, attempting to say anything, just made it feel worse. Henry slowly looks up to Boris now, who was looking the demon in the eye silently from the outside. However, there was something strange about his demeanor; without speaking audibly, Boris managed to convey quite a bit just by looking at someone...

‘How’s it ‘goin’? I’ve been running and hiding from a REALLY scary messed up /you/, and all you have to ask is ‘how’s it goin’’?! … …. ... well, I guess it could be worse actually; thanks for asking’

Bendy snorts, standing up in his chair now smiling at Boris

“See? That’s what we all need; some humor! Nothin’ like a sense of humor ta lighten a tough crowd!”

Sammy and Henry look at one another, in what Henry assumes was intended to be a shared look of mutual disagreement about the situation. Or, perhaps confusion, because it was possible Sammy couldn’t understand Boris at all. Then again, with a face both covered in a Bendy mask and made of ink… who knew what the guy was thinking. 

Henry sits upright then, deciding to speak himself

“Alright; it’s clear that things are… unusual to say the least, but we’re all here to work together. I know you don’t typically feel so comfortable with strangers Boris-”

“Hey! Boris knows me! Who doesn’t know lil ol’ me?”

“-but they’re going to help us. Right now though… I think I need another break. We should stay here for a bit and get our bearings- things aren’t quite right, and i’d like some time to think on it. And while we’re at it, maybe even sleep on it… I think I’m going to take a nap. If you can help it… please don’t wake me unless someone is dying, about to die, or the Ink demon is here.”

Henry really wanted to take a small moment to himself as all the new additions were making him a bit anxious, not to mention what it could mean. So many things were plaguing him, like where Bendy came from and why now? A moment alone would help him try and think it out… plus, he got tired rather easily.

Sammy holds out a hand as Henry starts getting up however, exclaiming,

“WAIT!! Y-you’re just leaving me to sit here with a mute wolf and cartoon demon?! What am I supposed to do??”

“Well, for one thing, I figured you love Bendy so much you’d love spending time watching him for me. And Boris is good company; he’ll listen to anything you say, play some games, and keep you from feeling lonely. As for something to do… I guess anything you can in here, but quietly. I’d suggest using Joey’s book to try and find more answers maybe...”

As Henry starts heading for the bedroom area, he hears Sammy stuttering behind him;

“B-but- Henry, wait- Henry!-”

Before letting Sammy continue, Henry shuts the door, heaving another sigh to himself; this time, he was glad for a moment of respite alone. He could still hear Bendy’s muffled laughter however as the demon was clearly going to torment the poor music director whom Henry almost felt sorry for despite their shaky past conflict... Almost.

 Moving over to the cot that they had for a bed, he settles down slowly with a grunt as his body ached; whether from age or exhaustion, he wasn’t sure. All he did know was things were likely going to be much harder with this run of the loop… if it could be called that. He wasn’t sure if it would just repeat on itself again, or if something was going to be different… if they were lucky, they’d hopefully even be freed this time.

Closing his eyes now, Henry listens to the quiet murmured speech between the musical voice of Sammy and higher pitched cartoon one of Bendy, nearly muted by the clicking of the clock on the wall. Listening to the almost metronome rhythm of the clicks, Henry feels himself falling slowly into sleep; a darkness that wasn’t as harsh as the ink thankfully.

-

A smiling woman in front of a house... she seemed so happy, but her face was blurred out… who was she? Why does she bring strong feelings of warmth, yet such a cold sadness? An echo of children’s laughter behind her brings an even deeper ache, almost incomparable to anything…

A blink, and there’s a desk covered in papers with all kinds of sketches and lines. They’re all so dynamic, so fresh, and full of love… he could feel a sense of pride and passion, and faith it would be something big. Something that would change his life. But his pen is falling… where was it going?

Reaching for the pen, his hands pass through a black cold veil; nothing is visible. Walking forward, there was whispering… so many voices, but where were they? Where did they go? Didn’t this place used to be full of life? Distantly, a light slowly comes closer.

The light reveals a room, and a machine shining ominously with some dormant power nobody really understood. A man was smiling at him, the words ‘welcome home’ coming from him, yet his mouth didn’t move; nor does he. Suddenly, a force was pulling him towards the machine.

Panic taking over, everything else was numb; the machine’s receiving end gaped like an endless void, threatening and breathing inward, forcing him closer. No chance to escape, he can’t move away from it- it was his fate.

Falling, pulling, crushing, so much force there’s no ability to breathe; muffled cries of fear, pain, and desperation were lost as everything forced forward. The force became so great, it seemed everything would cease to exist before a cold darkness fills everything. Then…

...nothing. Silence, cold, quiet.

It was almost peaceful, a lot like the silent embrace of death… but it didn’t last.

Bursts of screams, cries, and voices flooded from everywhere taking over; it was too much. The need to escape was overwhelming. Clawing viciously, he tried to get away; why were they here? Why was this happening? Where was here?

Suddenly, he takes a breath in as his eyes opened to the studio. A voice echoes once more, but from his own mouth he can no longer control:

“Alright, Joey. I'm here. Let's see if we can find what you wanted me to see."

-

Eyes snapping open, Henry felt himself shiver for a moment as his heart beats hard and fast; he’d been dreaming. It had been another nightmare that felt so real yet not at the same time… thankfully, it wasn’t. At least, as far as he could tell. Half of the time it felt like Henry was trying to remember something, but as always, it was just out of reach. Were his dreams part of his subconscious trying to remember something?

No matter what he’d tried, he never seemed to grasp more than shadows of his past here; whatever he’d once known was drifting further from him the longer he stayed in the studio. On the one hand, it was unsettling and worrying, but on the other… well, it’d help him move on perhaps?

Puffing a breath, Henry simply lays in silence trying to assess what he’d dreamt. That is, until he notices a warm weight on his chest…

Glancing downward, he finds Bendy was partially curled and clutching on to him, fast asleep by the looks of it. The sight, though a bit odd at first, was strangely endearing; perhaps it was sign of trust from the little demon? 

The thought that his own creation not only seemed to like his company, but didn’t want to hurt him like the Ink demon gave Henry a strange sense of comfort. The last thing he’d expected was for Bendy to seek him out after growing tired, but it made Henry wonder just how much time had passed since he’d fallen asleep for that to happen… especially when Bendy seemed to be a ball of energy. 

Gently wrapping his arms around him now regardless, Henry closes his eyes again, simply breathing and listening to the clicking of the clock in an attempt to stop his heart from racing. 

Focusing on his senses, Henry notes he can feel the little demon breathing on his chest… yet, he didn’t seem to have a heartbeat of his own. He wondered if it meant anything significant- was it simply a demon thing, or was he that small? Alice had clearly proven Boris had a heart… so why didn’t Bendy seem to? The little demon was still warm and breathing, so he was alive… just... missing a heart? What was he?

So far, Bendy had proven to be nothing like the Ink demon, who was full of hatred and malice- instead, he was helpful, worried, and empathetic. It was as if the two were true polar opposites, making Henry wonder where the little demon curled up on his chest even came from… 

Re-opening his eyes slowly, Henry looks down on him once more as he ponders about the sleeping demon. A more obvious question he should’ve asked sooner crept into his mind then- why on Earth was he sleeping on him? 

Making a face of utter confusion now, Henry glances around the room for a moment before settling his attention back on Bendy, wondering if Sammy had wanted to get the demon away from him and sent him off… or, perhaps it was the other way around? Maybe even Boris had something to do with it? 

Either way, Henry decides it wouldn’t be worth fussing or worrying over; it might as well happen at this point, considering everything else that already had… than, and he wanted to sleep a bit more. His body was still being weighed down with exhaustion (aside from Bendy’s weight), meaning he either hadn’t slept much since this predicament, or he hadn’t slept well. 

Closing his eyes one more time with a deep breath, Henry lets the darkness of sleep settle over him again. It was a lot like sinking into the ink, but in a less scary and more pleasant way.

-

“...There is no escape. This purgatory Hell will keep us trapped for eternity. It is what he wants… and he is the one holding the key. The key to the machine- the very key that induced our suffering, and ever yet still does. There’s only one way in… and no way out. His efforts are futile. He will fail, and ultimately when he does…

...he will fall. You both will. You know this.” 

Confusion settled over Henry, who wasn’t sure who was speaking; the voice was deep and distorted, easily described in one word: demonic. It certainly wasn’t his, but it seemed to be coming from him?

His vision was obscured and in black and white grain- almost like an old cartoon’s lens that made it difficult to see anything. Yet, he could make out an ink flooded hall that he was lurching through with an almost struggling limp, its walls coated in equally thick ink reflecting dim light. He could feel himself moving forward, trudging through it with a struggle and a cold determination. Yet somehow… it wasn’t him doing it, nor his feelings and thoughts. What was happening?

Pushing further, he feels his legs free up from the ink with a splash and heavy step onto the solid floor… yet his left leg seemed to stick to it, melting against it almost. Looking down for a moment, Henry catches a glimpse of what looked like a deformed inky limb that most certainly was not his. This was only further confirmed as he feels his body turn to a nearby window in which the reflection staring back was none other than the twitching, menacing smile of the Ink demon. Shakily holding himself before the image, the sight made Henry’s blood turn to ice.

“You cannot run forever, and you cannot hide. There is no escaping this wheel, as we run it time and time again… we all will go through it no matter what you do. It is simply how it is, and ever shall be…”

Reaching an inky right hand out to the window, Henry feels the palm press firmly against the glass with a solid pressure. As it slides down, the inky hand reveals a startled and very scared looking face Henry realizes was his own staring back now, blinking and unable to move with the Ink demon’s reflection looming as if he were physically behind him

“You cannot shelter him forever… he will find out the truth sooner or later. Then we will find you both. And when we do… well, I don’t believe I need explain that part. As for /you/... I do believe you are aware of the phrase ‘wandering is a terrible sin’? I wouldn’t stray this far for too long if I were you… Henry”

-

Gasping with a start once more, Henry sat up without hesitation, clutching a hand to his chest feeling his heart racing again as if he’d never calmed down in the first place. Slowly, he moves his hand up over his face to his head and into his hair, staring at the wall before him. He then blinks and realizes an equally startled looking Bendy was staring from the side at him, no longer on him or the cot, shaking visibly. Clenching a handful of hair for a moment, Henry closes his eyes trying to calm himself before letting go and turning to address Bendy

“I think I just… had a nightmare. I don’t really know-”

“I’m sorry”

Henry blinks again, staring at the demon who now looked to be on the verge of tears.

“...Sorry? What?- You didn’t do anything-”

“I didn’t mean to! I-I didn’t want to, I just- I’m sorry, I don’t know how or why…”

“Woah woah woah, slow down bud; what’s going on?”

Henry turns himself fully now so that his legs were over the side of the small cot, leaning forward so he can gently hold the demon by his shoulders and look him in the eye

“Calm down; we’re okay. It’s alright.”

“It’s not okay! He’s gonna find us! All because ‘a me!”

Frowning, Henry pulls Bendy into a tight hug as the little demon shakes, clinging back in return and crying. Gently comforting him, Henry tries to get him to calm down enough to speak properly; if they really were in danger, he needed to know right away

“Bendy, listen to me… I need to know what’s going on, because if something’s wrong I need to know. What happened?”

Wiping his eyes now and frowning at the floor, Bendy was silent for a moment before he sniffs and looks up at Henry again

“I-I… I accidentally c-connected you… to him. I-I didn’t think I could...”

“Wait- You connected me to the Ink Demon???”

Bendy looked ready to burst into more tears, so Henry forcefully keeps his composure, pushing down the shock and fear

“Okay; we can discuss that later, but right now, does he know where we are?”

Bendy nods, rubbing his eyes more

“H-he saw. Through my eyes. I didn’t mean to, but I couldn’t stop him…”

Picking up Bendy into his arms now, Henry grabs up the bone next to the chest before promptly shoving the door open to the main room where he finds Boris and Sammy both standing and clutching the chairs they had been sitting in. The room was already shaking as the Ink demon’s shadows crept over the walls, the frightened music director piping up rather shrilly;

“WHAT’S HAPPENING?! HOW DID HE FIND US?! WHAT DO WE DO?!-”

“No time to explain right now; Ink demon’s coming, we have to move! This has never happened before so I don’t know what to expect, but we have to go!”

Boris was already bolting for the door with the lever, this time not waiting for some soup before jamming it back on and looking to Henry who nods before thrusting open the door. Turning, Henry addresses the frightened music director;

“Sammy, grab whatever you need because we’re not coming back. Boris, here;”

He tosses the bone, which Boris catches in his mouth happily despite the circumstances before all four of them rush off into the darkness ahead, Henry snatching the lamp to guide them along the way through the maze of rooms. Hopefully, he thinks, the Ink demon would be too busy searching the previous area and potentially getting lost to find them right away giving them enough time to escape. Or, at the very least, enough time to find a miracle station further away that he prayed the four could all fit into; finding one at all in this situation would be its own miracle, however.

Finally getting out of the cramped darkened halls to the dead end door, Henry hands the lamp to Boris before holding up a hand to keep them all quiet. Silently listening, he could feel his blood rushing with the sound of his heart beat making it difficult to tell if the Ink demon is nearby. After what felt like an agonizing silent eternity of a few minutes however, there was no sign of the Ink demon chasing them; in response, Henry exhales with some relief.

“Okay… I think we’re away from him for now, but we can’t stay put in any one spot for too long. At least not until we find somewhere else we can hide...”

Sammy was attempting to open the locked door, tsking at him

“Well, this door is locked; what’s the plan now, mr.’all knowing’?”

“Boris, could you help out?”

The quiet wolf nods, first giving a nervous glance in the direction they’d come from before surprising Henry with a small hug (accidentally hugging Bendy in the process who squirms with a small ‘Hey!’), then heading for the vent. Watching him crawl into it, Sammy puts a hand on one hip shaking his head

“I wouldn’t go into a dark cramped place like that even if you paid me...”

Henry sighs, shaking his head

“Thankfully, we just have to wait here a moment…”

Looking to Bendy in his arms now, Henry figured it was as good a time as ever to get some answers.

“Bendy… what happened? You said you connected me to him… but how? Can you explain?”

Sammy turns his interest to them now, seemingly curious on the subject as well. Bendy blinks in return at Henry before frowning and looking down, looking surprisingly ashamed about the incident.

“Well… I guess I shoulda told ya, but… I can kinda talk to him. Sorta.”

Sammy gets in both of their faces then, apparently having no manners about personal space anymore

“Talk? To whom, the Ink demon?? You can speak with our lord?”

Henry pats a hand to the masked face of the music director, pushing him away with a stiff shove into the door (making Sammy grunt and curse a little) before continuing to talk to Bendy

“What do you mean sort of talk to him?”

“Well, I can like… get into his head kinda? An’ talk ta him like that? He can do the same ta me, but only sometimes... It’s like an awkward soulmate thing, but with your worst enemy an’ no friendship”

Sammy interjects yet again, much to Henry’s irritation

“So you can connect to our lord and talk to him telepathically, and he can do the same to you??”

Bendy sighs, shrugging

“Yeah, but again, only sometimes. When he does though, he can see me, an’ like... find out where I am”

He sheepishly smiles at Sammy still holding the shrug as the music director stood there with his upper half slumped forward in disbelief.

“So you mean we had to run because you had a nice chat that nearly dragged our angry lord to our doorstep…”

“Weeeellll, more like I did drag him to the door… ‘cause he really was there.”

Almost on cue, Henry hears the locked door next to them start clicking and opening, all of their attention turning as it slides open. Henry glances at the other two then;

“Alright. Let’s walk and talk- the sooner we find a new safe house, the better...”

As Henry starts walking with Bendy in his arms still, Sammy stayed next to them, seemingly not keen on being alone after everything they’d seen so far. Henry however simple continued talking;

“So, Bendy... you can connect to the Ink demon sometimes, like when you’re asleep… and then he can see you and where you are through your eyes? But you can do the same to him? 

Looking up at him from his arms, the little demon frowns

“Yeah, that’s pretty much it.”

Henry furrows his brow a bit at that, glancing back for a moment

“But that doesn’t answer my original question... How… how come /I/ was in his head??”

Sammy turns to Henry at that, looking like a very offended wealthy man whose shoe had just been stepped on

“/Excuse/ me?! You /WHAT/?!”

Bendy slumps on Henry now, whining a bit

“That’s what I was apologizin’ fer earlier... When I was sleepin’ on ya, I guess I kinda maybe… dragged ya in with me. He didn’t like that… an’ now he probably knows everythin’ you do”

Sammy, now in silent disbelief, was making exasperated gestures at Henry that Henry wasn’t sure were random or offensive; either way, he ignores while continuing to speak to Bendy

“So… you accidentally put me in the Ink demon’s head, but he read all of my thoughts?… As in, he knows everything I always do in the repeated loop, and can now easily read and counter my moves?... that’s bad.”

“Yeah… it’s pretty bad”

“This is really bad.”

Sammy stopped walking then, Henry accidentally bumping into him with a grunt; about to question him, Henry follows his gaze to the massive room they now stood in that was heavenly toys. Silently walking up on Henry’s other side, Boris was now looking up with them, making it all four now standing and staring at the sign. Shrugging slightly, Henry sighs

“Well, hopefully despite knowing what I know, the Ink demon won’t be able to counter us too badly... Though, something tells me he might not. It seemed like he already knew the script… so if he was going to, maybe he would’ve already done so?...”

Sammy glances to him now, confused at his lack of comment on the room itself or anything else

“There’s a giant toy factory I don’t remember at all, and you’re still blubbering about ‘scripts’? Sure, this isn’t weird at all! Nothing strange about it! I’m just having a staring contest with a giant stuffed Boris.”

The music director walks away as he continues listing complaints, his voice thankfully trailing off as he starts fiddling with the many different Bendy cut outs, organizing them now. Henry watches Boris walk onward as well, almost as if he knew there wasn’t anything else they could do anyways. Sighing, Henry follows after now, walking past Sammy (who after organizing a choir of Bendy cut outs) had flopped into the lap of a giant Bendy plush, sinking into it with a pleased sigh.

“I wish we could keep this”

Henry makes a face at the thought of dragging the oversized Bendy with them

“I don’t.”

Bendy suddenly squeezes from Henry’s arms then, a comical ‘pop’ sound coming from him once he’s free, making Henry stop in his tracks. Turning, he watches the demon run over to the plush, throwing himself onto it and nearly knocking Sammy off in the process. Shaking his head, Henry walks over before looking down on them

“We really don’t have the time to be messing around, especially with what you’ve told me- weren’t you also the one pushing in a hurry to get somewhere?...”

Bendy frowns, pouting now

“Man, why’re ya always all gloomy ‘n serious? Sure, I wanted ta rush things earlier but now i’m not even sure what we’re supposed ta be doin’ ta get out! Why rush inta the unknown?...”

Henry looks surprised for a moment at the response, frowning himself now

“You just told me it was really bad that the Ink demon was in my head, and now you’re reluctant to do anything about it?”

Bendy’s pout turns into genuine guilt then as he slumps more, sinking further into the lap of the plush

“I just… don’t like thinkin’ ‘bout it. Yeah, the Ink demon knows some of yer thoughts ‘n all… but yer right about one thing- he ain’t even allowed ta do anything ‘bout it. I told ya, it’s complicated”

Sammy was silently questioning Bendy’s words, clearly wanting to know more as much as Henry, who now steps forward and crouches in front of him

“Alright... if you don’t want to move on, we can sit here and talk about this then. What do you know, and why aren’t you telling us? Why aren’t you telling me? You can trust me… can’t you?”

Bendy shoves his face into the plush then, letting out a loud ‘UUUUUUUUUGh’ muffled into it before he speaks into it, still muffled

“Y’know what, I changed my mind- let’s keep goin’! I’m sure they’re waitin’ fer us, Boris probably is, so let’s go-”

“Come on Bendy, just tell me… it can’t be that bad-”

“No.”

“Bendy-”

Now climbing up and behind the plush, Bendy peers down at Henry

“No!”

“Bendy!”

While trying to get him down to make him talk, Henry could see Sammy pulling out his book again from the corner of his eye, the music director tabbing through pages trying to find something. 

Struggling to climb and get the rather squirrely demon, Henry slips and falls onto the lap of the plush with a grunt, glaring up at Bendy who sticks his tongue out from on top of his own big stuffed head. Next to him, Sammy speaks up, distracting him from Bendy

“Ah-hah! Here; I thought I had read something similar to what you experienced… I just couldn’t believe it was you and not me- especially considering you have no belief…really, it’s not fair.”

“Yeah yeah, please spare me the worship stuff; what did you read?”

Holding the book in front of Henry now, Bendy leans over the plush’s head from above  to look as well while Sammy gestures to drawings of the Ink demon

“Here: Joey mentions something about observing the Ink demon’s vision being poor when he was first born from the ink machine. He found that the Ink demon was able to see better and navigate around by using other’s vision somehow... the only drawback, however, was he often scarred the employees in the process…”

Holding the book and looking at the drawings, Henry furrows his brow in thought

“Scarred? Like how?”

He looks back to Sammy, who continues;

“Joey made some note about the Ink demon getting into their minds, using their vision or something… whatever happened in the process left several employees mentally unstable and rather upset about the incident. Not sure why or how, as he didn’t go into detail…”

Henry recalls the vivid feelings of cold fear, and can imagine why they’d reacted so poorly. Sighing, he hands the book back;

“But this doesn’t explain why Bendy connected us, or how that’s happening… is it just something he can do?”

Sammy shrugs, snapping the book shut

“I suppose so... our lord is of many talents”

Henry gets up, not wanting to listen to him babble more; he also figured that trying to hound information out of Bendy wouldn’t be happening either, considering his current reaction. Whatever he was reluctant to share, it was going to stay that way for a while whether Henry liked it or not. 

Before moving on however, Henry gets a chill that pauses him; the shadows of the Ink demon had started to creep from the way they had come. Additionally, the tell-tale heartbeat echoed ominously from the dark- the Ink demon had caught up to them. Internally cursing and remembering his own warning of not lingering, Henry yanks Sammy to his feet without hesitation, pushing him towards the nearest miracle station

“Quickly, move- We have to get into the miracle station!”

“The what?!”

“No time to explain, just move it!”

From above, Bendy hops down right onto Henry’s back nearly knocking him over, but he recovers and runs with Sammy over to a frightened Boris whom Henry also grabs, pulling with them. Behind, he can hear the heartbeat getting louder as the clearly angry demon was getting ever closer. Rushing for the station, Henry can already tell how unpleasant it was going to be; unfortunately they had no other option. Opening the door, he pushes Boris and Sammy towards it, but the music director puts his arms out stopping them;

“ABSOLUTELY NOT! That is DISGUSTING, and he will KILL ALL OF US! What part of packing into a- a- a TOILET is going to save us?! I re-FUSE to-”

Henry backs up before body slamming him into the station, making Boris yelp and Sammy briefly scream before the door is yanked shut, all four of them squished roughly into the small space. He wanted to apologize to Boris (not being as sorry for Sammy), but the Ink demon was stalking up to the station, freezing them all in silence. Bendy, Henry could feel, was shaking again and trying to squeeze further out of view as the Ink demon passes right before the station.

The Ink demon stopped right in front of the door then, making Henry nervous that he’d defy the little rule of the station for once. Leaning closely, his disturbingly twitching smile nearly touched the wood before Boris growls threateningly at him; the Ink demon responds by slamming his hands against the door, the act startling everyone inside. Strangely though, it looked as if a vague golden shimmer kept him from actually touching the station.

The act regardless had silenced the growl as soon as it had started, and left them all sitting silently again as they practically held their breath.

Slowly, the Ink demon twitches again away from the station, his back now facing them. He starts to seemingly grow shorter, which Henry realizes was him sinking into the floor and away from them. Moving closer to peer out, Henry sees him lowering into an ink puddle before the demon’s head snaps to look at him last second, causing him to flinch and smack into the others. Finally, the demon had vanished into the puddle which shortly disappeared after.

Sighing with heavy relief once the demon was gone, Sammy grumbles from behind him, sounding rather squished as he complains

“For the love of our Ink lord… Let. Me. OUT”

Opening the door now, Henry almost fell to the floor as they all poured out of the cramped station, Bendy flopping onto the floor from his back with a grunt and staying face down for dramatic effect, while Sammy and Boris both rubbed their arms from having collided roughly. Sighing, Sammy glances towards Henry then;

“Okay… so your little… ‘miracle station’ stops him? Just like that?... I hate this place more and more. If I have to go into a dirty portable TOILET just to save myself every time, then I want nothing to do with this anymore!”

“Unfortunately, you’ve come too far; there’s no turning back now. And if you don’t hide in the stations, you’ll end up getting what was supposed to happen in the first place.”

Henry watches Sammy mutter more before he also points out to him,

“You know, for someone who worships and loves the Ink demon... you really don’t seem to like him.”

Sammy huffs, tapping a shoe impatiently at him

“It’s not that I don’t love and appreciate our lord- it’s simply that he’s not aware of my role as his shepard yet, and would mistaken me for a filthy sinner like you. Rightfully either way, I fear his wrath. Understood?”

Henry shakes his head, ready to find tape for Sammy’s mouth when Bendy sits up, looking like he was entranced by something.

“Hold on- both of you shut up. Do ya hear that??”

A long silent pause fills the air before Henry raises an eyebrow at him

“Okay… I give up. What’re we listening for?”

Bendy waves a hand at him angrily

“SHHH-SH-SH!! Listen!”

More silence, yet Henry still didn’t hear anything. About to say something, he pauses at the strange feeling of himself almost attuning to the environment as his hearing picks up a distant melody… humming. 

She was waiting.

Sammy and Boris however didn’t seem to know what they were trying to hear, so Henry explains

“Alice is waiting for us. C’mon… ‘it’s not polite to leave a lady waiting’.”

Sammy stared at Henry silently, not entirely understanding as he throws his arms up while starting to follow him

“Whatever you say, you crazy old sheep…”

The irony at being called crazy by Sammy made Henry almost snort as he heads into the toy room, Bendy scurrying past them

“Do ya think she’ll like me??”

Henry makes a face of concern thinking about Boris, looking down after him

“God, I hope not.”

Bendy sneers a little at that, sticking his tongue out

“Why?? ‘Cause yer jealous??”

Henry makes a face back, shaking his head

“Far from it. You won’t exactly be excited to meet her either when you see her…”

“Says you!!”

Henry felt a little bad for the demon who was expecting an entirely different Alice… Henry rather wished it was that Alice too. Hopefully this time with Sammy and Bendy to help Boris would be spared too, but there was only one way to find out…

Sighing heavily, Henry moves the toy racks out of the way having fixed the toy machine

“Let’s go meet our ‘angel’...”

Chapter Text

Walking very slowly into the room full of Alice paraphernalia, Henry wasn’t so eager to approach the glass as he knew full well what was going to happen. The others however seemed to be looking around curiously at the different Alice items, almost as if sightseeing in a museum. Henry thought how they wouldn’t be doing that again any time soon after their little meet-and-greet with the ‘lovely’ Alice herself, if she could really be counted as such. 

Regardless, Henry found it rather jarring to have them all here; this time he wouldn’t be alone for the sequence, which made him wonder how Alice would react. At the least perhaps it was just another cog loose in the wheel that might break the mundane repetition. The idea that simply having their presence was enough to change things was a pleasant thought.

The thought aside, they still had to deal with things in order for the time being it seemed. Nearby, Bendy was looking up at a cardboard cutout and currently tapping on it with a small ‘hmm’ before he bounces (quite literally) up to Henry, giving him a questioning look

“So, where is she? I heard her, I know she’s here… but I don’t see ‘er.”

“Oh trust me, you’ll be meeting her very soon… why don’t you go stand really close to that glass window over there?”

Bendy squinted skeptically at him now, putting his hands on his hips as he leaned forward while eyeing Henry

“...why? What’s the catch, huh?”

“Catch? No catch; it’s just how we move forward is all.”

Bendy didn’t look convinced, and neither did Boris and Sammy who were now both far from it as they could be by the door they’d entered from; smart. Henry couldn’t help but smile, walking up to the glass himself thinking he might as well get things moving since the others were rightfully cautious.

Henry glances to Bendy as the lights suddenly go out, the Demon blinking in the dark as the cheery music fills the room causing him to flinch a bit. Sammy, meanwhile, was muttering about the song despite having been the one who wrote it. 

Henry gestures at the glass, but Bendy still doesn’t get too close, giving him a look still; Henry had to give him credit for the rightful skepticism. Perhaps he was finally catching on to his games... or he could just tell the scenario wasn’t ideal. Henry shrugs, speaking to Bendy over the music

“Hey, if you really want to see her, the closer you are the better look you’ll get…”

Before Bendy can make up his mind however, the song came to its closing while Henry wasn’t facing the glass. 

Unfortunately, that was a big mistake. 

The moment she screamed and hit the glass, Henry had flailed violently before scrambling away as Bendy pinwheels, rolling backwards in fear. Both Sammy and Boris had flinched, and the glass shattering with pure blackness sends all four into an even more unfortunate panic

Henry grunts with a yell as something heavy landed on him, knocking out his breath for a moment before he shoves it away; nearby, he could hear feet skittering as if someone was running in place, unable to move before Sammy screams only to be followed by a loud slam and another yell he could tell was Bendy. 

Alice’s laughter quickly cut as she finally noticed the chaos unfolding in the dark, Boris howling in fear which only made Sammy scream again. Henry suddenly found himself hitting the floor as Bendy practically clawed up and over his back into the air for whatever reason.

Once the lights finally flickered back on, the room was revealed to be covered in destroyed Alice paraphernalia everywhere; the cardboard display and posters were torn to pieces in the panic, along with broken glass scattered everywhere. Henry holds up his arms, which had bits of glass in them now unfortunately thanks to being knocked to the floor. 

Slowly looking over to the others, Henry finds Sammy had gotten tangled in his own suspenders, Boris was cowering in a corner holding his arms over his head, and Bendy was cowering next to him… holding the cardboard Alice’s head over his own. 

He would be more upset about the mess, but the sheer ridiculousness of it suddenly struck him. Bursting into laughter, Henry couldn’t help himself despite his arms burning from the glass; how could he? They’d all essentially enacted a perfect cartoon skit, physical comedy and all. Sighing, Henry finally speaks up;

“Everyone alright?...”

Sammy finally freed himself, pulling a piece of poster from his inky shoulder

“We should be asking you that; not only did she scream at you personally, but your arms look terrible”

Bendy shakily lowers the Alice cutout’s head, blinking at Henry before he tosses it away entirely and runs over to him; apparently he got over things quickly.

“Are ya okay?? Does it hurt?? Aw Jeeze- I don’t know what ta do ‘bout glass, I’m really sorry- I didn’t mean to-”

Henry gently pats him on the head, making Bendy blink and go quiet before looking up at him and frowning. Henry calmly responds;

“It’s okay. It stings, but i’ll live. My injuries don’t usually last long anyways...”

Pulling some bits out, Henry winces while flicking them away, noting how they were drawing ink instead of blood as always. Strangely, any wounds he’d sustain always healed on their own as long as he gave them time. Bendy was still frowning at him however before holding out his hands towards Henry

“Gimme yer arms”

“Huh? What for?”

“Just gimme ‘em.”

Henry sighs, but obliges, holding his arms down to Bendy and wondering what he was up to. He watches Bendy take hold of them, wincing a little as the demon examined his wounds. 

On the other side of the room, Sammy was trying to bribe Boris from his corner with the bone he’d dropped in their mess. Henry almost didn’t notice Bendy was now muttering some words in another language under his breath at first, until he felt ink coldly creeping over his arms. Immediately snapping his attention forward again and pulling a bit, Henry felt a slight panic as the ink slithered over his forearms from Bendy’s palms

“B-Bendy, what’re you doing?! BENDY-”

His calls were ignored however, as the demon’s eyes were closed and he was intently focused elsewhere.

 Henry felt eyes on him from the other two as he tried to control his panic while the ink wrapped over his arms. Slowly, he felt it stop moving as it had finished wrapping over them; was this supposed to be a makeshift bandage or something? 

The theory was soon dashed however as Henry felt many multiple burning pricks in his skin from the glass starting to get sucked out by the ink, causing him to clench his teeth at the sharp pain. Before Henry could even shout, it was over as soon as it had begun. Bendy opens his eyes with a blink then, the ink pouring off Henry’s arms effortlessly with the glass bits tinkling to the floor with it.

Holding up his arms in awe, Henry looks over his now unmarred skin, rubbing his hands over them and feeling no pain. His gaze moves to meet Bendy’s now, both silently staring at one another before Bendy gives him a small smile with a shrug, looking rather modest about it. Feeling confused and a little taken aback, Henry struggles to question him;

“What… what did you just do?”

“I dunno? Guess I healed ya… I didn’t like the thought of ya bein’ in pain is all”

Henry looks at him for another moment before smiling a bit despite his baffled confusion

“Well… thanks, I suppose? It’s good to know you can heal others… but, uh... how did you do it?”

Bendy shrugs a bit, looking quite confused himself

“Still dunno; I just wanted to help, then I did it? I kind of blanked…”

Sammy was suddenly in both of their faces, seemingly keen on invading their personal space without warning. Inspecting Bendy, he holds up the demon’s hands while looking at them in confusion before he grabs and looks at Henry’s arms, receiving an unamused look from both.

“Incredible… our lord has gifted you with his blessing! Ah, praise be him; you’re very lucky Henry!”

Henry gently pushes him away, shaking his head

“Yeah, sure… ‘blessing’...”

He smiles at Bendy regardless, who smiles back before Boris suddenly grabs up all three of them in a big hug, making them all grunt in surprise. Henry struggles a bit as they’re crushed, Bendy kicking his legs in the air. Sammy pushes a bit, but can’t move very well while complaining;

“Boris, let us GO! We’ve been crammed up together enough times today already!”

Boris lets them go, but still seemed happy nonetheless which makes Henry smile; Bendy and Sammy on the other hand were grumbling a lot while Henry ruffles Boris’ ears, making him close his eyes happily.

“Thank you for that. Why don’t we go see what miss ‘Angel’ has to say about our rag-tag team…”

Bendy perked up at that, apparently remembering what they were there for

“Oh! I didn’t even get ta see her- let’s go! I wanna see Alice!”

Henry frowns now, feeling a bit bad again; she wasn’t at all like him and Boris, she was an ex employee- not his fancy cartoon girlfriend he was likely hoping for. The thought suddenly sunk in that these two were living toons trapped in a world that certainly wasn’t their own- in fact, it was a nightmare in comparison. He couldn’t imagine the constant discomfort and fear of being in another realm where anyone they recognized was either not who they seemed, or an unfortunate twisted monster… Except, in a way, Henry supposes he could quite a bit now that he thought about it. 

Suddenly, it seemed Henry and Bendy weren’t very different after all; they were in a rather similar situation as both of them had been taken to a horror world from their home, their friends were corrupted, murdered, and twisted, and their minds were heavily tormented and tampered with by Joey Drew’s inky Hell. Now Henry really felt bad about Bendy meeting ‘Alice’...

“...Yeah, uh... let’s go see her. Don’t get too excited though- she’s not exactly what you’re thinking of. She’s… not really good”

Bendy frowns a little, but shrugs before putting on a smile anyways;

“Well, might as well see for myself, eh? I bet I can charm her easily either way!”

Henry snorts, shaking his head at that; he really hoped she wouldn’t get weird about Bendy like she always did Boris… losing Boris every time was painful, but somehow, the thought of losing Bendy… that, Henry thinks, was not going to happen no matter what. 

Henry thinks how he defensively wanted to hold the little demon close to himself despite having known him for such a short period of time. Either Henry got attached too easily, or it was his long lasting fondness he’s always had for his creation; either way, he wasn’t going to let Alice hurt him. 

As they now came to the crossroads of the Angel and Demon sign, the four gazed at the two signs, Bendy looking deep in thought

“Demon or Angel?... Well i’m obviously a demon! But… that way is like, the bad way or something, right?”

Henry sighs, shaking his head 

“I’m not sure. I’ve tried both paths and they never actually change anything. Though the demon path takes us to Joey’s office, which is very flooded with ink… I don’t think any of you three want to walk through it.”

All three shake their heads in unison rather comically, making Henry grin a bit in amusement

“Right… then let’s go through the angel path.”

Heading in that direction, the sound of the other path shutting off makes Bendy jump slightly before he hurries over to Henry’s side, holding onto his arm now as they walk, making him smile even more. Funny enough, Bendy’s clingy habits didn’t bother him; instead, he found it rather endearing and somewhat comforting as he was typically alone.

“Don’t worry, there shouldn’t be too many more surprises from here… I think”

Just as Henry says ‘I think’, the Bendy cutout on cue pops from the corner startling him with a jump that makes the actual Bendy jump a good couple feet backwards himself with a sound not unlike a squeaky toy. Breathing a loud sigh, Henry gives the now amused Boris a countering unamused look; he had forgotten his wolfy friend typically liked to pull that prank. How he’d managed to slip ahead and pull it off so quickly, he wasn’t sure; perhaps cartoon humor gave them super abilities... Sammy, on the other hand, simply took the cutout from him and was now dusting it off

“This isn’t a toy you know! It’s an item of worship!”

Boris makes a face that doesn’t seem to agree, and Henry felt the same way; if Sammy was upset about them playing with one, then he really wasn’t going to enjoy what they were going to have to do for Alice later. 

While thinking, Henry hadn’t noticed that Bendy had walked back up to him until he felt a heavy tug on his arm that made him look down to the now very tired looking demon

“I can’t take all the scares back to back like this!... Can we take a break? I’m tired…”

Henry shakes his head with a frown, looking past everyone to the switch Boris usually stood by for the two-switch door

“Not yet. It’s not safe here; the ink demon can hear us easily in this spot. When we get to the outside of Alice’s chambers, we can- her area is generally safe.”

Bendy whines loudly and obnoxiously in response, dramatically clinging to Henry’s arm while slumping his full weight towards the floor nearly pulling Henry with him; flailing his other arm a bit for balance, he frowns more as Bendy whines again.

“I’m tiiiiiiiired! I wanna breaaaaaaak!”

Henry huffs, pulling his arm back up

“Whining isn’t going to help; it’s not safe here! Also, you’re an adult... you can handle going a bit further.”

Sammy huffs at Henry then, crossing his arms

“That’s no way to treat our lord! If he’s tired, you should carry him. In fact, /I/ can carry him!”

Bendy makes a bit of a face at the suggestion, clinging tighter to Henry’s arm now

“I think he’s right; /you/ should carry me!”

Henry hangs his head, heaving yet another sigh before he gives in and scoops up Bendy thinking how spoiled he was, and how he was only enabling and spoiling him further… it was likely he would in the future too. After all, he had to admit one thing; he created Bendy to be charming and cute, essentially hard to resist, and boy, was Henry bad at resisting. 

His thoughts are only proven further, because the moment Bendy was in his arms Henry could feel him clinging and getting snug, making him immediately forget he was irritated in the first place; it was much like getting a hug from a large, talkative cat.

“You know I can’t fight anything with you in my arms like this Bendy…”

“Hm? Why would ya need to fight?”

Before Henry can answer, Sammy yelped as a searcher had popped out of an ink puddle without warning, but was quickly dashed by the musician who had taken up a plank in defense. Henry rolls his head to look Bendy in the eye now, who stares blankly before slumping on him once more

“Okay, maybe those guys; but Sammy can handle it, right mr.prophet?”

“Of course, my lord! Anything to protect you!”

Bendy snorts, but Henry shakes his head looking to Boris

“You stay by that switch over there and wait for me to throw the other one... Sammy, follow me. There’s something else I want you to take care of for me…”

Sammy slumps, seeming highly unwilling at the suggestion

“Whaaat? Is it bad? Why did you have to put it like that…”

Sammy begrudgingly followed Henry, though Henry felt he wasn’t entirely against it as he’d at least be helping Bendy. He also thinks, however, that the music director was not going to be happy when he had to approach the Butcher Gang poster… it got Henry every time after all; who’s to say how the jumpy music director would react? In fact, he had no idea how Bendy would react either which concerned him as he realized he was holding him close range; Henry could only hope it wasn’t something painful and violent.

Sammy skeptically pauses halfway up to the poster, seemingly eyeing it despite still having the mask covering his face, glancing backwards to Henry and the now dozing Bendy

“So what thing did you need me to take care of, anyways? And where is it?”

Henry nods his head forward

“Just keep walking and you’ll find it”

Sammy, however, stayed put refusing to do so

“I’m not moving until you tell me what to expect. I hate you being so smug and knowing while the rest of us get the daylights scared out of us!”

Bendy opened his eyes again at that, nodding a bit in agreement

“Yeah, the ink guy’s right; ‘s not funny Henry…”

Henry grins a little despite it with a shrug

“...It’s pretty funny. You guys just need to lighten up; you’re always telling me to do so after all…”

Despite the jest, Henry actually was rather stiff and nervous thinking about the Ink demon returning at any moment. At this point, it seemed things would soon be quickly rolling off the rails and perhaps any previous rules would be out the window. This meant he wouldn’t know what to expect anymore, and he’d know real fear again, not being able to predict what horrors would occur like his first time here. 

The mere idea of the Ink demon calling off all bets and coming at him full force with fury seemed more terrifyingly possible the further they went, and it was making him somehow more nervous than eh already was. Sammy cut into his train of thought however by responding,

“Very funny… Just tell me, and i’ll get rid of it, okay? I’m not playing games with you… unless the lord wishes it, but so far, he’s simply agreed with me.”

Henry looks to Bendy who yawns, making both him and Sammy yawn in response after a moment ; boy, was he starting to feel it too.

“Fine, fine; here, take this first”

He pulls the gent pipe Boris had given him much earlier from his belt, now offering it to Sammy

“Don’t lose it, we’ll need it for later. When you approach that poster, a piper is going to burst out; whack him for us, would you?”

Sammy tilts his head, not understanding

“A... a what?”

Henry suddenly realized that Sammy had never been in these areas before; he’d only seen searchers and lost ones, but never the strangely mutilated butcher gang copies. Boy, he thinks, Sammy was going to be in for a really ‘good’ time then.

“Okay, so you know the butcher gang?”

Lifting his head again, Bendy briefly comments-

“Those guys are the worst! Low down dirty rotten little…”

-before he slumps his head back to Henry’s shoulder, closing his eyes as his words trail off into muttering. Henry gently runs a hand over Bendy’s head, making the little demon smile slightly, but Sammy was still standing there in confusion

“Yes, I know about them; they’re only the ugly antagonists I hated composing for. What of it?”

“Well, you see, there are copies of them like Boris and Bendy here in this place… only, none of them are uh… right. They’re all really messed up and scary looking, and they make terrifying noises. On top of that, they’re a lot harder to defeat than searchers.”

Sammy gestures with the pipe at the poster wildly then

“You want me to take on something like that when I don’t even know what to expect?! NO! You do it!”

Henry rolls his eyes, getting a bit tired of all the trade-offs, but he figures it’d be easier to just compromise for now.

“Here then, you hold this”

Without waiting for a response, Henry hoists Bendy from his arms into Sammy’s, who drops the pipe in turn to properly support his weight. Grabbing up the pipe, Henry looks over to them, Bendy giving him a pout

“You might want to back up… a lot. These guys move fast, and hurt pretty badly.”

At that, Sammy turned and hurried away back to the safer area where Boris was still waiting, Bendy pouting the whole way there. Distantly, Henry could hear Sammy murmuring praises and joy about holding his ‘savior’, though he knew his little ‘savior’ was likely not much in the mood for it.

Turning to the poster then, Henry huffs and puts on a more serious demeanor; these guys were tough, and even if he knew what to expect, it didn’t make it any easier to fight them. Henry not-so-fondly recalled several many times where he had been bested by the angry butcher gang clones he’d rather not repeat. Time to trip the trap, and hopefully get that piper down before he could do any real damage. 

Bracing himself, Henry approached the poster only to still get startled from the piper bursting out; it always got to him because the creature’s face and movements were incredibly unpleasant. Lashing the pipe at it now, Henry had to continuously back away while fighting; gritting his teeth, he hoped he wouldn’t end up dragging it all the way to them. Turning the corner, he gave one more hefty whack before the piper finally collapsed, gargling gibberish as it turned lifeless; that is, to say, if it really had any true life to begin with. Strangely enough, it seemed almost too easy this time… which concerned him.

Yet, Henry still felt a bit relieved thinking how it could be worse, when he hears Sammy speak up from behind him

“I’m glad I made you do it instead, that thing was DISGUSTING! What even is it, anyways?”

Frowning, Henry straightens himself

“I’m not entirely sure… they’re supposed to be clones of the butcher gang, but they’re… strange. I’m not sure if they were people before, or just ink…”

He looks over now, seeing both Bendy and Boris were frowning at the corpse, making Henry feel a bit bad; seeing things like this must’ve never been easy for them. Either way, they weren’t friends and had to be dealt with despite what they wanted; yet another unfortunate side effect of the ink machine’s curse.

“Alright, i’m gonna go flip the switch; then we can move on…”

However, before Henry can even turn around, Bendy had suddenly gripped poor sammy around the face causing him to stumble as the demon shouted;

“HENRY, LOOK OUT!”

Surprised and confused, Henry turns just in time to see that the Piper had sprung back up from the floor at him, receiving a hefty whack to the face for it from its pipe. The collision immediately made his vision black out, and the rusty metal smell from the pipe overwhelmed him for a moment causing him to fall flat on his back. 

Stunned and blinded, Henry couldn’t tell entirely what was happening as a weight crushed his chest hard, causing him to cough loudly which soundly weirdly echo-y in his own head. As fast as the weight had hit him though, it had suddenly vanished off of him with a lot of distant shouting.

Blinking a few times now, Henry’s vision cleared as he groans from the hit he’d taken, sitting up with a hand on the back of his head only to realize it felt… wet. Looking down, Henry sees ink soaking over him, making him panic for a moment until he realizes it hadn’t come from him. Confused, he stumbles to his feet getting grabbed and steadied by Boris, who he quietly thanked before looking around not seeing the Piper anywhere, nor Bendy or Sammy for that matter.

He looks to Boris, who whimpers and points to the hall Henry had dragged the Piper out of. Slowly walking that way with the wolf clinging to his back, Henry tentatively calls out;

“Bendy?... Sammy?... You guys okay?”

Turning the corner to the switch, he flinches and stops dead in his tracks at the sight before him. Sammy was standing aside with the pipe, looking as frozen as they were due to the same reason; Bendy had the Piper by the throat in his teeth, his gloved hands clawed and digging into its head and torso while Ink seemed to bleed from it heavily. That is, until Henry realizes, it was coming from Bendy instead whose eyes were obscured by it which made Henry really confused, nervous, and upset.

Pushing away from Boris, Henry runs over and yanks the Piper from Bendy without a fuss, tossing it carelessly aside making Boris jump out of the way to cling to Sammy instead who glanced at him. Henry then gripped Bendy by his shoulders, shaking him gently

“Bendy! Bendy, it’s okay; snap out of it! It’s gone now! We’re safe!”

The demon, however, remained silent with ink dripping from his frowning mouth before he starts to shake heavily and whine

“I told you I was tired… I-I couldn’t take any more scares…”

Henry blinks then before pulling Bendy into his arms tightly, hugging him close despite the ink. It didn’t matter if he got covered in it; Bendy was the most important thing to worry about.

“I know… i’m sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you… i’m alright, okay? Everything’s okay now…”

He gently rubs a hand over the little demon’s back to comfort him, and slowly he could see the ink stop dripping as Bendy seemed to re-solidify with a sniff, wiping it off his face now looking rather messy.

“I-I got scared- he was hurtin’ ya, an’ I didn’ know what to do, so I just kinda... snapped. I-I’m sorry, please don’t leave me behind- i’m not bad, I swear!”

Henry silences him with another squeeze, hushing him audibly as well

“It’s okay… you’re not evil at all. You defended me… that’s very brave of you. I would never leave you behind, okay?”

Bendy sniffs again, nodding and holding tightly to Henry in return now, who lifts him into his arms while standing and  turning to face the other two

“Let’s… move on and forget this happened. No point in waiting around for the ink demon to come see what all the noise was.” 

Sammy and Boris seemed to silently agree, as they return to what they were doing beforehand; Sammy lingers however, having some thought he doesn’t quite share with Henry who gives him a quizzical look.

“Everything alright?”

“Hm? Oh; yeah… I was just wondering about how your injuries seem to heal themselves. It’s funny, I feel I can almost recall a similar situation of someone hurting their head… but ah, memories are fleeting here, are they not?”

Henry blinks, watching the music director almost ominously walk away after that comment, wondering a bit himself. He was right; he seemed to always heal somehow, and bleed ink… Henry hoped it was just in his head however, and not something worse. As for the memories… Henry felt his own could be starting to fade more than they have, and he wasn’t sure what was worse; not being able to remember, or painfully remembering.

---

Having gotten through the door now and moving forward, Henry was now wondering if the elevator could safely move all of them. The alternative of fighting everything in the stairs however was not a tempting route, so he figured they might as well try. Even if they fell, it’d just be bypassing Alice to get to what was bound to happen anyways… right?

Heading for the doors, Henry glances down at Bendy who was struggling in his arms before letting him go. He almost felt disappointed to let him go, but it was better not hold a demon back he figured. 

Bendy, once free, had hurried away to look up at the elevator before making a bit of a face

“Is this thing even safe? I know I said I’m tired, an’ you want us to hurry up so we can get a break, but… this don’ look safe.”

Henry shrugs, stepping onto it with Boris, the two looking back at the other two who were reluctant

“It’s the best way to go unless you want to take the stairs and risk the ink demon finding us, and a lot more enemies. Not to mention ink floods…”

“Alright, alright! I get it; ’s not great, but neither is the other way.”

Bendy pouts now before holding out a foot to slowly press it down on the elevator floor, testing it as if somehow his little bit of weight would cause it to fall then and there. Henry decides to amuse himself, suddenly bouncing the elevator a bit as he jolts and goes ‘BOO!’. Immediately Bendy shrieked and bolted up onto poor unwitting Sammy’s head again, who flails and falls backwards to the floor with the demon wrapped around his face. Henry lets out a hearty laugh in response, Boris even smiling a bit as Bendy quivers both in anger and shock still holding onto Sammy who is struggling to sit up

“M-my lord, please- I can’t see, or move-”

“That was REAL rotten, Henry! REAL rotten!”

Henry wipes some tears from his eyes sighing and smiling back at the very grumpy Bendy

“I’m sorry, I had to; you’re like a cat that jumps at anything… it’s too good to pass up.”

Bendy still glares at him, finally releasing the relieved Sammy who gladly gets up dusting himself off as if it’d do any good. Stalking over to the elevator now, Bendy stays far from Henry as he can casting him dirty looks now and then while Sammy steps on, arms folded

“If this thing falls, at least I know i’ll survive; it’s the one knack of an inky ‘body’ I suppose…”

Henry shrugs once again, hitting the button for floor 9; that’s when Alice’s voice pops up, surprising him a bit- he’d almost forgotten her entirely because she’d been practically silent for once. Bendy’s bad mood seemed to melt into curiosity as she spoke, all of them looking up as if they’d be able to see her somewhere

“You’re quite the curious band, you know that? I’ve never seen anything quite like you… especially you, Henry…”

Bendy gave a questioning look at that

“Wait, how does she know your name?”

Henry blinks, staring blankly ahead now as the realization hits him; why hadn’t he asked that before? How did she know his name? How did she know anything that had been going on? Has she been watching this whole time somehow? The thought made him rather uncomfortable as she continued speaking

“And you… Oh, I’ve never seen something so… so beautifully perfect! I don’t know how such a gem could be in a place like this! Where did you come from? How did you get here? I’ve only ever seen the wretched ink demon, who clearly is more corrupt than the rest of us if you ask me...” 

Henry makes a face of disgust at her speech about Bendy, looking to the little demon who seemed surprised and unsure of how to respond. Henry wonders if she had seen his little break down over the Piper; maybe then she’d think otherwise. Bendy, however, simple was turning bashful and basking in her compliments regardless

“Heh-hee, little ol’ me? Well, it’s a long story but… I am pretty perfect, huh?”

Henry felt rather unamused now, which only gets worse as Sammy chimes in

“Yes, you certainly are! The most pure of us all-”

“Can you all please STOP? I can’t handle this…”

Bendy snickers at Henry now, giving him a snide look

“What, all the me love? C’mon Henry, jealousy looks bad on you…”

Alice continued then, drawing their attention back

“Yes, you’re perfect… and i’m oh-so curious to meet you. How would you and Henry like a date with an angel?”

Bendy gleamed then, looking far too excited which made Henry worry

“Done deal! Where do we go?”

“When you get down to level 9, simply follow the screams…”

At that, Bendy looked interested, giving Henry a curious look in turn now

“I think I like her already~”

“You shouldn’t. She’s not what you think, and full of more lies and manipulation than you.”

Bendy looked a bit deflated at Henry’s words, pouting once more

“Whaaaat? Isn’t there anything here that doesn’t have to be ruined?...”

Henry shakes his head as they near their floor

“Like you said, the fact she knows my name is weird enough; she’s possibly been spying on us, and watching this whole time… trust me,”

He looks to Boris with concern before looking past the elevator doors

“We can’t trust her.”

Bendy sighs then, waving a hand a bit before putting them both on his hips

“I know, I know… I was mostly jokin’ around; remember when we first met up? I said I’ve been watchin’ everything you’ve been doin’ around here… I know what happens”

Henry raises an eyebrow, assuming Sammy would have too with the way he turned to look down at Bendy before replying

“I forgot, because you’ve been acting like none of this is familiar at all…”

“That’s ‘cause it ain’t for me! I only watched, never been through it before! Not ta mention there’s a lot ta keep track of, ‘n I kinda forget stuff”

“Well, I guess that makes sense…”

Henry turns back to the door as the elevator clunks to a stop, withdrawing to let them out. In front of them was the path to Alice’s lair that Henry never really liked trudging into for several reasons, the main one being her in general. Approaching her ‘gate’ then and holding his hand on the door lever, Bendy stops him them as he calls out ‘Hey!’ from behind, making Henry turn to look at him

“What?”

“You said we could take a break here, yeah? Maybe… well, maybe we should.”

Henry blinks for a moment before he slowly releases the lever with a nod

“Yeah… yeah I think we should take a break. You two okay with that?”

Boris nods, and Sammy huffs a loud dramatic sigh with his arms still crossed

“I guessss… for our lord’s sake, I will be patient. Perhaps i’m not so eager to meet our angel friend myself anyways… I just have a feeling we won’t get along. I mean, look at this place; it’s tacky and grimy!”

Henry gives him a look as if he was out of his mind

“Uh… yeah. The entire studio is. That’s kind of the point of this place.”

Sammy shakes his head in disdain, tsking at Henry as he waves a finger now

“Not me! My music studio was cleaner, until you brought all those grimy searchers in all over my floor…”

Letting the music director go on his tangent, Henry decides to get comfortable now settling in a nearby corner, back propped to the wall with a grunt as he sinks down to the floor feeling achy and tired. He was certainly starting to remember his age a bit… and Bendy was helping that fact, as the demon flops backwards into his lap now with a pleased sigh getting cozy on him. Defeated and not feeling like protesting, Henry wraps his arms around Bendy while looking over to Sammy, who was curiously tapping on the device that would later give them tools for the little ‘errands’ they’d be running. In his arms, Bendy had his eyes closed already before mumbling to him;

“It’ll be different this time.”

Henry blinks, a bit caught off guard at that statement

“Huh? What’re you talking about-”

“We won’t let her take ‘im. There’s more of us now, an’ it’ll be different. If I can help it, that Angel won’t be gettin’ away with Boris anytime soon.”

Henry silently gazes down at Bendy who still has his eyes closed for a moment before opening them with a big grin back at him. Sighing, he smiles a little back at the demon

“You seem pretty convinced for someone who just said that out loud so she could probably hear…”

“Eh, we’re past that point anyways; you said all that stuff in the elevator! If she can hear what we’re sayin’, well, we’re already boned!”

Henry gives him a look then, knowing full well it was meant to be a pun off of Boris, who was chewing the bone he’d been given earlier rather noisily nearby. Bendy simply gives him an innocent grin in return before Henry ruffles his little head making Bendy fuss in response, giving him a dirty look now as Henry smiles.

“Yeah… I guess we would already be boned. Let’s try to un-bone this though, and keep things on a track that’ll hopefully lead to us getting out.”

Bendy snorts, settling into his arms again closing his eyes once more

“Yeah, we’ll do that… but please don’t say un-bone or any form of bone again please.”

Henry snorts himself this time, smiling as he watches Sammy coming over now, flopping down next to him

“Alright, no more boning.”

Sammy snaps his head to stare at Henry, looking rather taken aback at the out of context snippet of conversation.

“I beg your pardon?”

Henry continues smiling, not giving context to the poor music director who huffs and turns away to settle against the wall again.

“This place just gets weirder the further we go… how deep is this studio? It feels as if we’ll be going down forever…”

Henry frowns a little, looking off into the distance

“I suppose in a way we are, but maybe not this time… I hope.”

Sammy tilts his head in thought before patting Henry’s shoulder

“Well, hope is half the battle my friend; hold on to it, because it’s the only thing anyone has left in this place…”

Henry nods a bit, looking up as Boris decides to join them now, squeezing against Henry’s other side to get cozy while holding his bone so it doesn’t hit anyone in the face.

“Hey buddy, joining the cuddle-fest over here?”

Boris nods, happily hugging Henry from the side who rolls his eyes figuring this might as well happen. Sammy stares long and silently prompting Henry to look over at him slowly before Sammy gets defensive

“No, I don’t want to be part of it; stop looking at me.”

“I didn’t even say anything-”

“I said no.”

Henry blankly looks at him now before shaking his head and closing his own eyes now, the warmth from his two companions being more than enough to make him feel sleepy

“Wasn’t gonna offer, but I guess suit yourself… but I do have a question for you.”

“What?”

“Why’re you coming with us? I mean, at first it was to escape dying to the Ink demon, but now… well, you don’t really have to come with us.”

Sammy silently seems to mull it over before leaning back to respond

“Well, I suppose I want to see if you’re right. If we’ll get out of here, and go home…”

Henry opens his eyes then, frowning a bit as he looks at Sammy

“Yeah, but that’s mostly my goal. What about you? There has to be a real reason you’re doing this- and don’t say Bendy.”

Sammy stares at him through the mask, silent once more for a long moment before speaking again

“...I don’t know. I want to get out, and I want to see this through to the end- I want to follow our lord… but I don’t know really why. I suppose I feel there has to be something more. Something missing for me… and I want it back. I won’t know what it is until I find it though…”

He shrugs then, looking away as he continues speaking

“I suppose i’m just like most everyone else; searching. Trying to find myself… and be me again. And part of me thinks- no, knows there’s something important I’ve forgotten. Something I care about… and I have to keep going with you to find it. And I do hope I find it soon…”

He goes quiet again then, and Henry silently gazes at him a moment longer before nodding once more, looking away and closing his eyes

“Whatever it is, i’m sure we’ll find it some way or another. I won’t leave until everything is set right…”

With that, the group becomes quiet, silently existing in one another’s company without any disturbance for the time thankfully. After a while with most of them starting to doze, Henry feels a third warmth against his unoccupied shoulder causing him to chance a small glance. He finds Sammy leaning on his side now with his arms still crossed, having taken the unspoken offer after all. At the least it seemed the man didn’t hold anything against Henry, which made him glad; perhaps this time they wouldn’t have to axe fight with him dying as a result. Additionally, Henry now had full warmth around himself which was a comforting feeling better than anything he’d felt in a while and it easily lulled him to sleep…

Chapter Text

Someone was crying.

The sound fills everything, echoing and wrought with grief, pain, and distress; a sound so terrible it made Henry want to cry out himself in response, but he couldn’t feel himself at all.

Trying to find the source, he felt as if cold air was pulling him in like a vacuum while his vision blurred, speeding through darkened ink spattered hallways. Everything slowed down as he reached an unfamiliar room, the first ink machine on its floor poorly illuminated by a single dim flickering light.

Before him on the floor, Henry realizes, was the source of the crying; A small, melting Bendy trying to hold himself together. He was shaking, sobbing, and trying desperately to stop the ink pouring off of him, but to no avail. 

Henry felt as if his whole body had frozen cold suddenly, wanting nothing more than to call out and comfort the small demon, but he couldn’t move nor speak; only watch.

The dissolving Bendy looked up at him suddenly, the heart wrenching sounds becoming worse as he seems to stare him right in the eye, almost begging him for help. Henry struggles, still unable to find himself, but realizes Bendy wasn’t looking at him; he was looking through him, to someone else. Behind himself yet right in his ears, Henry hears a voice speak:

“I don’t understand. what went wrong?! I did everything right! And i’m left with… with this?”

Henry could feel the ice in his veins turn to heat as anger replaced his empathy. The suffering Bendy looked up with pleading watery eyes;

“P-please… help me! I-I don’t know what to do! I-I can’t stop it, I can’t…”

“You were supposed to be perfect! To be the face of the company! I can’t use this at all…”

The anger only deepened in Henry who resentfully recognized the voice despite not being able to turn and see who it belonged to. Bendy weeped harder as he gave up on trying to hold himself together, letting his body morph and fall apart now

“Please! I’m sorry! D-don’t abandon me, I don’t want to be alone!...”

“We’ll have to try again… this isn’t going to work-”

Without warning, Bendy’s sobs turned into heaves of breath as he started changing to Henry’s horror, as well as that of Joey behind him; but neither could move. They could only watch as the ink resurged around the poor demon, whose form began to twist and deform, turning into the all too familiar ink demon form he was cursed with. Rising now, he heaved shaky breaths, dripping ink still as his head hung eerily with his arms before him; Henry felt tense despite knowing he wasn’t physically in any danger.

“W-Well now, maybe.. Maybe I was a bit hasty-”

Bendy, in response, slowly lifted himself upright his frown twisting into a cruel smile that was devoid of any positive emotion, instead full of hatred- cold, and bitter despising hatred for the man before him. Henry could feel himself shiver as if it were being directed at him. Bendy slowly lifted his twisted left arm then before pointing a single finger accusingly, speaking with a hellish voice that made Henry want to run

“You never… cared. You never… wanted… to help me. You wanted to USE me. And now… I’ll use you”

Horrible laughter replaced what was the echoing crying, almost becoming too much as it became so loud Henry found himself trying to scream and fight it away.

-

Being shaken rather roughly, Henry snaps his eyes open before sitting upright as he’s startled awake out of what he realizes had been another nightmare. Starting to shiver hard, he wildly looks around trying to get his bearings before locking eyes with the music director’s mask staring down at him, holding his shoulders. Nearby, he notices Bendy and Boris clinging to one another, upset and visibly shaking themselves.

“Wh… what happened? Is everything okay?..”

Sammy huffs letting go of his shoulders with disbelief

“I should be asking you that! You were screaming so loud it woke everyone and gave us all near heart attacks! Whatever you were dreaming about, it must’ve been horrid to make you scream like you were being tortured to death!”

Henry blinks a few times, still feeling himself trembling as he does so; he hadn’t realized he had actually been screaming. Looking down now at his hands, he squeezes them tightly trying to regain control of his senses

“I… I just… it was a bad dream.”

Bendy lets go of Boris then cutting in

“Bad dream?! Try full blown NIGHTMARE! You were freakin’ out worse than i’d ever seen ya freak out! I-I thought you were dyin’ or somethin’!!”

Henry frowns, looking to him and Boris both before sighing anxiously

“I’m sorry… I didn’t mean to frighten you all like that. I’m alright, I promise…”

Bendy shakes his head as Sammy stands straight now, looking down as the demon walks up to Henry, clear upset and worry on his face

“Henry, you can talk to us y’know? We ain’t gonna use it to hurt ya or anythin’...”

Henry silently looks into the worried eyes of Bendy before he closes his own for a moment, quickly opening them again not wanting to risk anything

“I… dreamt about you.”

Bendy leans back a bit, blinking at that

“...Huh?”

“Well- not exactly you but… I saw… the first copy of Bendy. He was so upset, crying… I just wanted to help him because he was so scared- and he couldn’t stop melting into ink... it was horrible. I didn’t want to watch…”

Bendy looked a bit nervous at that, wringing his hands slightly

“Did… did ya see anythin’ else?”

“Yeah… You- I mean, he was just… crying for help. And Joey was there… He was being cruel and horrible, saying it didn’t work and he wouldn’t help. It made me mad, but I couldn’t do anything… and then…”

Henry runs a hand through his hair frowning at Bendy

“Well, the Bendy I saw turned into the ink demon. He was so angry, and wouldn’t stop laughing… it was hurting my head so I tried… screaming to drown it out. Guess, uh, it didn’t really work out since it was in my head…”

Henry looks to Bendy again, whose attention had turned to the floor now, visibly upset which made him worry.

“... are you alright?”

“Huh? Oh… yeah. It’s just… do you think he deserved it? That Bendy?”

“Deserved it? Absolutely not! If anything, his anger was justified. I feel it might’ve twisted him irreversibly though... it probably hurt him badly mentally and physically. If that’s what really happened, he might never be the same…”

Bendy frowns more at that, looking down once more as Sammy returned to kneeling in front of him

“An odd dream indeed… I wonder if you’re having visions from our lord? Could it be you’ve been chosen as a prophet?... As much as I wish the honor to be my own, you are the one who is receiving his blessings…”

“Blessings?! I wouldn’t call these nightmares dreams, no less blessings!”

Sammy tsks at him, shaking his head and waving a finger that makes Henry raise an eyebrow

“You’re only looking at it from a surface level; such naivety in the chosen! Don’t you see? He has chosen to share his own mind with you! His thoughts and memories, perhaps in a way to help you help him guide us to freedom!”

Sammy stood then, dramatically throwing his arms out

“Such is the way of the prophet! Assisting his lord, so that all may receive their blessings! You must decipher what he foretells you, and share it with the people!”

At this point, Henry felt incredibly lost and not quite up for Sammy’s religious talk, and from the faces being made by the other two, he figured they felt the same. Then again, Henry thinks, Sammy might have a point; if he was connecting intentionally or not with the Ink demon, the more he saw of its memories and thoughts perhaps the better he could understand what they were dealing with. And maybe, just maybe… he could help it. It seemed that perhaps the Ink demon wasn’t a cruel mindless creature, but someone who had been dealt a horrible hand against their will just like them. However, there was also the chance it was just nightmares and not connected at all to anything.

A voice over the speakers distracts him from his thoughts however as Alice’s impatient tone struck up from above;

“You wouldn’t want to leave a woman waiting too long for a date, would you? It’s terribly rude and poor-mannered…”

Henry remembered then they had stopped right outside her little ‘lair’, placing a palm over his face with a groan. He wasn’t quite up for her games either after his little sleep episode, but he knew they didn’t have much a choice; none of them could move forward without ‘appeasing the angel’.

“Alright… let’s go. I think we’ve spent enough time resting…”

Yet, it felt like he had hardly rested at all; and his aching body reflected as much. Either way, Henry still walked up to the doors below the Alice sign that now wrenched open on their own, sliding apart to let them through. As per usual, Boris went running ahead without warning, leaving the other three to slowly make their way down the hall. Bendy takes hold of Henry’s hand gently causing him to look down at the little demon, but he decides to say nothing when he notices how nervous he looked. Sammy, on the other hand, simply seemed annoyed over having to do anything lately; he was becoming impatient, and Henry wondered if there was a chance that would turn to anger…

As they enter the room of mangled corpses however, it seemed everyone’s demeanors had changed immediately; Henry felt himself become cool and distanced, familiar and used to the unfortunate sorrow of it all. Sammy seemed shocked, disgusted, as well as disturbed about it; supposedly there was some empathy still in him after all. Bendy meanwhile was looking up and over them with a clear frown, otherwise rather unreadable. Henry almost expected him to make another joke like he had with the first carved out Boris they’d seen, but somehow he felt something had changed in the little demon. 

Bendy only solidifies the theory as he finally speaks; 

“Wow… This is just… cruel. I mean, the Ink demon tears things apart like this, but never like this- he would just turn them back to ink… this is just… murder.”

Sammy tilts his head in confusion at Bendy

“Murder? Would you care to explain the difference?”

Bendy hops up on a rail precariously, making Henry nervous and almost reflexively grab him down

“Yeah! Ya see, creatures of the ink don’t really die so much as reset if ya dash ‘em… but if ya take parts of ‘em, carve ‘em up like this an’ just… display their bodies, they can’t really reform. It... almost kinda kills ‘em. She took parts of what made ‘em them an’ now…”

Bendy jumps to one of the Boris’ tables now, balancing on top of it and making Henry flinch and desperately want to get him back to safety

“...Now they’re gone.”

Bendy looked terribly stricken by his own words, almost if he were on the verge of tears. Sammy looks down in solidarity, and Henry holds out his arms to Bendy

“Please… get down, you’re making me really nervous”

Thankfully on his asking, Bendy gave a hefty leap straight into Henry’s arms; however, Henry nearly falls backwards into the ink by the force. Thankfully they were soon saved by Boris who grabbed and steadied him, having snapped out of his daze. It made Henry glad on two sides, as they hadn’t fallen and Boris was behaving differently which made him feel hopeful again. 

Looking down at Bendy in his arms quickly makes him solemn again though, as the little demon was in fact crying now.

“Hey… I’m sorry. I wish there was something we could do-”

“She took their souls.”

Henry was taken aback by that, glancing at the other two who had moved further ahead and didn’t catch it. Turning his attention back to Bendy, he questions:

“Souls? What do you mean?”

“The bits she said were perfect an useful; those bits made up their souls… that’s why they’re keepin’ her in one piece. Their life energy is expended to feed her failing one... “

Henry stares long and silent as Bendy buries his face into his chest now before wrapping his arms tighter around him, gently rubbing the back of his head in comfort now

“I… I had no idea. I’m really sorry… we’ll fix this, okay?”

Bendy shrugs a little, clinging to Henry silently now. Henry felt a bit conflicted himself over the provided information; what did he mean by souls exactly? And why did he know so much? The implication that souls were not only real but capable of being messed with made Henry feel rather uncomfortable. There was a lot of questions he suddenly had now he wanted answers to- more than usual.

However, he knew standing around the massacre wasn’t going to improve their moods regardless, so he moves to follow the others into the room where Alice was waiting behind glass as usual. Henry thinks how Bendy likely had no desire to get close to her after seeing the mess she’d made, as well as her earlier incident with the other glass. 

Alice, on the other hand, was eyeing Boris rather deviously until her attention turns to Henry then quickly snaps to Bendy, her eyes widening in excitement as her half rotted mouth twisted into a rather sickly grin

“Ah! We meet at last! I’ve been so looking forward to finally meeting you… come now; why don’t you come closer so we can speak eye to eye?”

Henry glares at her then, holding Bendy closer who doesn’t move or respond as he was still sulking.

“He doesn’t want to talk to you. Frankly, i’m not too thrilled either…”

Alice’s smile immediately melted into her own glare directed piercingly at Henry

“YOU don’t speak for him! You’re just a pathetic swine like the rest of the lot, don’t make me change my mind about sparing you”

Fanning herself with one hand then, she sighs heavily before flipping it through her hair trying to regain her composure

“Now then; Why don’t we get down to business? As you can see, it takes a lot of work to keep myself so prim and beautiful-”

Sammy cuts in however, crossing his arms at her

“Beautiful? Half of your face is rotted and disfigured, and the half that isn’t is being kept together with murderous botox. I don’t find that rather beautiful, if I may say so.”

She squints viciously at him now, her voice seething with hatred

“You may NOT say so! You think you’re better than ME?! You’re nothing but a- a hollow husk! A disgusting BLOB with no form, who hides behind a mask!”

It was Sammy’s turn then to be terribly offended, taking an aggressive stance as if he were preparing to break right through the glass to get at her. Henry almost wanted to drag a hand down his face, while Boris covered his eyes in fear; however everyone’s attention was drawn to the operation table with a Piper strapped to it as said Piper gurgled out some rather unpleasant laughter directed at them.

Alice and Sammy suddenly and simultaneously yell “SHUT UP!” which quickly silenced the now startled Piper, who Henry thinks just bought itself a one way ticket to hell. He glances at Bendy, but the demon hadn’t changed, still having his face buried and quietly clinging to him. Gently squeezing the demon in his arms, he frowns as the two pick up their argument with Sammy starting off again

“You may call me a blob but at least i’m not pretending to be someone i’m not-”

“Says the one with a mask on and delusions of grandeur.”

“DELUSIONS?! I will have you know I am the Ink demon’s beloved PROPHET-”

“You and I both know that’s a lie you tell yourself to feel special… while me, well…I am special~”

“The only thing special about you is your ability to single handedly make anyone you speak to realize what a wretch you are in five words or less”

“WHY YOU LITTLE-”

“ENOUGH!” 

Both of them go silent as Henry glares between the two, having grown tired of the bickering.

“No more, out of either of you, got it? We’re not here to fight; we just want to get out. Can you help us get out or not?”

Alice leans away from her podium then, crossing one arm while tentatively placing the other hand on her chin in thought

“Hmm… help you? Well, if you help me, there’s a chance… but I won’t be helping that rude abomination that claims to be a prophet”

“I am not-”

“Please?”

The room goes silent with surprise at that, even the Piper who lifted its head to look at Henry as if saying ‘whaaat?’. Henry felt a bit embarrassed now, keenly aware of all the attention on him; he never was very good at being under the spotlight.

“I just… we need him with us. And I won’t leave him behind… can you please look past it and let him come with us? He’ll help get what you need, I promise.”

Bendy finally looks up at Henry then, his expression worried

“Henry, you should never promise to an angel!”

But it was too late; Alice was smiling pleasantly again (as much as she could be), placing her hands rather smugly on her hips now as she gazed down upon them

“Very well… if he makes up for his slimy words with things I need, perhaps i’ll look past it… but at a price.”

“Oh boy… what price?”

Alice chuckles then, putting a hand over her mouth with glee

“I want your little masked friend to apologize to me!”

Sammy’s entire air drops as he slumps forward into a sulk, obviously not wanting to let go of his pride

“I will NOT-”

“You HAVE TO! Or you can say goodbye to your friends, because i’ll leave you to rot!”

Sammy looks to Henry and Bendy who both frown and shrug in unison at him before he looks to Boris who also shrugs before patting Sammy sympathetically on the head.

“Right… apologize… ugh.”

Sammy crosses his arms then, looking away from the still deviously gleeful angel

“I… apologize for having said things that were true and offended you.”

“That is NOT an apology! If you toy around i’ll come out and strangle you myself!”

Sammy huffs then, stamping a foot

“I shouldn’t have to! You’re vile, and a murderer! I’m a high-class musician who refuses to grovel!”

Alice looks ready to fight again making Henry cringe before she blinks and leans back, a curious look crossing her face

“Musician? Well-well… what was your name again? I might have a different use for you, actually…”

Sammy slowly drops his arms and leans away, seemingly a bit concerned at that

“Well, if you must know… I am the ever, wonderfully talented and great, Sammy Lawrence. I bet that’s more than you can say for yourself; I know my own name.”

Alice looked interested indeed, thankfully ignoring the insult he tacked on as she leans in a bit towards him now

“How odd… your name is very familiar. Yet, it strikes me with angry disgust more than anything… Ah well, i’ll put it aside just this once; How would you like to compose a song in my honor?”

Sammy silently stares at her for a moment before shaking his head and sighing, crossing his arms once more

“I hate writing music for others, but… I suppose it has been some time since I’ve composed something. Perhaps I could use the practice…”

Alice looks delighted at that then, much to Henry’s relief- as well as Boris and Bendy’s, he realizes.

“Excellent! Write me a beautiful song for me to sing in my honor, and i’ll gladly look past our little spat. As for the rest of everything… it’s time for you to get to work, my little errand boy- and entourage… Except for one thing!”

Having turned about to leave, Henry pauses and looks over to her again questioningly, not liking where this was going.

“One thing?”

“Yes. Leave him… I want to speak with him personally.”

Henry follows her gaze to Bendy, whose face looked like a physical ‘yikes!’ before looking right back to her

“Absolutely not! He stays with me, no question.”

Alice gives him an irritated and disappointed look in return

“Hm… Then before you leave, at least let me speak with him. I haven’t seen anything like him before… wouldn’t you want to talk to a darling angel, Bendy?”

Bendy’s ‘yikes’ face only worsens as he frantically looks around for an excuse, finding nothing but blank stares from the other two and a worried look from Henry

“U-uh… I don’t know english”

“...you just spoke it”

“U-UH,, NON. JE PARLE FRANCAIS”

“Mm, I speak French too if you’d like me too~”

Bendy gives Henry a helpless look, but for everything negative about the situation, he seriously couldn’t help it after that; Henry snorts. Immediately, Bendy looked betrayed which only made him laugh more and shake his head

“I’m sorry!  You’re just naturally funny, it’s in your nature!”

“Thanks, Henry! Some big help you are…”

“I’m sorry”

Henry chuckles with a smile still before looking to the rather unfazed Alice, who didn’t find it that funny.

“Right… fine; Maybe we can chat later then, as I just remembered right now I have business to conduct…”

As she’s about to hit the button to drop the shutters and ‘get to work’ on the poor Piper, Bendy reaches out in Henry’s arms shouting 

“WAAAAAIT! DON’T!”

Alice and Henry both looked rather surprised, enough that she stopped in her tracks hand hovering still

“I beg your pardon?”

Bendy struggles out of Henry’s arms then, who tries to grab him up again but fails as Bendy ducks his body while his head floats up out of his grasp; avoiding him, the little demon continues to run over to the glass much to Henry’s dismay

“Don’t- Don’t cut him open, please? I-I know he’s just another monster to you, but he’s not! There’s a soul bit in him!” 

Alice blinks a few times then, not quite understanding but looking fairly curious. By the doorway, Sammy and Boris were peering in again, curious about the hold up

“Wh… whatever do you mean by soul bit?”

Bendy walks over to the side the Piper is on then, putting his hands on the glass and frowning as the Piper struggles and gargles nonsense noises at him

“They got soul bits in ‘em from the ink… Probably from all the people who used ta work here. By cuttin’ ‘em open and takin’ those bits, yer killin’ ‘em! They can’t come back!”

Alice leans away from her console then, an eyebrow raised

“Well, isn’t that a good thing? They’re nothing but abominations that aren’t really alive-”

“NO!”

Alice blinks once more, looking a little annoyed at Bendy now, who looked desperate

“No?”

“They don’t deserve to die! They’re- they’re just confused!”

Bendy slowly looks back to the Piper now, almost on the verge of tears making Henry want to hug and comfort him. Alice, however, looked unconvinced while shaking her head

“It’s going to take a lot more than that to convince me not to. I need their parts; without them, i’ll melt! I need to keep myself beautiful!”

Bendy shakes his head this time, giving her a pleading look

“Ya can’t do it forever! Your form is unstable, an’ usin’ soul bits like this is really really bad! The more ya get, the more yer gonna find it harder to stay in one piece! Also, each piece ya use is a bit ‘a someone’s soul- gone! Forever!” 

Sammy and Boris look at one another from the doorway as Henry gently tries to pick Bendy back up into his arms, but he gets gently pushed away. Alice taps her chin in thought, before twirling a knife around behind the glass

“So you’re saying… all the perfect pieces I’ve been using are actually pieces of souls? What does that mean? Are they tainting me?”

Bendy sighs and shakes his head once more looking down

“I mean- sorta? Mayne not, but… yer killin’ the people in th’ ink faster, an’ much more permanently- it can’t be good fer yer health, cause all those memories would really clash...”

Alice, for a moment, almost looked as if she felt pity before she starts chuckling, slowly going straight into a full cackle that made Henry feel chills. Bendy’s face seemed to suggest he had a similar feeling. She then leaned forward on the console, squinting at Bendy

“No amount of begging will change my mind. If their souls were so important, they wouldn’t be split up into disgusting creatures that deserve nothing more than to be torn apart! I will be beautiful and whole, whether you like it or not; this whole ‘soul’ thing doesn’t make sense anyways, so it doesn’t matter to me!”

Bendy looked dismayed then, shoving himself to the glass and banging on it again

“No no no! Please! Th-there has ta be a better way! Ya don’t have ta do this!”

Alice’s chaotic smile slowly dissolved into a skeptical sneer at the little demon, eyeing him with what seemed to be disdain instead of her earlier adoration

“A better way? Hm. How about I cut you a deal, since you’re so desperate to save these… ugly little things.”

Walking away from the console in front of the glass where Bendy had his hands, the demon blinked and looked up as Alice crouched so they were almost eye level with one another. Then, waving the tip of her knife at the glass, she continued;

“If you can truly find a better way for me to sustain myself, then I’ll gladly leave your monsters alone. It’s not exactly enjoyable having to hunt down so many anyways… so there. Either bring me a way to keep myself beautiful and i’ll stop, or I keep doing what I have been.”

“R-Really? Ya mean it??”

“Of course! But, there is one thing… since I need a refresher, this one is going to have to die. You’ll have until his parts aren’t working for me anymore… once that’s done, you’re out of time.”

Bendy’s excitement sank into upset as he slides down the glass, looking down again in disappointment

“Oh… b-but-”

“No buts, no alternatives! If you don’t want to overhear, i’d leave…”

She then stood upright again, brushing her hair off her shoulder with a flip before heading to the console. Henry grabs up Bendy successfully this time, holding him close while giving Alice a dirty look she didn’t bother to acknowledge.

“C’mon Bendy… there’s no reasoning with her.”

Alice chuckles at Henry, not seeming fazed by his words, making him shake his head and turn heel to leave the room.

Chapter Text

Huddled around the outside of the elevator now, the group had received their different tasks from Alice, as well as the respective tools for each. Henry had decided they should split up the tasks amongst them to try and get it done faster, but in no way were they going alone.

“Alright, Sammy; you’re with Boris and i’m going with Bendy”

Boris whines, and Sammy huffs crossing his arms

“Why? I would prefer the company of our lord- no offense, Boris- and Boris would prefer you. Why do you get to hog all of his company?”

“First of all, he’s not our lord, stop saying that. Second, I know and i’m sorry for Boris, but I have to keep an eye on him...I just.. Have to, okay?”

Sammy gave a snort with what might’ve been a dirty look from behind his mask at that, but Henry would never truly know. Meanwhile, Bendy was sitting nearby on a crate, uninterested and only half-listening; his attention was currently elsewhere and gazing up at the ‘she’s quite a gal!’ sign with some kind of solemn haze around him. Frowning, Henry looks back to the other two

“Besides; I know you two will be able to protect one another. Sammy, no offense, but I don’t… really trust you alone with Bendy. I feel like something would happen… that we all don’t want.”

Shaking his head, Sammy briefly tossed up his arms letting them dramatically fall and pat to his sides

“Fine. But so you know, i’m more of a cat person.”

Boris looks at Sammy with a pout who silently stares back before sighing heavily

“...I guess dogs are okay…”

Boris perked up at that then, smiling happily at him; Henry thinks that if he had a tail, it would definitely be wagging. Sammy was quick to cut in again however,

“Well don’t get too excited. We still have work to do, and… we have to deal with the other lord, who won’t be so kind if he sees us.”

Boris once again looked afraid, whining at Henry who pats his head

“You’ll be fine. Just remember to use the miracle stations, and watch out for each other, okay? Sammy is pretty okay at fighting, so he’ll protect you”

“Pretty okay?! I’ll have you know I remembered just now that I used to do fencing!”

“...what??”

“What? My memories come and go, don’t seem so surprised. It just popped up.”

Henry stares silently for a moment, a dumbfounded expression on his face before he shakes his head giving up on it, waving a hand

“Okay, whatever; just… make sure you do your tasks. You’re both in charge of collecting gears and the thick ink. I took the more dangerous ones because I’m used to it and know what to do. Besides… well, you wouldn’t like the chopping cutouts Sammy”

Sammy slumps in response, hanging his head

“So many items of worship- defaced! How cruel to be forced into this… do be delicate, Henry?”

“...I can’t. I kind of have to destroy them, not gently tap them.”

Sammy fake wept a bit before slumping on Boris

“At least me and Boris remain faithful!”

Henry rolls his eyes as Boris looked confused, turning and calling over his shoulder as he walks away from the two now

“Just be careful, okay? I’m going to get on with collecting the power cells first.”

Before that, however, he had to talk to Bendy who was still looking rather disheartened, swinging a foot while sitting on the crate still. 

Henry waits first as the elevator opens, allowing Sammy and Boris inside, the two ascending away and worrying Henry already. He has to tear his attention away for now though, and focus on poor Bendy.

“Hey… how’re you doing?”

Bendy sighs heavily, sinking a bit into his hands as he’d been leaning on them, elbows on his knees

“I dunno… I just feel bad. She hurt so many of them… they don’t know what’s goin’ on…”

Henry sits next to him carefully then, looking down at Bendy

“What do you mean by that?”

“The butcher gang? All a’ those Borises? They’re copies of the actual guys, so they’re probably confused… the butcher guys ‘specially ‘cause they’re all weird. They ain’t whole, cause somethin’ went wrong… ya notice that? The machine is real good at makin’ Boris, and even a couple Alices an’ me, but never a whole butcher gang member...”

Henry blinks and looks up thinking about that now; it was a curious point

“It’s strange, I suppose. I’ve never seen one that isn’t corrupted… any theories on why that is?”

He turns his attention to Bendy again who simply pouts up at him 

“I dunno?... maybe cause the machine thinks they’re just bad dudes, so it keeps over doin’ it an’ makin’ ‘em all scary. Imprinted wrong or somethin’... but, I coulda swore when that Piper guy laughed that I saw some Charley in there. Y’know, the actual guy an’ not just a clone?”

Henry hums a little ‘hmm’, thinking about it before responding

“I don’t know, Bendy… it could’ve just been that bit of whoever’s soul was in him like you mentioned. If… that’s how it works? I’m still surprised about this ‘soul’ stuff in general, and how you know so much- It’s all too confusing…”

Bendy sits up straighter then, pouting still

“But there’s somethin’ in there, yeah?? That’s all that matters really- havin’ somethin’... right? Do ya think we could… save ‘em?”

Henry blinks, staring for a moment before furrowing his brow

“I don’t know, that sounds really dangerous, Bendy. The butcher gang copies are deadly, and don’t seem to respond to anything. They mostly just try killing anything that moves, which sometimes is each other; I’ve seen it.”

Bendy slumps again, looking down

“I know, I just… maybe I could help at least one of ‘em… just one… I feel so bad…”

Henry frowns, gently scooping Bendy in a hug now who clings to him sniffling

“Hey now, it’s not your fault. None of this is. In fact, it’s not even the Ink demon’s fault either; it’s Joey’s. I know you still feel guilty though… I’d be lying if I said I didn’t either.”

Bendy sniffs again, rubbing his face a bit before looking Henry in the eye now

“Really? You feel... guilty?”

“Of course I do. A big part of me can’t help but think that this all could’ve been avoided if I hadn’t left the studio, and stopped Joey from his madness…”

Bendy sniffs again, before huffing a single laugh

“I dunno, Henry… I feel like that woulda been pretty impossible.” 

They both chuckle a little at that before Bendy continues speaking

“I don’t blame ya if that makes ya feel better… ever since I learned there were two creators, and that my anger was on the wrong one, I’ve learned ta hate ya less...”

Henry tilts his head at that, but still smiles a little

“Well, thank you Bendy.”

Holding him quietly for a moment, Henry looks down at Bendy who was still clinging to him

“Alright, we should probably get to work now... and by we, I mean me while you hold on to my back. And, maybe…”

He sighs heavily then, looking up at the ceiling

“If we come across a lone butcher gang member without the Ink demon around, maybe we can try and help them… if they don’t try to kill us first.”

Bendy perked up then, immediately looking like his woes had disappeared 

“Ya mean it?! Ya really mean it?!”

“Yes, I mean it. But again, ONLY if it doesn’t try to kill us and the Ink demon doesn’t show up.”

Bendy nods excitedly then, hugging Henry tightly with a squeeze that made him wheeze

“O-Okay Bendy, can’t breathe-”

Bendy lets go chuckling and smiling now

“Sorry, I keep forgettin’ yer an old man… Now c’mon, let’s go get some power cores! Then we can smash my own face!”

Henry raises an eyebrow as he lifts Bendy so he can cling to his back

“You sound a little too excited for something like that.”

“What? I think it’s fun, the noise the cardboard makes when it crumbles is funny”

Henry rolled his eyes at that, smiling now

“Yeah, I guess it is pretty funny…”

Pressing the call button on the elevator, Henry looks up as it descends slowly- he makes a face however as Alice speaks to them 

“It’s funny really, how you think that’ll work… I’d say don’t dare drag one of those filthy wretches in here, but i’m convinced you won’t be able to anyways. The idea of saving one is cute though, really.”

Bendy puffs a bit at that, but Henry shakes his head deciding to ignore her for now.

“I wonder how Boris and Sammy are doing…”

Bendy slumps against his shoulder, peering over it as the elevator descends to them, opening with a rattling clank.

“I’m sure they’re fine. Like ya said, Sammy ain’t all bad at fightin’ an’ stuff. He kinda weirds me out though, hehehe”

Henry grins a bit as he selects the right floor, shaking his head

“I’m sure he’s not actually all that bad; it’s just the Ink that’s making him strange. And, well.. The worship thing too, but I blame the ink and Joey for that.”

Bendy nods quietly in thought, both of them watching as the elevator brought them to the right level. As the doors slide open, Henry takes a deep breath and exhale; he knew this level was one of the more dangerous for the fact it was a spawning ground for searchers, and the Ink demon seemed to show up here the most. He once more hoped the Ink demon wouldn’t decide to forget their rules about the miracle stations due to the presence of other Bendy.

Having stood still for a moment too long, Henry’s jolts a bit as Bendy hisses ‘Look!’ while pointing ahead of them; Surely enough, a striker was angrily limping towards them with a power core clutched in its fist. Remembering his promise to try and not kill a lone butcher gang member, he realizes he hadn’t figured what he was going to try otherwise; they didn’t exactly talk, and the area was incredibly unsafe for all of them with the Ink demon able to show up any second.

Bendy, however, took the initiative for him, jumping from his back and running right up to the now confused and startled striker that stops in its tracks, even dropping the power core to take a step back upon seeing Bendy. Henry felt his heart jump to his throat in fear over Bendy’s safety, quickly running over before realizing another thing; they were making quite a bit of noise, which was a big mistake on this floor. 

He instantly slows to a brisk walk to reach Bendy who, after picking up the core, was now trying to take the hand of the Striker who in turn was retaliating by stumbling backwards in fear, garbling loudly and unhappily. Henry grimaces, taking hold of Bendy’s arm before he can chase after, whispering harshly

“Bendy! We can’t make noise! You’re scaring it and making it get loud!”

Bendy tugs on his arm angrily, giving Henry a pout before whispering back

“I’m tryin’ ta calm him down! I can’t if yer holdin’ me back- Let go!”

“No! He could hurt you, and- WOAH!”

Henry accidentally yells as he yanks himself and Bendy out of the way of a chair thrown past them by the striker, who was now stamping up and down while gargling angrily, sounding a lot like it was sharing some choice curse words. Bendy ditches the whispering rule to retaliate;

“HEY! Watch it, tooth-head! Unless ya want a nice shiny shoe up your spidery-”

“BENDY!”

Bendy puffs his cheeks as the Striker mockingly laughs at him now, only making the little demon pull harder on Henry’s grip

“Why I oughtta!-”

With that, shadows flooded the walls and floor as the all too familiar echo of hissing and a heartbeat chorused menacingly with the arrival of the Ink demon. Not waiting now, Henry tries to scoop Bendy but finds this little demon holding onto a desk in protest

“BENDY! Now is NOT the time for this!”

Henry has to hold himself back a bit, his voice on the edge of turning into a shriek as cold fear pumps through him with each heartbeat from the Ink demon. Bendy points at the now shaking and cowering Striker, whining

“We can’t leave him!! He’ll KILL him! You PROMISED!”

Henry, unable to see any better idea, sets down Bendy before running over to the cowering striker and scooping it up with a loud angry shrill from it, running back to the little demon and scooping him too under his other arm without stopping. He does pause however to look for a station, only to go running for the elevator instead when he finds the nearest station was being blocked by the quickly yet slowly approaching Ink demon. Hitting the call button repeatedly, Henry could feel himself sweating as the striker struggles and gargles and Bendy clings so tight he can barely breathe.

Looking up and down the hall, Henry’s eyes lock with the inky grin of the demon who was now racing for them having spotted them, hand outstretched and smiling with cold anger he knew had no happiness behind it. In the moment, it felt as if time was slowing to a stop as the whole calamity of it all was beginning to overwhelm.

Thankfully, the clanking of the arriving elevator snaps him out of it; practically throwing all three of them into the elevator, Henry slams the button to shut the doors desperately as the Ink demon lets out a terrifying sound that was rather indescribable and completely bone chilling. With even more horror, he realizes its arm had gotten jammed into the door and the elevator wasn’t moving due to the door not being shut all the way. Both the striker and Bendy were practically screaming now, making Henry want to do the same, but he had to act; he had to protect Bendy this time around, no matter what.

Running to the door, Henry grimaces as he puts his face right in front of the snarling and twitching teeth of the Ink demon whose arm was desperately grasping at air trying to reach them; Henry in turn takes hold of the metal frame while shoving hard as he can. With immense effort, he feels the door give way and slam shut followed by a different horrible sound from the Ink demon that made tears well up and drip from Henry’s eyes both in fear and something else he couldn’t discern in the moment.

The sound had frozen Henry, until behind him Bendy shrieks horribly as well snapping him back to action as ink sprays over them from the Ink demon’s severed arm, leaving a terrible mess. Slamming his hand on the button labeled 9, Henry looks just in time to see the Ink Demon clutching its severed stump of an arm shaking with rage as the elevator slunk them out of view.

Slowly descending back to level 9, Henry feels himself shaking as more tears continue to burn his eyes and drip to the floor of the elevator. Blinking a few times, he looks down at the arm of the Ink demon, the gloved hand unmoving yet seemingly still dangerous to him regardless as ink bled from where it had been removed. Turning to look around a bit now, he notices Bendy also shaking and spattered in ink like he was, crying all the same and oddly clutching his own arm as well. The striker, on the other hand, simply looked frozen in horrified shock as its cranial mouth was agape and its limbs were clutching to itself as if trying to hug away what it had witnessed.

Slowing to a stop, the elevator doors re-opened to the safer level 9 where Sammy and Boris were waiting. However, as they see the scene before them inside it, more chaos unfolded; Sammy gives a brief shout of surprise, and Boris jumps a foot back practically. Pointing and exasperated trying hard to speak, Sammy stutters

“W-w-what the HELL IS THAT?! YOU BROUGHT THAT WITH YOU?! WAIT- I-IS THAT THE A-A-ARM OF… OH MY LORD! OH, MY BELOVED LORD, NO!”

Wailing in despair now clutching his head and falling to his knees before the arm, Sammy shakily and very delicately lifts the still bleeding limb as he tries to find words. Henry could barely process everything himself before Bendy starts sobbing, drawing his attention again

“...oh my god- Bendy, I am SO sorry- I-I- that’s NEVER happened before! EVER! I-I don’t know what…”

He trails off as the little demon holds out an arm for a hug while sobbing, Henry quickly scooping him up and hushing him now as he comforts him, nuzzling his cheek and rubbing his back.

“Shhh, it’s okay now, we’re safe… he won’t hurt you.. We’re alright now..”

The striker, on the other hand, was slowly regaining itself from shock, now looking as if it felt rather awkward in the situation. Boris and it slowly make eye contact, both of them not quite wanting to apprehend the other while everyone else was ‘busy’. To top it all off, a voice chimes over the speakers now

“Well. That was absolutely a spectacle of… something? I still want my parts though, and you’re making a mess of my elevator- WHAT IS THAT? YOU ACTUALLY BROUGHT ONE DOWN?! HOW DARE YOU! HOW DARE YOU BRING TAINTED MONSTERS INTO MY DOMAIN! I WILL HAVE YOU KNOW-”

Henry feels irritated hearing Alice berate them after what happened, but he decides that she was right about her parts at least; stopping everything wasn’t going to get them anywhere, but they did need a moment to figure this out. 

Bendy rubs his eyes now, starting to calm down a bit when Henry notices something else. He could feel ink pouring on him from somewhere… and it wasn’t the arm Sammy was groveling over. Looking down, he notices Bendy’s left arm like the Ink demon’s was bleeding ink, and he was holding it as it looked rather limp. Horrified at the injury, Henry quickly sits down with him holding his arm now

“What happened to your arm?! I-It looks broken!”

Bendy shivers repeatedly, holding it a bit more tightly now looking down

“I-I just… I-it happened in the whole blur of stuff! I’m okay, just.. N-need to reform it.”

Henry was about to dive into fretting over the little demon, but Boris’ sudden whining makes him look up and find the source of his unease; the striker was fully recovered and now looking rather grouchy and unfond of them. Sweating a bit, Henry holds Bendy close to him with one arm as the demon continues sniffling, holding his other hand up in a cautious gesture

“Hey… I just saved you from the Ink demon. Please don’t get hasty now-”

Unfortunately for them, the striker was anything but cooperative. Angrily yelling, it rather comically jumps off of Sammy’s head (who yelps and falls forward onto the floor where he’d been kneeling) before running straight for Alice’s door now. 

The striker’s desperate sprint for her front door baffled Henry, who merely watched as said angel began screeching over her com

“KILL IIIIIT! DESTROY IT BEFORE IT REACHES MY DOOR! I WILL NOT LET THAT THING IN HERE!”

None of the four moved or listened to her screaming commands however, which resulted in her somehow yelling louder making all four flinch; but what she commanded next made Henry really question what was happening to this version of their repeated loop;

“EDGAR! GET OUT THERE AND DISPATCH THAT FILTHY ROTTEN COPY!”

From above somewhere Henry couldn't discern, a rather posh sounding voice responded:

“Yes, my angel!”

Without warning, a black blur dropped from above, slamming the striker hard into the flooring with a screech before an arm drew back and slammed it again into an explosion of ink. Staring in awe, Henry couldn’t believe his eyes as what seemed to be a second striker stood tall from where it had landed, dusting itself off from the ink of the one it had just dispatched. As it turned, he could barely catch a glimpse of it as a bright light from Alice’s door had silhouetted it; where its human eye had been was an eyepatch, and the mouth on top of its head was the one stitched instead. Almost as if humorously trying to imitate bendy, it was also wearing a bowtie but with heart shaped loops instead.

The group silently stared back at the glaring striker, who after a few more moments of silence, scoffs before speaking once more in a voice that sounded far too sophisticated for it:

“You know staring is rather rude. Not to mention your lack chivalry to protect a fair dame in need!”

Henry tries to speak, but can’t find words; instead, Alice decides to answer the question all of them were thinking conveniently

“This is Edgar… consider him a… pet project of mine. He and two others of course. I found it funny you mentioned saving copies earlier because, well… I tried something similar, but for different reasons.”

Bowing with a flourish now, Edgar speaks again

“I hope my services have pleased you, my Angel; I do apologize for having to show myself…”

“Dire situations call for dire actions, but you are right; I’d rather not see you. Away with you now, and DO try to keep those others in line!”

“As you command, fair Angel!”

With that, Edgar fires some kind of device from one of his wrists (that Henry realizes was a grapple) before ascending back into the mysterious darkness of the ceiling above where he’d come from. 

Bendy then bursts out making the other three flinch once more

“WHO THE HECK WAS THAT?!”

Laughter echoes now from Alice’s speakers, who seemingly was enjoying their confusion; while she speaks, Henry decides to help Bendy’s arm by tearing a bit of his shirt off to wrap it.

“He was an ugly little wretch I decided to give mercy to just like you all… only I had to fix a few things about him first. He’s not perfect, but having someone serve is better than doing the dirty work myself and risking the Ink demon…”

Bendy winces as Henry gently finishes wrapping his arm and tightens it, the demon looking up as if he could somehow see Alice when talking to her

“Ya took a striker an’ just… helped him out?? What’d ya do ta him??”

“Well, you probably won’t like the answer… but I suppose you’ve earned it; at least, Sammy and Boris who did some work for me so far earned it. It’s simple, really… I collected enough dead ones before using them to ‘fix’ a live one enough that he wasn’t a driveling idiot bent on being disgusting.”

She chuckles then, before continuing

“Though, he is still rather disgusting being so impure… which is why he and the other two are under strict order to work purely where none will see them.”

Henry makes a face at that, thinking he and the others were probably in agreement on how disturbingly cruel that seemed. Though it was certainly surprising and something he’d never somehow encountered before, he felt they didn’t have a lot of time to process it; Alice had been hiding butcher gang members she… ‘fixed’? And they were secretly working for her? Henry knew they’d have to look into it later somehow, given they weren’t caught by the Ink demon first.

Speaking of which, Henry turns and watches as Sammy gasps over the Ink demon’s arm dissolving away into plain ink through his hands, Boris now patting his shoulder. Bendy shakes his head giving a shrug before holding his own arm

“I don’t know why you’re snivellin’ over an arm… Sure, ol’ Inky is gonna be grumpy about it, but he’s made a’ ink. It’ll grow back. Buuuut, Henry, ya mighta just signed a death pact…”

Henry shakes his head, not looking fazed by the thought. He also found Bendy’s comment over the Ink demon’s arm ironic, considering he’d just been crying over his own arm.

“I already did that the day I set foot in this hell. Can’t be much worse, right?”

Bendy makes a face at that slowly shrugging his shoulders

“Iiii wouldn’t be so quick ta say somethin’ like that and jinx things…”

Henry gives him a desperate look now

“Please don’t tell me I made things worse?”

Bendy holds both hands up in a shrug now, giving Henry a meek apologetic smile at his plight

“He may or may not be a little more… aggressive atcha now. Can’t say for sure but he ain’t gonna be happy.”

Sammy gets up then shaking Henry by his shoulders roughly

“Well of COURSE he isn’t happy!! You MAIMED our LORD!! Why did you EVER perceive that as a GOOD IDEA???”

Henry whacks Sammy’s hands off of him trying to stop himself from falling over, getting dizzy for a moment before holding his head giving him a disgruntled look

“Sammy, for the love of everything not soiled by ink; stop saying our lord. And I didn’t purposefully do that! The whole situation was chaotic, and everyone was panicking, and just… not great. I had no choice; it was shut the elevator, or all of us- well, Bendy and I since that striker died anyways- would have died.”

Sammy grasps his shoulders again, firmly pulling them face to smiling Bendy mask as he apparently stares into Henry’s eyes for a long, awkwardly silent moment that even makes Bendy cough to try and break it. Henry raises his eyebrows, deciding to put up with it when Sammy finally speaks;

“...Fine. I believe you. But you still hurt him, and now it’s going to be a lot harder to appease him to our side!”

Finally letting go of Henry, Sammy sighs while shaking his head; Henry also sighs at that, turning to look at Bendy now

“He’s probably right, but we still have to keep pushing through if we’re going to even get to that point. Meaning…”

The other three all groan in response making Henry almost crack a small smile

“...we have to finish the tasks. This time though, no messing around; and Bendy? You’re staying right here with Boris while me and Sammy go instead.”

Bendy perks up then, frowning

“What?! No way! I wanna help!”

Henry shakes his head frowning back at him

“It’s too dangerous, especially now that your arm is hurt. And Boris… well, both of you really shouldn’t be running around the Ink demon like this.”

Sammy crosses his arms, shaking his own head now

“Apparently not me though…”

Henry rolls his eyes before kneeling in front of Bendy holding him by his shoulders now, but gently

“Bendy, listen to me… I’ve done this alone many times before; i’ll be fine. I just want to make sure we get this done quickly and safely as possible, okay? Is it alright if I do that?”

Bendy frowns still, but looks down and nods before clutching him suddenly in a hug. Despite flinching, Henry happily hugs him back

“I’ll be back before you know it, okay? Stay safe little buddy…”

Bendy huffs, but smiles a little at him as he mumbles

“‘M not little… you’re just over sized.”

Henry snorts a bit, ruffling the little demon’s head before standing up and turning to Sammy

“Alright… let’s get to work.”

Sammy sighs and nods after a moment

“Fine; but only because it keeps my lord safe… and, well… I guess Boris too.”

Boris perked up at that, smiling at Sammy who refuses to look at him now acting aloof; Henry smiles, glad to see the group was slowly bonding in their own way despite everything. The more Sammy seemed to grow closer, the more Henry felt there was truly hope for everyone here, as watching the once bitter and ruthless music director slowly but surely open up meant perhaps the others could change too.

Turning to the elevator then, Henry hits the button to open it with a slightly shaky sigh, thinking about the Ink demon and Bendy’s warning; he hoped even more that he hadn’t made a grave mistake in his panicked haste earlier.

“Alright, Sammy… let’s get this going”

Chapter Text

Sighing, Bendy continues the pacing he had started when the other two left, walking past Boris who was now sitting on a chest by some voice recorder that had a guy complaining about the the elevator and preferring to take the stairs. Out of curiosity, Boris had played it, but its message made Bendy worry about Henry and surprisingly Sammy as well (as much as he wouldn’t admit it). What was taking them so long? What if they didn’t come back? What if Alice decided to come out and take them when the others were away, and who was to say they could fight her off?

Boris, of course, wasn’t much help as he didn’t really give much conversation; Bendy wasn’t sure why, but it seemed the guy couldn’t talk at all. Maybe he was shy? Or just didn’t have the capability? Either way, those questions added on to the many, many others nagging his mind  that were making the little demon rather irate. His agitated pacing at least wasn’t bothering Boris it seemed, as he hadn’t tried to stop him for the past ten minutes now.

Throwing his arms up finally having exhausted himself on the pacing, Bendy lets out a long groan of agitation before flopping down next to Boris on the chest, who looks down at him questioningly.

“This sucks! I don’t know what’s going on, an’ i’m worried, an’ bored, an’ just- ugh! Why can’t we do anything, huh? Why’re we just the dumb ol’ cartoon characters who can’t protect ourselves?? We’ve been here as long as ‘em, right?”

Bendy looks up to Boris, who gives him a shrug before turning his attention to Alice’s ‘She’s quite a gal!’ sign, frowning. Bendy follows his gaze, huffing now

“Yeah, I don’t much like her either. An’ I know she can hear me, but I want her to!”

Boris whines a little, clearly not wanting to start something with the already not-so-friendly angel who had maimed many others for her personal gain. Bendy stares at him for a moment before sighing yet again, slumping his chin into both hands while leaning forward with an angry pout 

“Yeah, yeah… you don’t want me gettin’ inta trouble while they’re gone… I just feel so… useless! I want ta do somethin’ ta help, y’know??”

Boris rubs his chin at that before hopping up off the chest, making Bendy blink and follow him with his gaze as the friendly wolf walks over to Alice’s door. Promptly hopping up and scurrying after him, Bendy looks up at him in confusion

“What? What’re ya thinkin’, pal?”

Boris looks directly upwards at the ceiling, making Bendy do the same, but he practically rolls backwards in the process from it with a loud ‘oof!’. Quickly running back over rubbing the back of his head, Bendy gives him a curious look before looking up once more

“What? What’re ya starin’ up at?”

Boris points up before looking down to Bendy, who squints in confusion for a while until he slowly remembers earlier with the encounter they’d had with the striker Alice had claimed she’d ‘saved’. Eyes widening a bit then, Bendy nods in understanding

“Right! That guy! You think while we’re waitin’ we could get a chance ta talk to ‘im?”

Before Boris can answer (not that he likely would have anyways), the speakers over the door blare the not too pleased sounding voice of Alice

“Don’t even think about messing with him! He’s not some fun little ‘friend’ you can take on adventures with you; he belongs to me, and serves only me. So Don’t even think about it!”

Bendy makes a face at the door then, kicking it pointlessly before hopping a bit holding his foot

“Yer not the boss of me, toots! If I wanna say hi, I’ll find a way! Besides, yer not really much of an angel to ‘im anyways!”

“I’ll have you know I’m the one who rescued and GAVE him his life! If you think you can convince him to disobey me, you’d be wrong. Don’t make me have to do something about your attitude”

Boris whines again, looking like he was regretting bringing the topic up at all now; Bendy had said he’d stay out of mischief, but that clearly wasn’t going to happen now. Pulling an eyelid down at the door and sticking out his tongue, the demon instead readily mocks her

“I ain’t scared of ya! What are ya my mom?! Gonna send me to my room fer disobeyin’ yer stupid rules?”

Boris pulls on his ears now, whining even louder leaning his head back in despair as Alice scoffs over the speakers

“You know short stack, you’re not really in a position of power here. I could very easily have them simply bring you to me…”

Internally, Bendy knew it was a really bad idea and he was slightly afraid of her actually; With what she’d been doing to all those Boris clones and others, he wasn’t super eager to find out how she’d use his parts. Stuffing his pride down was going to be nigh impossible however, so he figures he’d better derail the conversation before it took a turn for the worse and he accidentally got Boris or himself hurt; Henry would not be happy about that, and frankly, neither would he.

“Ya see, ya could… or you could just lemme talk to the guy. I’m not tryin’ ta turn him or anything! I just wanna talk is all! Would it really hurt?”

He thinks ‘he’s practically brainwashed anyways, the poor sucker’ but refrains from saying it out loud.

“Hmm… I’m not sure. Henry has been trying things… and I’m not sure if you’re going to play lackey and try and do the same for him”

Bendy snorts and waves a hand as if the idea was ridiculous and not completely accurate 

“What?! What am I, some cartoon puppet just cause he made me?! I’m all about breakin’ outta that mold, lady! Now can I talk ta him or what? I’m bored outta my mind sittin’ out here…”

Alice gives a long ‘hmmmmm’ of thought over the speakers, Boris sweating nervously and tugging on his ears before she sighs

“Fine. But only under a few conditions!”

“Conditions, ey? Spoken like the devil himself! What kinda conditions, then?”

“You’re not to speak to him where I can see him, but you’re not allowed out of my listening range. You’re also not to try any funny business about converting him, or whatever you might try. One more thing…”

“Oh boy, here it comes…”

“I’d like to speak to you, one on one. Alone. There’s some things i’d like to discuss with you…”

Bendy blinks, nervously tugging his bowtie a bit as Boris whines rather loudly this time and shakes his head at him. Bendy gives him a desperate shrug

“Hey, I don’t know how else to get her to let us talk to ‘im! It can’t be… all bad, right?”

Boris clasps his hands together then, shaking them in a begging gesture he knew meant ‘please for the love of Henry, don’t do this, it’s a REALLY bad idea’. Unfortunately for Boris, Bendy was the incarnation of a bad idea so there was no way he was going to back out of this; common sense never stopped him before, and it certainly wouldn’t now. 

“Aw c’mon buddy, you’re over worryin’! It’ll be fine, I can take her; promise!”

He holds up one hand crossing his ‘heart’ with the other in the gesture, but Boris was unconvinced with a rather unamused look on his face as he knew the little devil most certainly didn’t make worthy promises. Bendy gives him the most innocent smile he can, batting his eyes- but Boris’ attitude didn’t change. Waving a hand at him dismissively, Bendy turns back to the door putting his hands on his hips

“Fine. But only when Henry gets back! I ain’t the only one here who likes conductin’ funny business! I know it when I see it, cause i’m a cartoon!”

Bendy snickers at his own bad joke, but Alice gives him an irritated huff clearly not wanting Henry to interfere with whatever she was planning.

“Fine. As long as you speak to me alone and they stay outside of my sanctuary”

Bendy shrugs, while Boris next to him slaps both hands over his face in exasperation at the recklessness; what could he say? The guy wasn’t much of a talker and probably wasn’t keen on getting physical either, from what it seemed.

“Sooo, when do I get ta meet that striker an’ where?”

Alice sighs loudly over the speakers before responding

“Edgar, it seems you have… company eager to meet you. Take them into your ‘office’ and don’t run off!”

From their left and up behind the banister near a Bendy statue, that familiar posh voice calls out “Yes, my Angel!”, making Bendy and Boris both practically snap their heads in that direction; the rather unfriendly looking face of the striker was now looking down on them. Scoffing then, he pipes up again;

“Well, don’t stand there, you heard her; come into my office if you are to speak with me.”

With that, he backs out of view making Bendy eager to run up and talk to him; which he essentially does, bolting across the bridge excited to have something to do and someone to talk to who wouldn’t just groan at everything he said. Hopefully. Boris quickly runs after him, not wanting to be left alone (especially near Alice) wheezing to keep up with Bendy’s speed.

Reaching the statue, Bendy can see the door that was previously locked next to it was now open to a rather sizable storage room full of vents and pipes, as well as miscellaneous furniture and objects. Walking in slowly and glancing around to take in the scenery, he notices Boris caught up and was doing the same; Bendy turns to him giving a grin

“See? This ain’t so bad! Now, where’d he go…”

The door shuts suddenly causing both of them to flinch and turn, seeing the Striker in front of it. Stepping forward into better lighting, Bendy gets a full proper look at him now mouth gaping a little at the sight before him. The striker’s humanoid eye had been removed and stitched shut, now covered with a black eyepatch that had a white bendy head silhouette on it. The mouth atop his head had been sewn shut with thick thread that could almost pass as a small rope, unable to fully cover the teeth but holding them firmly shut. His actual mouth had been freed of its stitches, but scars crossed over it where they had been as well as two rather sharp looking fangs now hanging out. To top it all off, he was wearing a bowtie just like him but with heart shaped loops instead of straight.

“Wow… you’re… somethin’ else alright”

The striker huffs, fixing his bowtie a little before walking through the two over to a table with three chairs, promptly sitting down gesturing for them to do the same.

“I would certainly hope I am; my fair Angel saved me from being a mindless violent heathen like the rest, wandering around aimlessly and garbling nonsense… I am far from perfect, but at the very least I have enough of my mind back to understand what i am doing.”

Bendy makes a face at him, shaking his head

“It’s not their faults! The machine is just… makin’ ‘em wrong. They can’t help it.”

The striker huffs a small sound of amusement, turning to look at him questioningly

“I cannot be sure if it is producing them wrong or simply like that on purpose... either way, I am much more comfortable having sapience”

Bendy leans forward, incredibly interested by the striker but Boris seems uncomfortable and a little untrusting even; how ironic, he thinks, as usually it was him who got scared.

“So… are ya the real Edgar? Or just some copy? Ya sure talk more ‘proper’ soundin’ than the Edgar I knew...”

At that, the striker seemed rather offended

“Copy?! Absolutely not! I do not know who I am, but I assure you i am no cartoon villain copy. Since I cannot remember my name however, I simply decided to use this one in its place.”

Bendy felt confused at that, resting his chin in his hand now while looking at him

“So you’re not the Edgar I used to know… guess that explains the weirdly fancy voice”

Edgar blinks at him before looking a little concerned

“Is my voice really that strange? And what do you mean the Edgar you knew?”

Bendy smiles sitting up then bouncing on his chair a little, Boris flinching a bit at first from the sound before sighing through his nose at him

“Well, the old Edgar I knew in my cartoon world was real annoyin’! High pitched voice ‘n was a total weenie! I guess your voice isn’t actually bad, just unexpected for someone who looks like ya”

Edgar seemed a little awed at his words, sitting up straighter looking at him

“Really?? Then you must be the Bendy, and it is true that there are more worlds than our own and this one… interesting indeed. Though, that aside, may I ask why you were so eager to see me?...”

Bendy stops bouncing then, frowning a bit with a sigh

“Well i was hopin’ you mighta been the real Edgar, but I guess it might be for the best ya ain’t… wouldn’t want them dragged in here even if they’re crooks… but also cause you’re way better than him! Wait… then that’s bad you’re here- i’m confusin’ myself...”

Edgar looked like he was going to say something, but one of the vents clang with the sound of someone crawling through it before another strange sight pops out of it before them; a Piper who was changed similarly like Edgar. Bendy looks to Edgar then, asking;

“Is he like you?? ‘Saved’ by Alice or whatever?”

Edgar grins then, leaning back a bit

“Why, heavens yes! She is most merciful to have brought our group together! This is-”

“CHARLEY! Nice to meet ya demon! Edgar, why didn’t ya say anything about company huh?!”

Bendy grimaces a little as does Boris, who covers his ears from how loud Charley was being. Edgar seems to think the same as he gives him a dirty look

“Please stop yelling, it’s rather uncouth!”

Charley snorts at that, walking closer now so that Bendy could get a proper look at him; his jaw had been stitched back to its normal length and reset, he had an identical eyepatch to Edgar’s, and his beady eye was now more pie-cut and cartoony- yet still shiny. The plunger he had for a leg apparently had the rubber cup removed (likely to be more dignified), and his missing hand now sported a rather dangerous looking hatchet head attached to it. Bendy was rather impressed by how well Alice had done to make him not look horrifying and disgusting like Pipers typically did.

“I can’t help it, Ed! It’s in my nature to be loud!”

“For the Angel’s sake, stop calling me Ed. My name is Edgar! And you can help it, you simply choose not to…”

Bendy snorts, finding the bickering between the two rather amusing; it reminded him a lot of the old butcher gang, and Sammy and Henry somewhat. Boris, on the other hand, didn’t seem to find comfort in this as he looked rather uncomfortable with them.

“Ah fine, you’re always stiff on the whole ‘proper’ attitude, hah! Anyways, how’s it goin’ fellas?”

Charley swings his hatchet hand out to them, making both Flinch back in their seats to avoid the blade before the piper realizes his mistake

“Whoops, sorry there! Wrong hand!”

Charley swings his non-lethal hand over then, which Bendy takes and shakes with a big grin of amusement; now this guy he could get behind, being funny and laidback.

“Well, I was pretty bored an’ annoyed, but I think you guys are pretty interestin’. This is my buddy Boris, an’ i’m Bendy! Actual, real, 100% devilishly, irresistibly, handsome and funny Bendy! Not that murderous gloop-head who looks like a garbage disposal clog come to life”

Charley busts quite a hearty laugh at that, slapping his knee which elicits an eye-roll from Edgar who speaks now

“You are /so/ unmannered…”

Charley snorts at him, still grinning quite big with rather menacing looking teeth

“In your eyes maybe, but i’m great at makin’ folks feel welcome! Right, fellas?”

Bendy chuckles a bit with a nod, but Boris shakes his head frowning making Edgar gesture right at him with his mechanical arm extending to exaggerate the motion (making the poor nervous wolf flinch again)

“See?! You’re upsetting him! Quiet down and give me your report.”

Charley rolls his eye now before giving off some kind of report that Bendy leans in to hear out of curiosity

“Lower travel decks’re still flooded after that pipe busted, Barley is havin’ a real field day tryin’ to get some hold on it. As for the halls, I tried to get more wires but get this- REALLY, get this- out comes a swollen searcher, all mouth hangin’ and groaning mindlessly, and he just starts EATIN’ them all!”

Edgar makes a disgusted face at that, but Bendy had tuned it out having heard the other name more than anything

“WAIT. Barley? Where is he? Can I see ‘im???”

Charley smiles, but Edgar shakes his head giving a stern look crossing his arms pompously

“No, you may not. He is very busy, and not much for company anyways; prefers to be alone most of the time.”

Charley shrugs, waving his hatchet near Boris on accident in gesture again which makes the wolf decide to pickup his chair and move to Bendy’s other side.

“Barley ain’t bad company! He’s just quiet and shy; likes workin’ with his hands more than chattin’, but he likes it when I sing for him!”

Charley beams rather proudly about that, but Edgar’s face suggests he didn’t quite like the idea. Bendy leans on the table once more, looking at them curiously

“So you three are a group an’ all, workin’ fer the angel… Whaddya do for her exactly?”

Edgar grins then, seeming keen on the subject, cutting in before Charley can open his loud mouth again

“Well you see, we’re her crew in charge of keeping everything in shape and running for her beauty; we collect, repair, and perform menial tasks her fairness is far too good for.”

Charley nods, smiling and adding

“She’s not unable to do the dirty work, just prefers us to! By the by, have ya seen a swollen searcher full of wires? That splotcher stole my work…”

Bendy shakes his head, still smiling at them; listening to them talk was rather entertaining, and frankly, also helping him keep his mind off of worrying about Henry. Mostly. Charley sighs in disappointment, shaking his head now

“Well that’s a shame… I’m gonna have to try and find that feller somewhere. It seemed like he was doing it on purpose almost!”

Edgar squints a bit then, sitting up straighter with a rather disgruntled look

“Wait; you said a swollen searcher? And he took wires? You don’t think that projector head took them, do you? He skulks on their level sometimes, and this wouldn’t be the FIRST time he’s stolen from our angel!”

Charley looks like he’s thinking rather hard about it, but Bendy speaks before he can finish

“Wait- projector head?? Ya mean the projectionist? What’s he been doin’, and whaddya know about him??”

Edgar blinks, turning to him while looking rather skeptical about his words

“Hm? How do you know about him, first?”

Bendy blinks back at that before leaning back and smiling innocently, Boris giving him a pleading look to not say something dumb while Charley also blinks silently in curiosity

“Well, it’s kinda complicated… ya see, Henry has been doin’ a lot of stuff an’ I learn from him! So yeah.”

Edgar and Charley exchange a look before Edgar keeps squinting at him, looking even more skeptical now

“And how, pray tell, does this Henry fellow know about him if they have yet to go to the abyss? The projectionist does not tarry about in plain view, and certainly has not since your arrival...”

Bendy blinks yet again, his nervous grin becoming a straight line as he can physically feel the awkward tension settle around them; he thinks how a good record scratch would have been rather fitting for the moment, especially with Boris shaking his head in his hands now.

“Uh… that’s… even harder to explain.”

Edgar hops onto the table then, pulling some kind of sword from the ceiling they’d somehow failed to see hiding there before aiming it at Bendy, who flails while nearly falling backwards out of his chair if it weren’t for Boris who caught it. The sword was right under his chin now, though Bendy notes he didn’t really have a neck so it was kind of pointless; no less intimidating, though. Charley simple shakes his own head, arms crossed looking unamused at his companion who finally speaks again;

“You better explain yourself regardless! You are becoming rather suspicious, and any threat to our angel will be eliminated! Are you conspiring with him??”

“Yeesh, relax pally! Yah don’t gotta point that over-glorified knife at me, I ain’t got sealed lips or anythin’! And no; I don’t work for nobody! No creators, no camera heads, nobody!”

Bendy touches the tip of the sword delicately with a finger, pushing it away while leaning the chair back onto its feet giving Edgar a dirty look

“Look; This place is rigged, alright? Every time Henry gets to the end, it just resets, an’ everythin’ you’ve done happens all over again! It’s s’pposed to, because… well, I don’t know why; it just does. So, me an’ Henry remember stuff but you guys don’t! I still don’t know why but- that’s all! That’s how I know!”

Edgar lowers the sword finally, looking confused and not entirely convinced, but Charley slaps a hand to his forehead loudly proclaiming 

“THAT’S why! I told ya, Ed! I’ve been gettin’ all kinds of weird deja vu all over the place!”

Edgar looks disgruntled about the nickname again, but ignores it this time

“You do not know that! They could be lying! If this loop really exists, then how come you did not know about us?”

Bendy grins once more then, leaning an arm on the table with a sly look

“That’s the thing! Things are changin’ finally from what they always were! We’re gonna get outta here, i’m sure of it! You guys didn’t exist before, so the fact you’re here now is pretty amazin’~ Henry’s plannin’ ta break it so we can go home!”

Edgar and Charley both stare then, not looking too comfortable about that. Bendy blinks, looking between the two in confusion

“What?”

Edgar hops back off the table, sighing

“If what you say really is true, then… well, if your whole loop theory works but your plans to stop it fail... would we not be erased when it resets to the ‘normal’ version, which exists without us?”

Bendy frowns at that, shaking his head

“No! It won’t this time; i’m sure of it! I ain’t gonna let anyone get erased! Not you, Not Charley, Not Boris!”

Boris blinks at the mention, looking up from a can of soup he’d found and been indulging in. Charley laughs while Edgar gives him a dirty look

“Hey! That is our food supply!”

Boris sweats while Bendy cackles at him, teasing now

“Good goin’, pal. Now you’re the one causin’ trouble!”

Thankfully for Boris, another clanking from the vents draws everyone’s attention as, surprisingly to all of them, the fisher they’d mentioned earlier shows up. Struggling to get out of the vent, he huffs before straightening himself onto his feet, adjusting his head which had been wrapped around its pole to sit on a small stand built on it to keep it from swinging. He adjusts a little sailor hat resting on top of his head, as well as a pipe balanced in his teeth before blinking at Bendy with a similarly now pie-cut eye instead of empty socket. Unlike the other two, he hadn’t been changed too majorly; his head lacked any round bubble-like sores and his ‘Liar’ belt was replaced with a rather used tool belt. Currently, he was also very dirty being covered in ink and what looked like soot. 

Charley beams then, giving a loud ‘Hah-HAH!’ that makes the poor fisher jump a little, patting him so roughly it makes him stumble forward and have to catch his sailor hat. Edgar huffs at that, chiming in

“Be gentle on him, Charley! We are not invulnerable to your rough housing!”

Charley chuckles, turning to look at the fisher again

“Sorry there, Barley; just happy to see ya out of hiding for once!”

Barely shrugs at him, before turning once more to Boris and Bendy, looking a bit nervous and unhappy at their presence; Edgar intervenes upon seeing his reaction

“Do not fear, good friend; they’re here under the angel’s permission. They’re harmless, as far as I can tell… not really much of fighters”

Barley looks at him for a long moment before turning to Bendy who was giving him a suggestive look with an eyebrow waggle that makes the fisher look uncomfortable; in return, Bendy laughs but gets elbowed by Boris who gives him a scornful look

“Whaaaaat? I’m not doin’ anythin’ wrong!”

Barley then does something that must’ve been unusual, as the other two both lean in closer looking surprised; he speaks. His voice was very calm and quiet, like his personality they had mentioned;

“...The leak is sealed. Going to take time to drain, could be a few days. Overloaded gauge broke.”

Charley once more lets out a loud laugh of cheeriness, roughly pulling poor Barley to his side who frantically catches his hat once again. Even Edgar this time was smiling however as he sits up straighter; Bendy thinks how if he sat any straighter he’d turn into a literal pole.

“Well, that is truly wonderful news! Soon we will be able to access much needed supplies. As for the missing wiring thanks to that searcher…”

Bendy snaps his fingers then, accidentally commanding everyone’s attention to him

“Right! The Projectionist! What’s he been doin’?? yah never told me!”

Edgar sighs, shaking his head a bit

“Fine; I suppose it matters not if you know. He has been taking materials our fair angel requires, and most certainly on purpose to spite her! What he plans to use them for we know not, but he has quite aggressively nearly taken our lives several times! Whatever the reasoning, he has tried to stop us from our tasks on many occasions, even going as far as training searchers to help him!”

Bendy snorts at that, giving a smirk

“What? Sounds like a classic case of a feud, if ya ask me! She do anythin’ ta set ‘im off?”

Edgar huffs, looking ruffled at that

“Never! Our fairest, most beautiful, and perfect angel has never done wrong! It is that foul ink lurking heathen who has wronged her!”

Bendy puffs a sigh, rolling his eyes

“Sure don’t sound like it… what happened between ‘em anyways?”

Charley snorts then, still keeping his arm around Barley who was carefully organizing and wiping tools off from his belt

“He’s been stealing from angel even before we were around, so we don’t entirely know why they hate each other; we just know they do. We’ve tried gettin’ her stuff back from him, but no dice! The guy hates our kind! Kills any butcher gang copies like no tomorrow just for fun.”

Barley frowns then, nodding a little

“He’s scary…”

Edgar nods himself then, looking Bendy in the eye

“You wouldn’t happen to know a good way around him, would you?”

Bendy blinks then, rubbing his chin in thought which makes Boris look rather nervous

“Weeeeelll.. Henry usually is the one she sends ‘cause he’s really sneaky and good at his job. Sometimes, depending on how he’s feelin’, he’ll just light up the guy an’ off ‘im. So I guess killin’ ‘im is one way…”

Charley snorts at that, giving a bitter grin

“We’ve tried that; backfired badly, took us a while to recover. Got any other ideas?”

Bendy taps his chin once more, Boris leaning in and whining, but he ignores him

“Besides sneakin’ ‘round or killin’ ‘im...I guess sick ‘im on someone else for a distraction?”

At that, all three of the gang look at Bendy who blinks before the slow dawning realization hits him, and his eyes shrink a little

“...Yer gonna use me fer bait now, aintcha?...”

All three of the butcher gang smirk at him now, Boris whining quietly as he clutches Bendy who clutches back sweating

“Y’know Boris, sometimes I really need ta learn that whole ‘think before ya speak’ thing Henry is always suggestin’ ta me…”

Boris nods at that as the butcher gang members drew various weapons (besides charley who simply raises his hatchet arm), slowly closing in on the quivering two. Bendy looks up at Boris then, who looks at him with desperation

“Might I just say, from the bottom of my devilish soulless lack of a heart: my bad.”

Chapter Text

Having completed the other two tasks (much to Sammy’s dismay over the cardboard Bendys), Henry and Sammy were now on their way to the Inky abyss which he really wasn’t looking forward to. He’d figured that there was enough evil around without repeatedly killing the projectionist, especially since it was avoidable (not to mention what the Ink demon always did to him later regardless), so he’d be a dangerous obstacle in the next task.

Sighing, Henry looks over to Sammy who was currently idly fiddling with one of his suspenders straps. He didn’t have a weapon anymore, as the ‘angel’ only permitted them the one pipe Henry usually took alone. After a moment, Sammy notices he’s being looked at so he turns his attention over

“What? What’re you staring at me for?”

“Not staring… just thinking.”

Sammy silently stares back for a moment, before speaking again

“Alright then, what’re you thinking?”

“Do you know the projectionist?” 

Sammy starts suddenly, looking taken aback at the question which makes Henry even more curious

“Projectionist?... I… well..”

He looks off into the distance through the elevator’s doors before they slowly arrive at the lower level. Henry continues;

“He’s got a projector for a head? Walks around in ink, screams and kills anything he sees?”

Sammy snorts a bit, shaking his head

“Alright; when you said projectionist, I don’t think we had the same thing in mind… I thought you meant the actual projectionist from the studio…”

Henry frowns, staring for real now

“Sammy… I do mean the actual projectionist. He was turned into an ink-corrupted form like you.”

Sammy’s demeanor drops then as the doors clank open

“Ah… I see. That’s... rather unfortunate. I feel like I should feel worse about it, but I can’t really even remember his name at the moment..”

Henry sighs, shaking his head as he walks off the lift, Sammy following him to the railing where below they see the flickering light of the projectionist, skulking through the ink as usual. He had assumed Sammy might have personally known and remembered the guy, but the music director’s reactions weren’t exactly telling. Especially not now as he speaks again;

“Well, that’s certainly a sight… how uncomfortable; the man doesn’t even have a face anymore! And you said he screams and murders anything he sees?”

“Pretty much. I was hoping maybe we could do something and get him to talk to us, but i’m not sure about it now.”

Sammy shakes his head with his arms crossed, watching the projectionist continue to pace through the ink.

“So are we going to actually focus on our task instead then, or fool around and get ourselves killed trying to get those… ink hearts?”

He shivered at that, making Henry snort

“I guess you’re right about that being foolish; we should probably get those first.”

Sammy snorts a mocking laugh looking to him

“I hope by we you mean you. I’m not going anywhere near that ink!”

Henry blinks before remembering once again that he was the only one who, besides the projectionist for some odd reason, could walk in ink.

“Right… guess you’ll have fun watching then.”

“I mean, I’d say I will to make you feel better… but I really won’t. Well, unless you get chased; but watching you die won’t make me feel great I will admit…”

Henry gives him a real smug look at that then

“Yeah? Says the guy who was going to sacrifice me to Bendy-”

“You try to sacrifice one small little murder to the Ink demon and it makes you a bad person!”

Henry laughs at him now, finding the whole thing ridiculous; but the sound causes the projectionist from inside one of his halls to screech angrily. Both Henry and Sammy had flinched, becoming stiff and silent as ink splashing can be heard from the projectionist barreling out of the corridors to look for the source. Not daring to speak, Henry looks at Sammy who seems fixated on staring at the angrily flickering projectionist, who was scanning the area slowly. 

After what felt like ages, he gives up and returns to his skulking in the inky corridors again much to their relief. Henry sighs, rubbing the back of his neck

“Alright, that was uncomfortable… just stay here; i’m going to get this over with…”

Sammy nods at that silently as Henry passes him now, scooping the one heart from the stairs landing which once again makes the projectionist screech, Sammy jumping in response. Henry can’t help but snort at that once more; the whole thing was rather refreshing from the typical run through he was so used to. Having people to actually talk to and keep him company… was rather nice. The thoughts fade however as Henry sets foot into the ink with a splash, making a face now as he slowly squelches through it hating how slow it made him.

As per usual, he uses his careful familiarity of the projectionists’ walking patterns to sneak around and grab each heart, taking almost no time to scout them all out having remembered a lot of the locations really well. Heading back now, Henry couldn’t help but feel rather solemn about the mundane repetition he’d gotten so used to, and really hoped it would never come back to him having to do this ever again. The constant lack of change, same tasks, and everything was becoming rather tiring over anything; but perhaps that was the point.

Unfortunately, having been lost in thought, Henry had forgotten to watch his back when a loud angry screech snaps him back to reality (if one could call it that) and his heart skips a beat. Not even daring to look behind, Henry starts trying his best to move through the ink, but it’s dredging thickness wasn’t letting him. Desperate now, hearing the flickering getting far too close for comfort, Henry tries to jump through the ink but finds it doesn’t make much of a difference.

Making it at least out of the corridor, he looks up to see Sammy panicking and flailing from above unable to really help beside shouting “OH MY SWEET INKY LORD HE’S RIGHT BEHIND YOU!!!”. Henry turns and attempts to hit the projectionist with the pipe, the metal glancing uselessly off his inky body and merely prompting a second angry scream.

Henry braces as the projectionist hits him hard, sending him flying backwards into the ink before the stairs; as a result, all of the ink hearts fall out of his grasp everywhere. Currently however, he couldn’t care less as he was far more focused on not dying in the moment as the heavy footsteps of the projectionist were still coming for him.

Getting up, Henry is surprised by Sammy grabbing and pulling him roughly, trying to get him up and out of the ink quickly as possible; as a result, the two stumble up the stairs rather ungracefully. Unfortunately for them, the projectionist hadn’t given up and was now clunking up the stairs just as quickly making them both panic while sammy stutters

“W-WHAT DO WE DO?! HE’S GOING TO KILL US!”

“Frankly, I don’t know! This is usually where he does kill me if I mess up!”

“THAT IS NOT AN OPTION!”

“Well then here’s one: RUN!”

Both of them bolt for the elevator then, Alice cackling in amusement at the scene much to Henry’s irritation. The chase with the Ink demon came to mind, and Henry realizes it wouldn’t have much of a better ending; he had to try something this time, and not shutting a door on someone’s arm. Turning and stopping, Henry causes Sammy to skid to a halt as well before shouting at him;

“Are you mad?! He’s COMING!”

Looking back to Sammy, he shouts back

“Just go! I’ll be fine if he gets me, but you won’t! GO!-”

Just then, Henry feels inky hands grasp him from behind, yanking him backwards with a lot of stumbling; one was over his eyes, the other clutching his throat angrily as the projectionist screeched, his light blinding him despite the covering hand. He could almost make out something being yelled by Sammy, but it was cut off as Henry chokes and succumbs to the angry force of the projectionist, being sent into the ink.

• (POV Switch: Sammy Lawrence)

Staring in horror and feeling shaken, Sammy watches the projectionist strangle and turn Henry into ink that quickly sank through the floor into nothing. Staring down as it did so, the projectionist seemed to be pondering his actions before his flickering lens of rage rose to blind Sammy.

‘God, damn it’ he thinks; Henry’s plan to distract or quell the anger of this strange monster hadn’t worked, and now he was going to die too. Backing up slowly and holding his hands up, Sammy could feel himself shaking rather sadly from how afraid he was as he began to plead despite thinking how useless it’d likely be;

“Come on now… we can talk about this! I-I’m not the one you want, I swear! I’m just a music director!!”

The projectionist, who had been stalking towards him stops then, straightening himself a bit which makes Sammy realize just how huge the guy was height wise; he wasn’t even fully standing straight yet he towered over him. Swallowing nervously, he tries speaking a bit more hoping his words were what stopped him

“I-I didn’t even want to help Alice, I swear! In fact, I loathe her! I just want to live!”

The projectionist silently stares at him, the flickering light making Sammy uncomfortable before the other man tilts his projector head, almost in a gesture of either confusion or curiosity; either way, he wasn’t sure if it meant anything.

“Look… If you just, let me go! That would be great… please?”

The projectionist starts approaching again, each step clanking loudly as his heavy equipment rattles on him. Sammy begins to back up again, now quite terrified of possibly being murdered when he had gotten so far!

“No No NO- PLEASE! PLEASE?! I DON’T WANT TO DIE! MY LORD, MY LORD, PLEASE SAVE ME! HELP! SOMEONE-”

Sammy feels himself back into the rail then, out of room to run as the elevator hadn’t returned yet, and the only other option was ink which really wouldn’t be any better. Shaking, he holds up his arms bracing for the worst as the projectionist gets steadily closer. However, just as the burningly bright lens is inches away, he simply… stops.

Confused, and still rather terrified, Sammy peers through his arms enough to see the projectionist staring silently at him. Unsure of what to do now, he slowly moves his arms more to see if the projectionist was simply waiting to attack him. However, as his arms are fully out of the way, nothing happens; the projectionist was simply… standing there.

“I… uh… Is… is there… something you… want? I-if you let me live, i’ll do anything for you!”

Sammy thinks how that really isn’t true, but if it saved his life he didn’t really care in the moment. The projectionist however still didn’t react as he stood there silently, now really confusing and making Sammy nervous. What did he want?? Was he simply messing with him, or assessing the best way to kill him? 

The projectionist then slowly reaches out a hand making Sammy flinch and get defensive again, but the response merely makes the other stop, his hand hovering in front of Sammy. Unsure, he slowly moves his arms away again, and sure enough, the projectionist begins moving his hand once more. Shaking still, Sammy wonders what he’s supposed to be expecting but decides at this point he doesn’t have much of a choice anyways.

“W-what do you want? Can you even talk?”

The projectionist then ever so gently places a hand on the mask, making Sammy freeze in place silent and unmoving.

Slowly, he attempts to move the mask which makes Sammy tense up and grab his hand before feeling instant regret in doing so; surely the response was going to be taken poorly. Quickly letting go, he sweats waiting to be destroyed like Henry was- but nothing happens. Swallowing, he tries speaking again

“What… do you want from me?...”

The projectionist lowers his gaze a bit before looking Sammy in the eye the best he could through the mask. Some kind of static-y garble comes out of the round speaker in his chest, but Sammy couldn’t understand it at all; was he trying to speak?

“I-I don’t know who you are… but.. I’m Sammy?”

The projectionist suddenly looks taken aback at that, his projector head moving away a bit in surprise before tilting as if he didn’t believe him.

“Y-yes… that’s me… I’m Sammy Lawrence. Music director?...”

The projectionist then looks at his hand which Sammy had grabbed before holding it up between them making a sound that wasn’t unlike a rather sad whale, but much more scratchy and static filled. The whole situation was confusing, and Sammy didn’t know why it was happening, but for some reason this strange ink corrupted man was trying to say… something to him.

Once more, the projectionist tries to take Sammy’s mask but Sammy stops his hand, shaking his head

“P-Please, I’d… rather you not. I’m… not comfortable with my face…”

The projectionist surprises him then by actually nodding; so he was aware, and could understand him.

“What… what do you want from me?”

The projectionist looks down then, as if thinking before shaking his head slowly making another depressing sound. Sammy wasn’t sure how to react, so he stays still and quiet; perhaps he wouldn’t be dying after all. An idea hits him however; if he wanted to communicate, then perhaps they had the perfect way…

“...Can you use your lens to project what you’re thinking? Like… pictures, or words or something?” 

The projectionist looks up at him before shrugging- it seemed he hadn’t tried before, which was curious to Sammy since he wanted to communicate now. Regardless, he turns his head to the wall to try the suggestion, focusing his light on it. Interestingly, after a long moment of nothing, a blurry image of what looks like a memory of walking through the ink corridor plays making Sammy gasp in surprise. It could work! But could he speak with it?

“Can… you speak?”

Sammy felt a bit like a broken record asking the question repeatedly as the projectionist cuts the memory, looking down for a moment before turning back to the wall. He projects several clips now, showing him attempting to pry open the speaker on his chest, tinkering with it using parts and failing, as well as attacking what looked like butcher gang copies to get pieces he was desperately shoving into the speaker- but to no avail. Sammy felt he understood then what he’d been trying to do...

“You’ve been trying to fix your speech box… is that why you’re collecting these hearts? I don’t think they can help you…”

The projectionist looks to him before making a frustrated sound that makes Sammy nervous; did he upset him? Instead however, the projectionist hangs his head in defeat. Looking to the wall once more, he holds up an inky finger now smearing it to write. in retrospect, this made a lot more sense and Sammy felt a bit embarrassed he hadn’t thought of it first. Waiting for him to finish, he reads the rather scraggly writing:

‘Angel can fix. I can fix.’

Sammy leans in for a moment, pondering the words as he remembers Alice’s tangent about using parts from others to fix herself... and how upset Bendy had gotten about it because it was actually killing and using the souls of others. Sammy sweats small beadlets of ink, thinking how he’d have to try and convince the rather terrifying projectionist that it wasn’t such a great idea;

“I… see what you’re trying to do, but there’s a few… issues with your approach.”

The projectionist tilts his head once more, seemingly very keen on Sammy’s words which only makes him more nervous

“W-well, you see.. Um… It turns out that, well, by using those parts, Alice is actually making herself worse... it degrades your ink form faster and… uh..”

Sammy was finding it difficult to speak as not only was he scared, but the projectionist was very clearly getting closer to him as he did

“Well, um, it’s. A bad idea and not going to fix your speaker… I-I mean, I don’t think it can, but it’s still a bad idea- Please don’t hurt me!”

The projectionist had gotten right into his personal space at that moment, making Sammy hold up his arms yet again in defense. The flickering light of the projectionist thankfully backs off as he moves away again, letting out a long disappointed and static-y groan from his damaged speaker. Reaching a hand out to the wall once more, he wipes over the writing, re-absorbing the ink to clear it off before starting anew to write something else. Patiently waiting and feeling rather uncomfortable with the whole situation, Sammy wonders when Henry might return… if he would return.

The projectionist takes a step back then, gesturing for him to read so he does;

‘If not with ink, how do I fix it?’

Sammy taps the chin of his mask at that; it was a really good question indeed. It made him remember Bendy saying something about finding Alice an alternative to using the ‘soul pieces’ to maintain her form… perhaps if he could find it, he could help his lord, the scary projectionist, and (a little less importantly) the wretched angel herself. A little enthusiastic at the idea then, he grabs the straps of his suspenders getting sing-songy with his voice as he speaks

“There is another way~! So our lord has deemed it~! We simply need to figure out what it is; our lord says it exists, so all we have to do is find it!”

The projectionist’s posture slumps a bit, finding something Sammy had said rather unpleasant; he wasn’t sure how though, as everything he’d just said was positive! Sighing at him, he lets go of his suspenders putting his hands on his hips.

“Well no need to get so glum; it’s not going to be easy, that’s for sure, but there has to be a way. From what it looks like, your own inky-form is what’s clogging your speech box… whatever this alternative to Alice’s sick surgery is, it should be able to help us clear that up!”

The projectionist looks down at his speech box then, poking at some of ink around it before looking up and shrugging; Sammy hoped that at this point, they were on at least okay-ish terms and he wouldn’t decide to randomly murder him on the spot later.

“Well, alright then; i’m not sure where to start, but… it can’t hurt to try and investigate places for answers, right?”

Before the projectionist can really react however, a wooden creak causes both of their heads to snap behind him to where Henry had been trying to sneak back up the stairs… And with that, Sammy has to cover his ears as the horrible glass-shattering shriek screeches from the projector headed man who barrels after a now running Henry. Distressed for his companion’s safety, Sammy runs after only to stop short at the stairs as the other two splash off into the ink he didn’t dare touch.

“PLEASE STOP, HE’S NOT EVIL! LEAVE HIM ALONE!”

The projectionist right in that moment had seized Henry, and lifted him from the ink with his other arm drawn back with a fist clenched- but his large projector head swivels to look at Sammy, his whole posture frozen in place. Henry clutches at the hand holding him up, looking quite nervous and uncomfortable, but also rather confused. 

Stuttering now, Sammy tries to reason with him

“I-I… He’s with me! If you hurt him, then… I won’t help you fix anything!”

Henry looks baffled at that, giving a brief ‘What?!’ before the projectionist oddly enough sounded distressed now, glancing between the two. After another moment of thinking, he seemingly decides to listen as he drops Henry to the ink, his lens now flickering down in obvious disappointment.

• (POV Switch: Henry Stein)

Hitting the ink with a rough splash, Henry grunts from the impact before struggling to get back on his feet, trying to shake some of the ink off. He was having a hard time believing what he’d just witnessed; the projectionist wasn’t only listening to Sammy, but he was actually listening to him. Whatever he’d missed when he’d been sent back into the ink must’ve been interesting to say the least.

In any case, he looks to the rather irritated man near him who seemed to be contemplating killing him again

“Can… someone fill me in on what I missed?”

Sammy sighs from the stairs, gesturing in his own irritation

“I’d love to, but can you please come closer? I hate having to project my voice because you’re standing all the way over there!”

Henry rolls his eyes, taking caution as he wades past the projectionist who was still looking down at the ink (and even turns his head slightly away from Henry in contempt) before reaching and standing on the stairs with the frazzled music director

“Alright; i’m closer. What happened?”

Sammy sighs, crossing his arms as he gazes over to the projectionist who was now sitting on one of the crates, fiddling with some broken device.

“I’m not entirely sure… after you were gone, he just… cornered me, but didn’t attack. He even tried to take my mask off, but was… surprisingly gentle about the whole ordeal.”

Henry turns to follow Sammy’s gaze on the projectionist now, curious about that

“Gentle? And he didn’t try to hurt you?”

Sammy gives a so-so hand gesture

“Ehhhh, he did at first, but then I said I was just the music director and… he stopped. Strange, right?”

Henry raises an eyebrow at that, looking back to Sammy as he responds

“Yeah… a little, but also not really.”

Sammy turns his head to look at him then, hand paused mid re-crossing his arms

“Huh??? Not really? What do you mean not really?”

Henry leans against the stairs railing, looking back to the projectionist

“From the audio tapes, it sounded like you two knew each other. His name is Norman Polk; he was the projectionist that recorded you and your music group. You don’t remember?”

He looks back to Sammy now, who seemed to have gone rather deep in thought as his gaze lowers slowly. The projectionist, unbeknownst to him, had snapped his attention up to them upon hearing his name. The flickering however causes Henry to glance over and notice;

“Yeah, that’s your name, isn’t it? You’re Norman Polk- you have a recording right there and everything.”

The projectionist, however, wasn’t listening to Henry at all it seemed; his attention was purely centered on the music director. Turning to look back at Sammy once more, Henry notices he hadn’t changed his demeanor and was still in thought.

“Sammy, don’t hurt yourself trying to find your memories in there…”

Sammy quietly mumbles, tapping a finger to his mouth through the mask’s hole

“Norman… projectionist Norman Polk… hmmm.. I feel like there’s something important i’m forgetting…”

The projectionist, Henry notices, was leaning rather heavily towards them as if eagerly trying to hear Sammy’s response for whatever reason; unfortunately for them, Sammy finishes with:

“Nope; sorry, I can’t remember. Don’t really recall a Norman, but it sounds familiar.”

Both of them watch then as the projectionist deflates, a sad groan crackling over his ink drowned speech box. Henry furrows his brow at that then, walking towards the projectionist now despite the possible danger

“You seem rather disappointed… Why’s that?”

The projectionist sits up at his approach, giving Henry a threatening noise he wouldn’t really call a growl, but was just as effectively telling as one making him stop in his tracks. Sammy from the stairs waves an arm, calling out

“Still not able to walk in the Ink, you know! Mind coming over here?? Again??”

To Henry’s surprise yet again, the projectionist listens to Sammy as he gets up and crosses over. Following behind, Henry felt a bit baffled but figures it’s not a bad thing. Once they’re all on the stairs, Sammy turns to Henry;

“He’s trying to fix his speech box so he can actually talk because it’s a lot easier than spending hours writing on walls and playing charades. I, ever so cleverly, figured we could find that alternative to Alice angel’s ‘part usage’ and let him use it too! Maybe it’ll fix his speaker!”

Henry makes a face at that, unconvinced and unsure about Sammy’s line of reasoning

“I don’t know...that… doesn’t really make sense to me. His speaker isn’t made of ink, it’s just a broken electronic; what we really need is a mechanic who knows how to tinker. Lucky enough, I think I know a guy perfect for the job. Unlucky enough… we’re not meeting him anytime soon, and… well… he doesn’t like strangers.”

Henry realizes that said mechanic really wouldn’t like any of his companions besides Boris maybe, as he didn’t even trust Henry at the start. Sammy sighs at him, sounding a bit impatient

“If we’re not even meeting anytime soon, then what’s the point in bringing it up? Surely there has to be someone who’s good at fixing things around here…”

The projectionist looks down at the speech box while Henry wonders again why he’d seemed so disappointed in Sammy’s lack of remembering him. Maybe he was just sad because it was lonely not being remembered, but it felt like there could be another reason. Either way though, Henry was sure about one thing; even if he could talk, the projectionist wouldn’t tell him anything. He’d simply have to keep wondering. Sighing, Henry rubs his chin in thought

“I don’t know, maybe there is… we might’ve just not met them yet. Before we go running off to try and find someone though, we still need to get the ink hearts for Alice-”

Henry ducks as the projectionist swipes an arm through the air with a shriek at that, causing him to nearly stumble backwards off the stairs into the ink.

“HEY- Watch it! What was that for?!”

The projectionist turns, looking ready to fight when Sammy rather daringly grabs his shoulder, pulling his attention away by force before letting go and holding his hands up- supposedly, he wasn’t too confident after all. Carefully now, the music director addresses the angry projectionist;

“Look. Henry really isn’t that bad! Can you please maybe stop trying to kill him?? Please?”

Henry thinks how Sammy wasn’t convincing at all in hiding his fear, but luckily for them, the projectionist just huffs and looks away. Raising an eyebrow, Henry questions again:

“Why did you do that? Do you really hate Alice that much?...”

The projectionist looks to him then, lens flickering with a glowing fury before slowly clenching his fists. Turning to the wall, he suddenly does something rather extraordinary; He plays a memory… a memory of Alice. Leaning in a bit now, Henry and Sammy both watch from the projectionists point of view of exactly what had happened…

Chapter Text

Struggling angrily against the rope he’d been tied with, Bendy kicks his legs furiously to no avail; it merely made him swing around rather pathetically from a fishing rod he was hanging from that Barley currently had hoisted over his shoulder. Stopping to catch his breath, Bendy pouts angrily as he spins slowly and rather sadly; the butcher gang were going to use him as bait for the projectioninst quite literally it seemed.

“Alright, real FUNNY ya wise guys! Now let me down! Henry’ll be REAL mad if he sees what you’ve done ta me! Then you’ll ALL be sorry!”

Charley merely snickers at him while Edgar ignores him, finishing tying poor Boris to a chair. The quiet wolf whines, his snout wound shut with duct tape (rather pointlessly considering), looking like he was regretting a lot of his life choices. Kicking around again, Bendy bounces around his rope uselessly like a helpless fish on a rod (which frankly, was pretty much what he was at this point).

“Alright, alright, so maybe you’re not scared of Henry! I see why, but hey, that’ll be your LAST mistake…”

Ignoring him once again, Edgar turns to the other two while dusting his hands off

“Alright then; let’s take him to the abyss… the time has come to retrieve what is rightfully ours from that fiend. And, perhaps, even more if we can take him down…”

Charley chuckles deviously, but Barely just quietly shifts his bubble pipe from one side of his mouth to the other. Bendy was getting really irritated now

“Y’know, yer Angel wants to see me in person ALONE right?! If Anythin’ happens ta me, you’re all gonna be TOAST! Buttered, burnt, an’ scraped inta the TRASH!”

At that, he finally gets their attention as all three look at him- the demon tries to glare at them all. but he slowly turns on the rope so his back is facing them. Struggling to face them again, he slowly spint to meet an angry glare from Edgar

“Why would our fairest angel ever want to speak with a demonic heathen like you?”

Bendy sticks his tongue out mockingly before answering, ruffling the striker

“‘Cause she thinks i’m interestin’, pure, an’ actually worth somethin’ unlike ya sorry pieces of-”

“BLASPHEMY! I will NOT believe it! Come; the abyss awaits, as do our supplies!”

Bendy growls in frustration at that, being carried away now down a dark access tunnel leaving poor Boris behind all alone. Looking down the dark hall the gang were shining a small flashlight into, he wonders if he could pull off any demon abilities on purpose to really scare them...

“I’m tellin ya, Alice ain’t gonna be happy if ya hurt me!”

Charley shrugs as they continue walking along, Edgar in the lead with Barely in the back; his short legged waddle was making bendy swing side to side, nearly hitting the walls from his rod. Angrily pouting still, Bendy’s expression slowly changes to a rather devious grin

“Alright, have it your way… but yer gonna really regret one thing fer sure. And that thing… is me.”

Inhaling deeply, all three look at him before Bendy lets out a sound that none of them were prepared for gauging from their reaction. Screeching at a pitch that could shatter glass (which in fact, it had as the flashlight shattered), Bendy was forcing all the air he could out of himself into a shriek. Going for as long as he could, he soon wheezes into silence trying to catch his breath, but the damage had still been done.

In the pitch black, Bendy feels himself get dropped painfully to the floor with a thud, the three butcher gang members stumbling around from what it sounded like until the unmistakable frustrated voice of Edgar spoke up

“rrrRRRAAAH! Duct tape his mouth shut THIS INSTANCE! He will draw the demon to us within seconds like that!”

Bendy was about to try and make a run for it, but he quickly feels someone grabbing and shoving his face to the floor (which truthfully, he thinks, was rather deserved) as somebody else duct taped his mouth shut. Another few moments of stumbling in the dark, and a new flashlight clicked on showing the bruised up crew who had bonked all over the place in their earlier confusion, now glaring at Bendy. Charley, however, was barely hiding a grin because he was trying to hold back just how funny he actually found it.

Bendy glares back, only to be hoisted up with his legs flailing again as Barley throws the rod back over his shoulder, the three resuming their journey to the abyss with him. For once, he hoped the Ink demon would show up and make them all sorry they ever crossed him; unfortunately though, he’d probably end up dead with them. His petty anger didn’t stop him from still wishing for it though.

After a while of swinging silently on the pole and actually starting to get a bit sleepy from it, Bendy blinks back to full awareness as they emerge from the dark tunnel finally; they had moved into a not much brighter room that was massive and flooded with ink. Trying to look around, he can’t make much of it other than it was clearly deep underground and very much not hospitable; the perfect place for monsters to lurk.

Edgar turns then to the other two, mumbling some form of plans that Bendy couldn’t make out- which was probably the point. As he starts kicking his legs again, Barley moves the pole from one shoulder to the next making him swing and smack the wall briefly. Whether intentional or not, it was pretty rough and left Bendy’s eyes spinning as spirals with a few tiny birds chirping in circles over his head. The other three stared a bit at that, having forgotten they were toting around a live cartoon. Charley, it seemed, was absolutely delighted at it.

“That was GREAT! Oh man, do ya think we could get him to do more stuff like that?!”

Edgar smacks a hand over his mouth glaring

“ShhhSH! He could hear us- especially you! Be quiet!”

Charley snorts, shoving his hand away and grinning still but talking quieter now to everyone’s relief;

“Either way, I still think it was hilarious. Do we really gotta kill ‘im?”

Barley frowns a bit, but Edgar shakes his head giving them both a stern and determined look

“He is a necessary sacrifice for our fair angel. Now, remember Barley, me and Charley are going to get what supplies and hearts we can… You’re in charge of using your skills to lure and distract the projectionist. Think you can handle that?”

Barley nods solemnly, but Bendy kicks his feet muffled arguing at them despite nobody understanding him. At that, the other two disappear into the shadows rather impressively (especially loud-mouthed Charley), leaving Bendy alone hanging off the rod in the hands of the fisher. Frowning under the tape, he knew that his actual suffering was about to really begin; he hopes that if the projectionist did get his hands on him, he’d find mercy for once. But he probably wouldn’t.

He also had been hoping Barley was nicer than the other two and would feel bad for him, but Bendy was quickly proven otherwise as the rod is lifted over the side to dangle him over the inky abyss below. Sweating now, Bendy turns his floating head all the way around to give Barley a pleading look, who simply shakes his head in return before he rips the tape off his mouth. Naturally, Bendy yells in pain;

“Yee-OWWW! JEEZ pal, it ain’t a BANDAID!”

Barley grins a little at that, making Bendy frown as he realizes he was doing his distraction job for him already. Struggling pointlessly as ever, he begins to panic a little

“Okay okay okay, look- we can reasonably make a deal here, right?! I-I can help ya out, I can- YIPES!!!”

Barley had released the reel in that moment, stopping it just barely in time so that Bendy didn’t splash straight into the ink. Inches above it, he looks down seeing his own distressed expression reflected in it before hearing the incoming flickering of someone he really didn’t want to meet right now. Panicking even more, Bendy starts flailing all over the place becoming just a tad hysteric

“BARLEY! BARLEY REEL ME IN PLEASE! I’LL NEVER DO CRIME AGAIN, I SWEAR! C’MON, IT AIN’T FUNNY! BARLEEEEYYY!!”

The fisher simply puffs bubbles out of his pipe in response however, watching quietly as the projectionist skulked out of his halls, stopping with his blinding gaze locked on the struggling demon. Freezing like a deer in headlights, Bendy sweats more as his eyes shrink really small in fear

“Aw, Hell…”

However, incredibly out of place, Bendy sees someone else come out after the projector headed ink monster; Sammy, wearing a rather impressive pair of rubber boots was standing next to him now before slapping his hands to his head in distress

“MY LORD!”

As Sammy begins to run over, Bendy struggles yet again hoping to be saved when Barley reels him out of reach in the last second, much to the frustration of both parties. Slowly looking up, the projectionist makes his unhappy growl-like sound which seemed to make the fisher a tad nervous. Taking a step forward, it looked as if Barley might bolt when sudden commotion snaps his attention back to the ink flooded hallways; someone was yelling, followed by metallic clanking.

Confused and irritated, Bendy gets a literal lightbulb over his head before looking Barley in the eye who blinks in confusion. Smiling deviously, Bendy’s teeth turn rather sharp without warning, making the fisher look quite regretful in that moment. Not hesitating, he swiftly bites through the ropes freeing himself finally and tumbling down right into the arms of Sammy, who grunts from the effort of catching him. Above, the fisher was hopping from foot to foot in panic before bolting away; it seemed he wasn’t very bold after all, which was uncharacteristic for who he was supposed to be.

“My lord, are you alright?! What in the name of ink did they do to you?!”

Bendy struggles in Sammy’s arms a bit to straighten himself out to a less awkward position, a look of determination on his face now

“Had a little chat and gave ‘em a bad idea involvin’ yer projector buddy; Now where’s Henry?!”

- (POV Change: Henry Stein)

Deflecting the deadly hatchet arm of an incredibly skilled piper, Henry grunts from the effort of having to fight him off; Whatever he was, he was much smarter and faster than the average piper, making him much scarier.

“What do you want from me?! Get back!”

Caught off guard, Henry actually gets a response;

“We want what yer little projectionist friend took from our Angel! And we ain’t givin’ up ‘til ya hand it over, pal!”

Swinging his pipe behind him now, Henry barely blocks the metallic extending arm of the Striker they’d met earlier, who was being quite aggressive to him now

“You’re not giving her anything! These ink hearts don’t belong to anyone besides the innocents she murdered!”

Both butcher gang members looked rather frazzled at that, lunging in unison making Henry dive under them barely in time as the two collided rather comically mid-air, making a bunch of cartoonish symbols fly off of them. Getting up, he sees a flickering light return with the angry shriek of the projectionist that sends the piper and striker skittering through the ink into the shadows. Barreling over, the projectionist stops near Henry looking around aggressively for them

“Sorry, I didn’t see where they went- they’re trying to get back the hearts and other parts of your stash. They’re a lot smarter than I thought…”

The projectionist screeches again, whacking away an incoming attack from the piper that had nearly hit Henry who hadn't been looking behind himself; the sudden save stunned him briefly before he shook it off

“They’re relentless! What did we do to set them off?!”

Just then, Alice’s voice mockingly coos at them from the speakers all over the corridors

“You stole from me, dear errand boy~! You and your disgusting ink monster buddy there! So now I’m having to authorize force to get it back!”

Henry huffs while the projectionist shrieks yet again, angered from her voice enough to throw a butcher gang copy’s corpse. It flies at the striker, who had nearly made it to the ink hearts, and now had to dive away to avoid being hit. The whole situation was getting more and more out of hand, and soon would be an inky bloodbath if something wasn’t done soon. Feeling frustrated, Henry calls out to the speakers Alice had spoken from

“You didn’t give us the chance to find your alternative to the soul pieces yet! You’re breaking your deal with us!”

“YEAH, what he said!”

Henry turns at the all-too-familiar voice of his beloved demon companion, who upon seeing in Sammy’s arms, made him feel even more panicked

“BENDY?! What’re you doing here?! Now REALLY isn’t the time-”

The projectionist catches the piper’s arm as he lunged straight for Sammy’s legs, throwing him hard as he can down one of the halls causing him to tumble head over heels into the ink. Flustered by the attempted attack and save, Sammy sputters, but Bendy looked unfazed as he answers Henry

“Those bozos dragged me down ‘ere! Can ya believe ‘em?! Tried usin’ me as bait!”

Henry groans, turning now to deflect the striker once again from a crate that had ink hearts piled inside they were so adamantly defending; it turned out the projectionist had pilfered quite a few more from Alice than he’d originally ever known. Looking back to Bendy in exasperation, he responds

“Either way, you need to get out of here! It’s too dangerous!”

Bendy sputters a little at that in disbelief

“What?! I didn’t really have a choice, old man! But now that I’m here I wanna help!”

“Help?! Absolutely not, I’m not letting you get hurt again!”

“Why can’t ya just trust me?! I wanna help! I’m tired ‘a seein’ you guys do everythin’ an’ act like I’m some precious thing ya can’t let outta yer sight!”

“My lord, please-”

“Bendy-”

Irritated, the little demon projects his voice angrily

“NO! I AIN’T BEIN’ BABIED NO MORE! LET ME HELP-”

In that moment, a loud explosion suddenly lit the entire scene with a fiery force that knocked everyone down…

- (POV Change: Bendy)

As the ink and smoke settles, it became clear that the projectionist and Henry were down for the count; Sammy soon followed, groaning and going limp against the wooden boards he’d slammed into. 

Shocked and panicked, Bendy quickly struggles free from Sammy’s arms, just barely stopping him from touching the ink in time; he hangs him up against the wood by his suspenders to keep him dry before turning to assess the situation. The projectionist’s light had gone dim, but was still on at least meaning he was alive but unconscious. Henry was lurched forward against a pile of broken wood boards, but thankfully not face down and drowning in ink; he looked incredibly injured however.

“HENRY!”

Running over, Bendy skids to a halt as he’s surrounded by the three now rather angry looking butcher gang members. Glaring himself right back, he slowly turns his attention to each one at a time before stopping at Edgar sneering at him; the striker smirks rather obnoxiously back

“Give it up, demon! You’re outnumbered and out classed! We’re taking the supplies and that’s that!”

Spitting at him, Edgar looks incredibly offended and draws his sword now aiming it at him; Bendy merely smirks himself now in response

“There may be three of ya… but I am in no way out-classed. Yer about ta be the most sorry bunch ‘round this place…”

A huff from Charley turns his attention

“Big talk comin’ from the guy we tied up not too long ago!”

Glaring silently at him, Bendy’s gaze trails as he realizes who had set off the explosives; Barley was holding up grenades comically shaped like fish he’d fashioned from spare parts. 

In that moment, pure cold anger floods over him; he’d hurt Sammy, the projectionist, and Henry. His grin twitching a bit, Bendy closes his eyes before re-opening them, his typically pie-cut eyes replaced with a terrifyingly human expression shared by a certain no-wandering cut out. Rightfully so, the Fisher becomes nervous and starts to back away 

“If ya think i’m only talk… Well… lemme show ya just why they call me demon”

Holding his hands out, Bendy cackles as the ink begins to swirl around and trap the three with him in an inky-vortex. Immediately all three of the butcher gang’s faces become terrified with regret; Bendy, enjoying every bit of it, merely cackles harder. If they wanted to threaten his friends and cause a problem, well, they’d have to see exactly what the title demon meant; it wasn’t a simple honorific!

Lifting up from the ink, Bendy holds out his hands making the ink change into three huge ink hands that grab and hold the butcher gang who were now struggling in fear. 

Smirking, he starts squeezing his own hands into fists crushing them; Charley yells, Edgar shouts, and Barley quietly wheezes only making Bendy feel even more devilish. Giggling, Bendy slowly starts to devolve into another chaotic cackle before he hears Edgar cry out with the last of his efforts;

“MY ANGEL, SAVE US!”

Blinking in surprise, Bendy momentarily loses focus, lessening his grip on them before he angrily crushes them even more than before while growling

“NOBODY WILL SAVE YA NOW! You were damned to this hell with the rest of us, and i’ll make sure ya don’t FORGET IT!”

Twisting his face into a horrific smile, Bendy can feel the urge to finish crushing them into inky pulp... when a voice calls out over the speakers frantically catching him rather off guard;

“STOOOOOP! DON’T KILL THEM!”

Silently floating there for a moment, Bendy tries to comprehend who was speaking before realizing it was Alice herself

“Huh?! Why in this ink drowned Hell would ya even care, lady?!”

“Because I made them! I don’t want to lose them!”

Staring at the struggling butcher gang members who were gasping for air, Bendy blinks a few times before his eyes return to normal and he frowns. What was he doing?? Why was he so easily willing to hurt people he’d just been trying to befriend? Suddenly, he felt very keen on why Henry had been so antsy about him…

‘On the plus side, I’ve got a new character I think people are going to love’

The voice seemed to echo in his mind for a moment before Bendy shakes his head, sighing irritably as he unclenches his fists and lets all three butcher gang members drop to the ink below. Lowering himself too, he looks down a bit in shame before crossing his arms

“Technically, ya didn’t make ‘em…”

“No, but I still nurtured them to where they are! I… I only act like I don’t like looking at them for reasons you don’t need to hear- but they’re still mine! It took so long, and I worked so hard… I really do care for them!”

Bendy wasn’t sure if her feelings for the butcher gang members was exactly moral or true, but he had at least give her credit for claiming she cared. He watches as they struggle to get up before another idea pops into his head; within moments, he summons a rope from the ink that drags and ties all three of them together, rendering them immobile and incapable of fighting.

“There; they ain’t dead, but they ain’t gettin’ no stinkin’ ink hearts for ya either!”

Sighing over the speakers, Alice seemed to have been telling the truth from what he could tell as she sounded relieved they were alive. Looking over the rather miserable butcher gang, Bendy began to feel guilty again that he’d lost control on them; in fact, he felt a little fearful of his own power. What if the others had seen it? What would Henry have said?? What if he had actually gone through with killing them? Nervously, he realizes the three could blab and tell everyone what he’d done and then what? He felt almost positive they’d get scared of him and run away, leaving him alone…

Desperate now, he hurries over to the three who all flinch, looking rightfully wary of him

“Okay, look- I-I know it sounds crazy, but ya all gotta promise ya won’t say what happened here, okay?? I-I just… can’t have ya tellin’ them, okay?”

Charley nervously exchanges a look with Barley when Edgar gives him a squinting look of disbelief, his mouth slightly open

“Wh… Excuse me?! You nearly killed us, tied us up, and essentially went full blown demon on us… and you’re begging us to help you by saying nothing?!”

Bendy sweats, knowing what he was asking was rather senseless considering; but still, he had to try, right?

“Please?? Just… I-I don’t wanna get ditched by Henry an’ the others! You guys know how lonely it is havin’ nobody! Ya wouldn’t want that fer me, would ya?? I-I made ya laugh, right Charley??”

Charley genuinely seems to contemplate that as a reasonable counterpoint, but Edgar scoffs at him with a glare

“You are truly mad if you think that matters! Perhaps if you release us and allow us to return the stolen goods to our angel, we may just possibly consider-”

“I can’t! If I do that, they’ll be mad at me! Plus, those hearts are bad for her anyways!”

“Fine, then; it seems you are the one who ultimately loses instead of us…”

Bendy blinks, taken aback by how blunt but true his statement was; even if he beat them up or killed them, it wouldn’t matter as the others would be just as horrified either way. At this point, he was damned if he did and damned if he didn’t considering there was no reason for them to help him.  Henry and the others didn’t know the full truth about him, and surely would abandon or try to hurt him if they did.

Overwhelmed by the potential loss of his friends and guilt over what he’d done, Bendy slowly holds his head looking down with a sniff, his vision starting to blur up from tears.

Edgar stares along with the other two as the little demon begins to cry before Charley and Barley surprisingly looked upset by it. Looking down, Edgar goes silent before cursing a quiet ‘damn it all!’ to himself, looking back up to Bendy while glaring but not being as harsh as before

“Please stop crying- we won’t say anything.”

Bendy sniffs, wiping his eyes furiously now finding these three were surprising him quite a bite lately

“I-I wasn’t cryin’! But… ya really mean it? Why?...”

Edgar sighs heavily, looking away

“Yes, we mean it; and why? Well, frankly, I would rather not help you at all, but I do not enjoy making others cry… also you did not seem entirely in control of yourself- much like someone else often gets...”

He glares at Charley, who whistles innocently before grinning and adding

“Hey- I guess we kinda did beat and tie ya up. Call it an eye for an eye! But in this case, more like a bruise for a bruise, Hah-HAH!”

Edgar and Barley both wince from his laugh before Bendy rubs his eyes again, sniffing and looking confused

“But… really, why? Why’d ya change yer minds?”

Edgar looks away a bit embarrassed it seems

“I… Look. It is not important-”

Charley cuts in then;

“Edgar likes to follow a code of chivalry or somethin’! He likes being all proper and nice to people, even his own enemies!”

Bendy sniffs one more time before slowly grinning at that

“Really…? Well, good ta know you guys ain’t mindless crooks like the old butcher gang… and uh… ya won’t say anythin’ about me cryin’, right? ‘Cause I wasn’t. I got Ink in my eye.”

Edgar sighs, closing his eye while Charley snickers, Barley quietly kicking some ink idly

“No, we won’t mention that either if you are asking politely. But can you please free us at the least?”

Bendy walks over, looking down on the three who were quite beat up like Charley had mentioned; it was interesting to him how they’d gone from newfound friends, to enemies, to awkward allies again. It was a proper cartoon drama, alright. Edgar’s comment on him losing control made him a bit anxious though; was he really losing it every time he used his powers? Maybe he shouldn’t use them anymore… 

Sighing, Bendy speaks again

“I wanna, but… they were fightin’ real hard ta stop ya from takin’ this stuff to Alice. I wanna find out why from them first ‘cause yer not takin’ the hearts either way; I said i’d find a better way ta fix her, so I’m gonna do that first!”

The butcher gang all groan at that, looking disappointed; over the speakers, Alice replies to Bendy

“The reason they were fighting is none of your business. And if you can’t find an alternative, I will take those hearts back! It would be a waste to let them sit there like that to rot…”

Bendy puts his hands on his hips, about to make a snarky remark in return when he hears Henry groaning and waking up; in response, he runs over to him

“Henry! Henry, are you okay?!”

Chapter Text

Everything felt heavy; it was as if the weight of the world was suddenly on his shoulders, and he was struggling to hold it up. He somehow knew if he let go or gave up it would mean disaster, so he pushed, struggled, and slowly moved forward.

Lifting from ink, Henry could feel himself being held- almost as if he were being pulled by it. Looking back, he realizes this was the literal truth as dozens of inky arms were trying to pull him back. Pulling against them harder in his struggle, the strain was becoming overbearing.

Opening his mouth slowly, he tries to yell, but instead a terrible snarl rips through the air as he shakes from the effort of his force. The arms still held firmly, but a few had shrank away from him.

Pulling and pushing his own limbs, Henry felt his right leg straining harder than the left; it was unstable, and not supporting him well. Adrenaline was starting to pump through him as the fear of being pulled under took over. Additionally, he was beginning to feel angry that the beings of the ink were doing this to him.

Trying to yell again, his mouth opens wide as he lets out a demonic roar that vibrates the wooden walls, floors, and ceilings with a deep resonance as he tries to form words;

‘Let me go! Stop pulling me! Let me free! Let go! Let go!’

“Let… GO! ”

The words out of his mouth sounded otherworldly and terrifying, and were so loud a few glass window panes cracked. Immediately, all of the limbs released him as he stumbles forward out of the ink he’d been standing in to solid wooden flooring. Falling to his hands and knees, he takes a moment to catch his breath and regain stamina when he notices something…

These were not his hands. This was not his body.

Scrambling to his feet, he slams to one of the cracked windows feeling frozen as the cracked and multiplied visage staring back had a big toothy grin that belonged to the Ink demon. 

Trying to throw himself away in fear, Henry finds he can’t move as dark laughter begins to echo in his head.

Everything was spinning now, and he felt as if he were going to pass out into the dark void of laughter; sinking, disappearing, being pulled into darkness by the demon like ink down a drain... 

-

Gasping awake, Henry finds normal Bendy shaking him repeatedly while yelling

“Henry! Henry, wake up! Are you okay?! Henry- Henry! What happened?? Are ya alright? Are ya hurt??”

Henry blinks a bit, feeling dazed before his mind refocuses and he looks to Bendy

“Huh?... What happened? How…”

Bendy gives him a puzzled look before snorting at him

“I’m the one askin’ you that, old man! You were squirmin’ and yellin’ like the Ink demon possesed ya!”

Henry’s eyes widen a bit at that, staring

“He… I think he did .”

It was Bendy’s turn to stare now before looking really nervous

“Yer… yer jokin’ right? ‘Cause that’s a real bad joke!”

Henry shakes his head quietly before a loud voice from nearby calls out

“THE INK DEMON POSSESSED YOU?? CAN HE DO THAT TO ALL OF US?”

Holding his aching head and shutting his eyes, Henry groans as a ‘whack’ noise silences the person yelling; the posh voice he recalls belonging to the striker speaks

“Keep it down, will you?! That volume in this tight space is hardly necessary .” 

“ Owwww … how’d ya manage to do that when we’re tied up?!”

Henry rubs his head, slowly opening his eyes to see the squabbling butcher gang tied together and arguing. Once again, he asks Bendy, who was silently fretting to himself:

“What happened? How did I get knocked out?”

Bendy blinks, frowning and looking to Henry before briefly glancing to the tied up butcher gang and looking back again

“Well, Barley threw some explosives… knocked all of ya out cold. I uh… took care of it.”

Henry raises an eyebrow, glancing around to find Sammy hanging rather sadly by his suspenders to keep him out of the ink while the projectionist was face down in the ink. Shaking his head a little, he looks to Bendy once more

“How did you do it? I always thought I needed to be the one protecting you… but you protected me .”

Bendy nervously rubs the back of his head, not meeting his gaze

“It’s complicated. I’m just… not weak as ya think.”

Henry furrows his brow, concerned about what Bendy wasn’t telling him, but in the moment their situation needed his attention; he’d talk to him about it later. Struggling to move, Henry gasps as pain shoots from his spine all over his body making him collapse even more painfully back against the wooden plank and rubble he’d landed in. Looking panicked, Bendy gets closer gently grasping his shoulder

“Henry! Yer hurt! How bad is it?? Why isn’t the ink healin’ ya?”

Henry takes a moment to catch his breath, gritting his teeth before looking to the worried face of his demon buddy. Smiling despite it all, he carefully moves a hand to pat him before dropping it as it still ached. Bendy looked rather unconvinced.

“I don’t know; it just hurts to move… I think my back got banged up. It’ll be fine-”

“It was the grenade.”

Henry and Bendy both look over to meet the calm gaze of the striker who nods at them. Henry must have looked as confused as he felt- yeah, the grenade had hurt him- because the striker sighs before shaking his head and explaining

“It was not a simple explosive; it was combined with a chemical mixture that prevents the revitalizing properties of the ink. It is not permanent, but you will be in pain for a decent time. It was mostly meant for the projectionist himself…”

Henry frowns as Bendy puts his hands to his head in disbelief 

“Ya mean you guys can just- down someone, an’ they can’t get up?? Can’t respawn?”

Edgar looks to Barley, who nervously looks down before Charley picks up for him

“Barley is an engineerin’ genius! It won’t kill ya permanently, but it keeps ya down for a while. We wanted to try it on the Ink demon, but… well… if you guys have the balls ta do it, you’re welcome to try!”

Henry makes a face at that, shaking his head

“I don’t want to, thanks. The Ink demon… is pretty mad at me already. I’m not trying to give him more reasons to hate me...”

Charley shrugs, and Bendy moves closer to Edgar looking desperate

“How do we reverse it? Henry’s hurt real bad!”

Edgar frowns back at him, sighing

“My apologies, but you will simply have to wait. He will need to deal with the pain until it wears off.”

Charley nods, looking rather somber

“I remember all the tests that went wrong when Barley was makin’ the stuff. Sometimes it really wasn’t fun…”

Barley looks a bit guilty then, glancing down quietly mumbling a ‘Sorry’ that makes Charley smile 

“Hey, ya didn’t mean it buddy. Don’t worry about it! Can’t say those searchers felt the same though, Hah-HAH!”

Henry rubs his temples again from the loud piper, wishing he could get a soft quiet place to rest; his back really was starting to bother him now. From what it felt, it might’ve hit something in his spine that connected to several limbs and it really didn’t feel good. If he had to describe it, he’d say it was like getting electric volts through his nerves when moving too much, and simply a big painful bruise when he stayed still.

Bendy sighs, catching his attention as the little demon turns to Henry with a pout

“At least bleedin’ an’ broken bones ain’t killin’ ya…”

Henry gives him a meek smile at that, trying his best not to worry him too badly. From behind, he hears Sammy groaning; conveniently, the projectionist was starting to move too, his light getting brighter as he woke. The butcher gang, tied up and vulnerable, all were starting to sweat and get nervous. Henry frowns, realizing they were now at the mercy of the projectionist, whom he couldn’t dream of stopping like this.

Bendy steps forward, looking ready to fight as the projectionist began to stand; however, he collapses down kneeling on one knee immediately after. Lucky for the butcher gang, it seemed he wasn’t quite in fighting conditions either. Moving now, the projectionist sits roughly against a wooden support beam while glaring upon and making the butcher gang squint. The piper complained rather boldly;

“Can ya aim that elsewhere? I’d like to keep the one eye, if you’d let me…”

The projectionist gives a static-y snarl, but surprisingly complies as his lens turns to stare at the wall. Henry looks to his left at Sammy who was still struggling to wake up; the more awake he became, the more Henry could hear him muttering to himself. Raising an eyebrow, he looks to Bendy

“What’s he saying? Can you check on him?”

Bendy blinks, turning from the others before trotting over to Sammy

“Hey, Sam-Man! Ya dead?”

Sammy groans loudly in response, making the little demon snicker, before he returns to muttering. Henry could barely make out his words now

“...Hurts. Why.. why did he… that machine.. No.. how many? How many… Norman… Norman? Where…”

Henry wishes he could get up, as he was rather curious about Sammy’s words; was he remembering? Or was he simply jumbled up from the explosion? He starts in surprise instead however as Sammy gasps loud enough to make everyone look over, including the flickering light of the projectionist.

“Oh my GOD! I’m DEAD! That absolute WRETCH! HOW DARE HE! HOW DARE HE!”

His voice was becoming rather shrill, and making Henry’s head pound; Bendy was even squinting in pain, grimacing. Edgar from the butcher group snorts;

“You are only NOW realizing this, my good sir?!”

Sammy shakes his head before looking around and finding what had been done to him

“What- Oh come on, not my suspenders! Hmph;”

Freeing himself, Henry realizes his mask was missing; how long until he noticed and panicked, he wasn’t sure… the music director seemed rather pre-occupied in the moment, and was now pacing

“I’ve known I’m dead; What I mean is I was MURDERED! Murdered by that lying, conniving, spineless and deluded WRETCH Joey Drew! He said I had to come back, lied and lured me here, then KILLED me! Oh, if I EVER get my hands on that man… HOW MANY?! How many of us did he LIE to?! He’s a serial killer, HENRY!”

Henry was wincing more and more as Sammy’s voice got louder than the Piper’s, impressively enough. The projectionist was struggling to stand again, using the wall for support as he did so while Sammy ranted on, pacing back and forth in front of Bendy who simply followed him with his gaze

“I finally remember what happened! The letter- the lies! That machine . Oh, that dreaded, terrible, AWFUL machine! Ohhh, I’m so ANGRY! What’s worse is that he took everyone with him! He couldn’t stand being alone in his failure, he had to take EVERYONE with him! SELFISH! DELUDED AND SELFISH ! AND!... And…”

He trails off as he goes back into thought, Bendy slowly looking to Henry with an expression that said ‘please, make it stop’. Giving him a pitying look back knowing they couldn’t do anything, Henry instead turns his head with a pained grunt to watch the projectionist still slowly dragging himself over to Sammy. Sammy glances to him, quiet still before he sighs and gently takes hold of the struggling man, guiding him to sit down. The softness between them was surprising to Henry, as Sammy wasn’t much of an openly emotional type, and the projectionist… well, he hated most everyone.

The projectionist looks up to him with a tilted head as Sammy silently gazes back before shaking his head

“If you’re asking if i’m hurt, i’m fine; just a bit of an ache. I think you and Henry took most of it… speaking of, Henry; how’re you holding up over there?”

“Well, considering I can’t move… not great.”

Sammy straightens up then, Bendy going back up to Henry’s side followed by the music director

“Really? Why can’t you-”

Edgar sighs loudly then, knowing he’d have to re-explain himself. Before he can however, Sammy gasps loudly again once more making everyone look at him before Henry notices he’d finally realized...

“MY MASK! WHERE IS IT?! OH, DON’T LOOK AT ME! I’M HIDEOUS!”

Running around blindly with his hands over his eyes, Sammy was hyperventilating a bit as Bendy makes a face

“Ye-eeeesh! Insecurity radiates from that guy so much it makes you feel insecure standin’ by ‘im!”

Henry sighs giving Bendy a look, the demon giving him one back

“What?!”

“Cut him a break, he’s not like himself anymore… you understand that, right?”

Bendy stares at Henry for a moment before glancing away to rub the back of his head; it seemed he clearly did.

Nearby, the projectionist struggles up yet again making Henry worry a little for him before he notices something clutched in his hand; it was the mask. He had been trying to give it back to Sammy earlier. Limping over to where the music director was still running around blind in panic, the two collide roughly before the projectionist windmills falling backwards into the ink with Sammy gasping and landing right on top of him.

Awkwardly, Henry notices the room had gone rather silent… even the butcher gang didn’t dare make a sound. Slowly, the projectionist sits up a little to look at Sammy who seemed frozen; Henry couldn’t tell what he was thinking, but he was sure it was likely embarrassment. Lifting his arm shakily, the projectionist gently slides the mask over Sammy’s face giving him a little nod before flopping roughly back down into the ink; Sammy at least had sat up off of him, avoiding the ink nervously.

Bendy turns to Henry making an incredibly hilarious face of utter disgust

“YUCK! That was all awkwardly romantic or somethin’!”

Sammy reels at that, standing up incredibly fast and flustering, stamping his feet making ink splash

“IT! WAS! NOT! DON’T MAKE IT WEIRDER! H-HE WAS JUST HELPING ME!”

Bendy sneers, making a really snide expression while resting a hand on his chin pensively

“Yeah? Just like how he’s been helpin’ ya this whole time? Almost like he likes ya or somethin’?”

Sammy squawks at that, stamping even more and splashing ink over the poor projectionist that Henry currently pitied more than anyone in the moment

“L-L-LIKE ME?! YOU’RE BEING RIDICULOUS! HE’S JUST TRYING TO HELP SO WE HELP HIM!”

Bendy shrugs, holding his hands out closing his eyes still incredibly smug; Charley was cackling with laughter now, Edgar rolling his eye but poorly hiding a hint of a smile while Barley was looking down bashfully to the ink, smiling himself.

“Ya sound really defensive-”

“MY LORD, PLEASE! Can we just- drop it?!”

Bendy busts out laughing before wiping a tear and sighing

“Fine, fine; only ‘cause my ears are hurtin’!”

Henry snorts himself at that, raising an eyebrow

“What ears?”

Bendy gives him a smug look, shrugging

“Oh ya know, secret ones~”

Henry grins, looking past Bendy to Sammy who now had his arms crossed and was avoiding looking at anyone, but was glancing to the projectionist now and again. The projectionist was still laying in the ink, apparently done trying to move around at this point which Henry could relate to. Interrupting everything however, a voice over the speakers reminds him of how they all ended up here in the first place;

“Well obviously he likes you, you moron. He had a weird crush on you back when we worked here.”

Sammy stiffens, slowly looking at one of the speakers while very keenly avoiding the flickering light of the projectionist, who slowly lifted his head to look at him

“ I beg your pardon?? ”

“You heard me. C’mon, Sammy- don’t tell me you lost that much of your memory! You remember Norman, don’t you?”

Sammy silently stands there before holding out his arms in a shrug

“No, I don’t, apparently! I’m the unlucky one who can’t remember anything!”

While Alice and Sammy were busy bickering over memories, Henry looks to Bendy who approaches him looking a bit solemn

“Anythin’ I can do for ya? Ya don’t look all too comfortable…”

Henry closes his eyes, feeling exhaustion weighing him down as well as his pain. He then remembers the whole ink demon possession, and promptly reopens his eyes.

“I’d like to be moved somewhere softer to lay down, but I’m not sure anyone who isn’t hurt can lift me…”

Bendy taps his chin in thought likely pondering who could move him before his expression drops, turning blank for a moment. Looking panicked, he slaps his hands to the sides of his head

“AW HELL- BORIS! I’LL BE RIGHT BACK!”

Henry blinks in surprise, shocked before looking in the direction Bendy bolted off to

“WAIT! Bendy, come back- What’s going on?!”

Unfortunately for him, the demon had already taken off, leaving him questions he wanted answers to. Sighing heavily, he tunes back into the conversation of Sammy and Alice, which had apparently lost the projectionist’s attention as his gaze was back on the ceiling.

“I WISH I could remember that! It sounds hilarious! We really did that??”

Alice chuckles in amusement, making the butcher gang members all lighten up

“Yes, we did! Ah, what a fun day at the office that was… Joey spent all day trying to find what was making the noise. Those were good times, I have to say…”

Sammy sighs in wonder, tilting his head

“I really do wish I could remember… but this inky damned body holds nothing but my mind and traces of a few memories. If only I could find myself…”

Henry feels nervous at that wording, praying now (to any possible chance of something resembling some form of a god that wasn’t the Ink demon) that Sammy wasn’t going to become another Alice. 

“Well, maybe if you bring me those ink hearts I can help with that-”

The projectionist screeches then, startling everyone and making Sammy literally jump. Looking over, Henry could see him shaking terribly from the effort of having thrown himself to his feet, barely standing. Sammy sputters a bit before Alice tsks;

“Really, that reaction isn’t necessary every time, you creep. It’s simple and easy; I’ll give him a treatment just like I use-“ 

Once more, the projectionist screeches, lurching towards Sammy who quietly gasps thinking perhaps he was about to be struck. Instead, the projectionist grabs hold of him, shaking loudly as his equipment clanks on itself and stares him blindingly in the eye.

Henry tries to sit up himself, but finds it was still too much and sinks back down with a pained grunt. Meekly, Sammy asks;

“W-what… do you want from me?”

The projectionist leans his head in very close to Sammy’s mask before the speaker on his chest starts to furiously crackle with static like an old radio. Shaken and nervous, Sammy flinches a bit from it; and to Henry’s own surprise, barely formed static-y words sputter in and out like a program that was losing signal.

“Don’t- -bzzzzzrt- trust!- -vzzzzzzt- ALICE!”

The speech was almost incomprehensible, the voice so garbled Henry wondered if it was even human. Sammy, however, seemed even more startled than anyone as he stood shaking as hard as the projectionist. The butcher gang seemed almost equally shocked, gawking at the situation before a calm and rather soothing voice speaks from their group:

“I can fix that…” 

Sammy slowly turns his head then, as does everyone else to see that the fisher had spoken. This must’ve been unusual, as the other two butcher gang members were gawking even harder. Unfortunately, the pleasant awe is cut short as the projectionist lets out a dreadfully pained screech while collapsing to the ink.

Gasping, Sammy finally unfroze as he quickly but carefully crouches in the ink, holding the projectionist’s shoulders now.

“Are you alright?! I mean- clearly not, but are you hurt worse??” 

The projectionist shakes his head, making Sammy sigh with relief before Alice speaks again 

“How touching… I didn’t take you for the caring type Sammy…”

He puffs, ignoring her it seemed. Once more, the fisher turns, speaking quietly but clearly

“I can fix the speaker.”

Sammy and the projectionist look over, Henry slowly doing the same as the piper speaks up 

“Barley… ya really wanna help him? After everything he’s done to us?!”

The fisher gets a somber look before nodding 

“Maybe… we can talk it out. I don’t like violence…”

Henry found that ironic considering he’d been the one with the grenades, but perhaps there was something going on he wasn’t aware of. Humming a long ‘Hmm’ from the speakers, Alice adds:

“Maybe he should. Norman and I certainly don’t get along, but… maybe it’s time to try and make… ugh… relation efforts…”

Henry notes how pained and disgusted she sounded about it, but personally wonders; was she changing too? Either way, he was grateful as it could mean more potential allies; he’d hate to have to leave her behind after what she’d suffered.

The projectionist then looks to Sammy, who quietly asks him;

“Do you want me to free them?...”

The projectionist silently stares before he nods ever so slightly. Henry watches as Sammy sighs quietly, walking over to the butcher gang and carefully examining the rather thick rope binding them. It seemed freeing them was going to be difficult. 

That is, until the piper rips the rope free with a swift jerk of his left arm using his hatchet hand.

Hopping up, everyone’s attention was now trained on said piper, who blinks before realizing and letting out a hearty laugh (much to Henry’s aching dismay) and speaks;

“You’re all probably thinkin’ ‘why didn’t you just do that in the first place!’, Eh? Well, answer is: I didn’t feel like it!”

The striker gives a look that Henry felt could’ve melted someone if he’d had a laser for an eye before responding 

“You… did not… feel like it?”

The piper laughs more gleefully, the fisher getting up while shaking his head a little as the striker starts yelling and scuffling with the still laughing piper. Sammy shakes his own head as well, turning to follow the fisher over to the projectionist. Henry can’t help but smile now; it was all so ridiculous… like a live cartoon.

Waddling cautiously up to the projectionist, the fisher kneels almost fearlessly right in front of him as the flickering light washes over him like an ominous beam of judgement. However, neither made a move to harm the other; instead, the projectionist carefully adjusts himself into a sitting position so the fisher could inspect the speaker attached to his chest. Sammy nervously observes from above, asking;

“Is it fixable?”

The fisher nods, gently reaching out and touching it now.

“It’s bad… but not unfixable. Gonna need my tools though…”

Nearby, the loud squabbling between the striker and piper stops as the striker turns with a look of disbelief

“You mean bringing them into our hideout?!”

The fisher looks over with a frown as the piper shrugs and grins 

“Guess we gotta be buddy buddy now! Works fer me!”

The striker huffs loudly, getting aggressive 

“IT DOES NOT FOR ME! How many of our brethren has he slaughtered?! How many times has he injured and nearly killed us?! I will NOT idle by and be his friend, nor allow our enemy behind our lines!!”

The projectionist growls warningly at him, but the striker stands his ground, stamping a foot

“You know what you have done! I will NOT easily FORGIVE YOU!”

The projectionist seemed like he was considering attack while both Sammy and the fisher became nervous. Worried that things were about to devolve back into fighting, Henry wished he could move because there wasn’t much he could do laying on a bunch broken wooden planks. 

The striker and projectionist were locked in a glaring standoff now, Sammy trying to hold him from standing up again while the Piper grabbed one of the striker’s arms to hold him back as well. Glancing between both parties, the fisher seemed quite unhappy to be caught in the middle.

Before tensions can escalate further however, there was a loud clashing over the speakers followed by a rather startling scream; immediately all of the butcher gang members jumped to attention, the striker looking horrified

“MY ANGEL!! Quick- we must return to her at once!! Leave these fools and the supplies, we protect Alice first and foremost!”

With that, the three butcher gang members were already taking off and disappearing as Henry, Sammy, and the projectionist all were trying to figure out what was going on. Henry could hear the sound of things clattering around as well as frantic yelling from Alice, but couldn’t make out what was going on.

“NO! HOW DID YOU GET IN HERE?! GET BACK- GET BACK! SOMEBODY HELP ME-”

Looking confused and nervous, Sammy turns in circles before focusing on Henry as if begging the question ‘What are we supposed to do?!’. Unsure, Henry continues listening as an even louder smashing noise rattles over the speakers, making even the projectionist look up with a start. Soon, more yelling ensued

“ WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! ”

“Savin’ yer BUTT lady! Now c’mon, if ya wanna LIVE!”

Feeling a sinking in his chest, Henry recognized Bendy’s voice; what was he doing in her lair?! What was happening in her lair?! His many questions were quickly answered as an all too familiar heartbeat began to pound over the speakers, accompanied by blood chilling hissing.

It was the Ink demon. 

And there was nothing Henry could do about it now but hope.

Chapter Text

Lifting a screaming Alice over his head in an adrenaline fueled feat of strength, Bendy throws her into the air as she shrills, narrowly saving her from a blast of ink the Ink demon had flung right at them. It harmlessly sails around Bendy without touching him as he scuttles around trying to catch the still screaming angel, who practically crushes him to the floor with a grunt.

Quickly popping back up now holding her over his head again, Bendy scrambles before jumping up and over a chair as one of Alice’s workbenches is thrown clear beneath them. Thankfully, Bendy was able to predict what that ink headed moron was going to do because they thought alike enough; unfortunately, he also knew what he was going to do if he got his hands on them. 

Running fast as his rather short legs lugging a screaming woman could go, Bendy turned his floating head 180 only to see the Ink demon was hot on their tail; literally, considering he was knocking sparking equipment over that was lighting things on fire. Bendy had no idea the place could even catch fire, but now that it had, he found it very out of place- especially since the flames were sepia toned. He should’ve figured as much however, considering the candles everywhere.

Still screaming, Alice kicks her legs uselessly making Bendy stumble and glare ahead as his head spins back around

“LADY! YER NOT HELPIN’ BY DOIN’ THAT; STOP KICKIN’!”

“HE’S RIGHT BEHIND US AND TRYING TO KILL US!”

“YEAH, ‘M WELL AWARE!”

Just then, Bendy throws open a hallway door that the Ink demon splats right into with a sickeningly loud squelch on the other side. Bits of ink go flying everywhere, but Bendy doesn’t stop to laugh as much as he’d love to; the angry roar behind him was more than enough reason why. He wasn’t actually sure where he was supposed to be running to, he just knew they had to put enough distance between them and the Ink demon to live. Hopefully.

“LOOK OUT!”

Blinking, Bendy turns his head again only to skid with a loud “YIPES!” as he flattens both of them to the floor; the door the Ink demon had run into sailed past them splattering ink everywhere like an unfortunate frisbee before breaking on a distant wall. Alice shoves at him, struggling

“Get OFF of me!!”

“Lady, I am tryin’ REAL hard not ta just leave ya to him as is!”

Getting up now, he starts pulling her arm instead figuring it’d probably be faster; of course, she wasn’t making it easy trying to pull it away still.

“Stop TOUCHING me! I can save MYSELF!”

“Sure didn’t seem that way when I first showed up and saved yer sorry butt!”

“Well I don’t need you now !”

“Oh yeah? what’s yer brilliant plan then?! Because runnin’ ain’t it!”

Huffing, she yanks him this time as more ink hurls down the hall after them; they were now inside a side room he hadn’t noticed before. Shutting the door, Alice was already pushing a desk in front of it glaring at Bendy

“Don’t just stand there, do something!”

“YEESH! ‘Save me! Stop saving me! Help me!’ lady make up yer MIND!”

He helps blockade the door regardless though, which wouldn’t hold for long but it would give them a moment to think as the Ink demon angrily slams on it from the other side. Looking around the room, Bendy can’t see any other way out; it seemed they were trapped.

“What’d ya drag us in here for?! We’re dead!”

“No, we’re not .”

Just then, she knocks on a wall and a secret passage quickly opens as the butcher gang responds to her code. Hurrying inside, she motions for Bendy to follow who hesitates

“What about Boris?!”

Alice huffs, giving him a dirty look

“Already taken care of! He’s right here; now hurry !”

Bendy scuttles fast he can then, the blockaded door slamming a bit open as the Ink demon’s arm angrily flails around through it. Like he figured, it had grown back just fine!

“Don’t gotta tell me twice!”

Once they were all inside, the butcher gang quickly shut and locked what was a secret metal blast door disguised as a section of the wall; there was no way the Ink demon would be getting through. At least, Bendy hoped as much. Following the group rushing down the hall, he jogs up to the front where Alice was, giving her a look

“Alright, where’s Boris then?? Also has anyone noticed the weird amount of blast doors in this place?”

As he asks, they exit into the butcher gang’s hideout area where Boris was pulling on tool belts and grabbing weapons. Bendy runs over to him forgetting about the doors, relieved and actually rather glad to see him; and surprisingly, the friendly wolf must’ve felt the same as he scoops up the little demon in a big hug.

“Boris! Buddy! Yer alright!! I’m sorry I took so long ta come back fer ya; it was a mess!”

Whining, Boris looks to the front door of the hideout that had shadows slowly encroaching around it; the Ink demon had tracked them already, and was coming. Alice grabs up the tommy gun and some of her own gear now, the butcher gang also suiting up for battle.

“We don’t have time for friendly exchanges; let’s go!”

Getting carried by Boris, Bendy looks behind them at the door as it turns dark with the growling of the Ink demon clearly behind it. Edgar opens another passageway quickly, bowing and allowing Alice to go first with a ‘my Angel,’ that makes Bendy cringe a little. Jumping from Boris’ arms who whines about it, he runs after Alice while the rest quickly follow; they were not done talking.

“Whaddya think those weapons are gonna do, huh?? Ya realize they don’t work on ‘im right?”

“They’re not for him. They’re for everything else”

“Everythin’ else??”

“If i’m going to get dragged down into this hell with you all, I might as well bring something to protect myself!”

Blinking a few times, Bendy starts hopping after her now excitedly

“Yer comin’ with us?! Really??”

She glares at him making him quickly drop the happy demeanor

“I don’t have a choice now that the Ink demon has found and destroyed my lair! This is your fault, you know!”

“My fault?! I didn’t lead that stupid ink-head anywhere near- ohhhh… actually, yer right…”

She gives him an incriminating look as he shrugs helplessly in return back at her. Boris from behind whines even louder than before, Charley speaking what the wolf couldn’t

“He’s gotten in and comin’! We gotta do something!”

Bendy skids to a halt, letting the others run past, but they slow down to a stop turning to him as Alice yells

“What are you DOING?!”

“Don’t wait fer me, keep runnin’! I’m gonna do what I was meant to earlier… i’m gonna be the bait”

Alice stares at him in disbelief, Edgar doing the same before Charley laughs and salutes him and Barley nods. Shaking her head, she gestures for them to continue on, the four leaving without hesitation as Alice calls over her shoulder

“Your funeral, demon!”

Boris, however, didn’t budge while still whining loudly. Bendy turns to him, looking determined

“Buddy, yer gonna have ta trust me, okay? I know what i’m doin’. Just go help Henry; he’s hurt, an’ he needs ya, okay?”

Boris quickly hugs Bendy then, making him stare a bit before he quickly hugs back then shoves him away

“GO!”

Still looking reluctant, Boris finally turns away running after the others, glancing back now and again. Watching them all go, Bendy sighs knowing what was in store for him next… part of him wanted to still run, but he had to help his friends.

Broken from his thoughts, Bendy gets grabbed and turned face to face by the Ink demon, gasping and kicking his legs in surprise. The Ink demon raises an arm, about to use his ink to catch the wolf before Bendy uses his own ink power to overburden pipes surrounding the hall until they burst. The resulting explosion blocked out the hallway that was now quickly flooding with ink, much to the clear anger and frustration of the Ink demon. Smirking, Bendy winces a bit as his shoulder he’s being held by is crushed.

“N-Not so fast, Ink stain! Yer not gettin’ them anytime soon, ya hear me?! Long as i’m in the way, yer not gettin’ anything !”

The Ink demon’s smile twists into an angry snarl, twitching menacingly in his face. Sweating a bit, Bendy keeps up his smug demeanor not wanting to show his fear.

“Y-Ya just gonna keep blowin’ yer stink breath in my face? Or are ya gonna fight me?”

Slowly, the Ink demon’s teeth melt back into the cold grin he had before; it seemed he was keen on accepting the suggestion. Bracing himself, Bendy gets thrown hard at the rubble of the collapsed hallway; before he hits too hard, he quickly throws up an arm to catch himself with ink, softening the impact. Quickly regaining himself now, he looks up as the Ink demon lunges with extended claws for him again.

Diving between the Ink demon’s clumsy legs, Bendy slides through the flooded hall further away before turning and throwing a sharp splinter of wood he’d grabbed up at the Ink demon. Turning too slow, the Ink demon roars as the wood sticks in his chest with an unpleasant squelch. Pulling it free (clearly not hurt by it), the Ink demon throws it aside, twitching all over with rage. Bendy stands firm regardless as the ink continues rising, still grinning back.

“Yer not so scary, ya know that? Yer nothin’ without me, an’ this won’t end in anythin’ but a stalemate!”

Standing up to his full twisted height, the Ink demon’s demeanor quiets and the room becomes eerily silent aside from the sound of ink pouring in. Blinking, Bendy slowly straightens himself out as well, noting that the ink was now soon going to be waist level for himself.

The Ink demon was silently staring off, making Bendy feel a bit nervous, when finally a dark chuckle comes from him; then the unnerving multilayered demonic voice of the Ink demon speaks, yet his mouth doesn’t open once the whole time:

“ You’re bold for the leftover scrap you are… You say i’m nothing without you… but really.. You’re the one who needs /me/ ”

Bendy blinks at that before glaring, getting defensive

“I don’t need ya fer anythin’! Yer evil, mean, and full a nothin’ but grudges an’ hatred! Nobody would ever love you!”

Looking taken aback, the Ink demon’s grin turns back into a frown as he growls loudly, his stance becoming hostile again

“ You know nothing! Are you /really/ so foolish?! If nobody can love me… then surely, nobody can love /you/. ”

Bendy frowns himself now, feeling rather stricken by the Ink demon’s words before he clenches his fists tearing up

“NO! YOU’RE WRONG! I DON’T NEED YA! YER NOT PART OF ME! YER NOT ME!”

The Ink demon cackles as the ink in the room starts swirling around them, both fighting for control of it to attack the other now. 

“ Part of one another or not, you haven’t been telling them the truth- how long until they find out what you /really/ are? Where you /really/ came from? Would dear Henry love you /then/? ”

“SHUT UUUUP!”

The Ink demon only seemed amused at Bendy’s frustration, which made him even angrier- but what did he know?? He knew nothing about Henry! He was only an angry useless copy- not the real Bendy like him! At least, that’s what he kept telling himself.

Seemingly noticing a falter in Bendy’s thoughts, the Ink demon smirks at him infuriatingly about to take advantage of it to attack. However, before their scuffle can escalate much further, the Ink demon suddenly looks up at the ceiling in silence seemingly forgetting their conflict and listening to… nothing?

“HEY! What’re ya lookin’ at, Ink brain?! We’re in the middle of somethin’, an’ I ain’t lettin’ you get away!”

Ignoring him however, the Ink demon hisses in frustration as he begins to melt through the floor instead- he was leaving . Surprised and frustrated, Bendy runs at him yelling angrily

“No! NO! Ya can’t just run away ya COWARD! COME BACK AN’ FIGHT ME!”

However, the Ink demon was already gone and he was left alone. Frustrated, Bendy yells before stamping his foot and making all of the ink slam through the weakened blockage in the hallway, clearing it out. The Ink demon’s voice echoes from all around as Bendy shakes with fury

“ I must leave for now, but you will be seeing me again… don’t you doubt that, /liar/ ”

Clutching his fists even harder and squeezing his eyes shut tight, Bendy clenches his teeth before yelling loudly as he can shaking everything as the ink responds to his fury. Slowly, the yell devolves into sobbing as he collapses to his knees, holding his head as everything settles back to quiet. Frustrated, frightened, and overwhelmed he couldn’t help it now.

“I-I’m NOT a liar! I’m not lying! Yer not me, an’ I don’t need you, because yer not me! They can and do love me!... They won’t leave me...”

Holding himself now, Bendy sobs quietly to himself shaking and surrounded by ink; he felt as alone as when he had first formed, and it was truly awful. The Ink demon, unfortunately, knew exactly what to say to get to him as much as Bendy knew him. All he could think was how badly he wanted to see Henry…

Sniffling, Bendy calms down enough to hear footsteps; jerking his head up to see who was coming, he watches as Edgar flinches back a bit from the sudden movement. Staring silently at him, Bendy looks away quickly, still holding himself quite aware he was shaking. Despite clearly being embarrassed and feeling vulnerable, he doesn’t snap as Edgar walks closer before kneeling in front of him.

“Are you alright?...”

Bendy sniffs, not looking at him while shrugging

“Fine. Just… fine.”

Edgar sighs, and Bendy could tell he was shaking his head from his peripheral. Slowly looking at the striker now, he pouts

“What do ya want? Don’t think I’ll believe ya sayin’ ya care about me or some sap… ya hardly even know me.”

Edgar blinks at that, frowning

“You saved us, and our Angel. I wanted to thank you for so selflessly sacrificing yourself… that… that is truly chivalrous. I must say I misjudged you quite a bit” 

Staring at Edgar, Bendy can feel himself getting a bit flustered before he shakes his head and looks down still pouting

“What’s all the sap fer, huh?? It wasn’t that big a deal!...”

Edgar smiles at him, gently placing a hand on his shoulder

“It is to me, and the others. I wanted to make sure you were alright, and perhaps return the favor…”

“What?? Return it how?”

Edgar looked like he was thinking for a moment before he smiles, clearly having gotten an idea. Moving closer in front of Bendy, he holds out his three arms in an offering gesture that makes the demon stare at him.

“You… can’t be serious.”

Edgar, however, was silently still holding the gesture regardless; Bendy frowns, pretending he wasn’t interested as he slowly frowns more and more. 

Suddenly, he found himself sniffling before shoving into Edgar’s arms clinging in a tight hug. In return, the striker wraps his arms around Bendy in a surprisingly comforting hug. Closing his eyes tightly, Bendy sighs shakily, trying to relax himself but he was clearly shaking still. Thankfully, Edgar said nothing and simply was comforting him- which, honestly, he was incredibly grateful for. It seemed he knew just what he needed.

Silently clinging in the hug for a while, Bendy slowly calms down enough before he opens his eyes a bit, gazing over Edgar’s shoulder down the hall where the others had fled; it was rather destroyed and ink stained now.

“...Why’d ya come back fer me?”

Edgar shifts a bit as if wondering about the question

“You saved our lives. I wanted to make sure you had not lost yours in doing so.”

Huffing a small laugh under his breath, Bendy slumps on him more

“Ya really care?... doesn’t make much sense…”

Edgar gently pats his shoulder a bit before responding

“Perhaps not as much as close friends would, but I do think of you as more than a stranger at least. And who knows… with the way Charley and Barley seem to have taken to you, I have a feeling we’ll get to know one another better.”

Letting go of the hug now, Edgar looks Bendy in the eye who gives him a questioning look before responding

“Yeah? Well, I hope that’s a good thing…”

Edgar snorts a bit, grinning now

“I hope so too; the last thing we need is another Charley…”

Bendy grins himself now, nodding; he felt a lot better now thankfully. He liked Edgar more now, despite their earlier ‘conflictions’…

“So, that chivalry thing… ‘s that why yer here?..”

He gets smug as the striker flusters at him, looking away to rub the back of his head with two arms

“N-No! Well… a little. I also wanted to express gratitude!”

Bendy snickers, sighing and nodding

“Don’t get all twisted ‘bout it, i’m just yankin’ yer chain.”

Edgar blinks before smiling again at that, giving him a look

“You better watch yourself; mess with me, and you could get the wrong end of my sword”

Bendy shrugs, getting up and slowly stating to walk down the hall after the others now

“Meh, been there already; nothin’ I can’t handle!”

Edgar puffs at that, hurrying over to catch up walking with him now

“Pardon you, I am still no one to trifle with!”

Bendy laughs now, grinning at him 

“Trifle or not, I ain’t afraid of you- yer far too nice under your ‘scary’ shtick.”

Oddly, the striker seemed to fluster and glance away at that. Raising a brow, Bendy wonders what’s up with this guy. He seemed to be acting really strange… and that made him want to mess with him even more.

“Can I ask ya something’?”

Edgar looks to him now, raising his own brow

“What?”

“If Yer tryin’ ta be all proper an’ sophisticated… why aren’tcha wearin’ any clothes? Ya realize just because me an’ Barley don’t doesn’t mean we’re any less naked. Charley wears clothes after all.”

Staring now looking like he’d just been shot, Edgar’s mouth hangs open at that realization. Promptly, he starts looking very embarrassed making Bendy snort before laughing even harder

“OH MAN! YER FACE! HAHAHA!”

Edgar crosses his arms, looking away and grumping again

“It is not funny!! And just.. It is different for cartoons! Right?”

Laughing more, Bendy wheezes

“NO! We’re still NAKED! HAHAHA”

Edgar now seemed very conscious, and Bendy felt he would be laughing himself unconscious if he took it any further. He felt a little bad, but mostly absolutely delighted in the striker’s embarrassment; he lived off of toying with people after all. Still, he had just come all this way to find and comfort him...

“Alright alright, I’m sorry I pointed it out! Yer fine, I promise- I was just messin’ with ya again, ‘s not a bad thing!”

Edgar looked unconvinced however, shaking his head

“Whatever you say… just do not mention it to the others.”

Bendy grins with a shrug; it all was rather humorous and lightening the mood, but something was still nagging him a bit. 

It couldn’t be over this easily… it never would be. He could feel it in every drop of his being that the Ink demon would be back, and next time, he wouldn’t be giving up so easily. They’d been lucky for now, but just how long until that luck ran out?...

• POV Change: Henry Stein

“Alright Henry, on three; this is going to hurt a lot , so sorry in advance. also, try not to pass out.”

Giving an unamused look over to Sammy, the music director gives Henry a look right back

“What? I’m just saying, it wouldn’t be great if you passed out! We wouldn’t know if we were hurting you worse!”

“Just get it over with…”

“Right. Ready, Boris?”

Boris nods as the two then take hold of Henry by his legs and shoulders, preparing to lift him onto a makeshift stretcher the fisher (who he found liked to be called Barley) had thrown together for them. Bracing himself, Henry knew this was going to be an awful experience.

“Alright… one… two… three!”

Both Boris and Sammy lifted him then with their combined efforts, freeing Henry from the wooden rubble he’d been laying in. The movement however had him seeing stars before everything goes blank- it felt as if someone had turned on a taser right in the middle of his spine, and it shot through his limbs with burning agony. Inhaling deeply, Henry feels himself go numb for a moment before he finds himself reopening his eyes he didn’t know he’d closed, seeing numerous concerned faces leaning over him. Sammy was first to speak:

“You passed out.”

Henry grunts quietly before responding

“Yeah… I kind of figured by the way I stopped feeling things for a moment there. How long?...”

From nearby, Alice, who had also been given rubber boots to avoid the ink, speaks

“At least it was only briefly. If you pass out again, it could be for hours if not days.”

Henry frowns at that

“You sound like you speak from experience.”

“I like running tests on my equipment to make sure it works… including Barley’s grenades.”

The projectionist growls at her, not happy at her presence; he’d been agitated ever since she and her group had come barreling into the ink abyss. Fortunately, he held back his grudge for the time and was at the least barely tolerating her. How long it’d be before he stopped tolerating her, Henry didn’t know, but he hoped it would last long enough for them to get to safety at least. 

He turns his attention to Sammy as he speaks again;

“At least you’re on something we can move instead of you now; it should make it a bit more bearable…”

Sighing, Henry looks off into the distance worried about Bendy

“Yeah, a bit…”

Alice catches where he was looking and shakes her head at him

“You worry too much; Edgar is fetching him already, they’ll be back before you know it. He’s the best fighter of my bunch, i’m sure it’ll be fine…”

The piper, who Henry had learned goes by Charley, snorts before smirking

“Maybe, but he still couldn’t beat the projectionist! The Ink demon’ll have him on a platter-”

Barley elbows him gently, making him blink and sigh while rolling his eye

“I’m just jokin’. They’ll be fine; Ed is a good guy, and I think he actually likes Bendy.”

Henry looks to him, still uncertain, but he sighs accepting the fact he’d just have to keep hoping they were okay

“Alright… I just want to be sure though.”

He looks to Boris then, who also seemed worried before smiling at the silent wolf who looks down at him

“Thank you for helping me Boris… and you too, Sammy.”

Sammy shrugs, acting aloof about it

“Really don’t have much of a choice; if you die, then the rest of us will be lost around here… you’re the new prophet, after all.”

Henry makes a face at him for that, groaning; unsurprisingly, the others all groaned as well including the projectionist. Looking offended, Sammy holds out his arms to both sides

“What?! It’s true! The lord has chosen him! He receives visions, interprets for him, and guides us all to our eventual freedom- that’s the definition of a prophet!”

Alice chuckles at him, shaking her head

“You sound like a lunatic cultist… whatever happened to you, Lawrence? You used to be so sophisticated and intelligent…”

Even more offended now, he bristles sputtering

“WH- I- WELL! If you need me, I’ll be elsewhere! ”

Henry frowns, looking over and wincing from it

“Please don’t go far, we need to stick together now more than ever”

Waving a hand and huffing, he calls over his shoulder while walking

“I’m not going that far; just around the corner, and away from this!”

Thankfully, the projectionist skulks after him away from Alice; it seemed her earlier comment of his interest in Sammy was true, because he was always listening and reacting the most to him over anyone. Looking over to her now, Alice seems amused with her arms crossed still; Henry was curious about one thing…

“We never found your cure… what are you going to do now?”

Blinking at the question, Alice seems to ponder his words before shrugging at him

“I’m not sure. I’ve been feeling rather crummy since I’ve been unable to upkeep myself without the necessary parts, and soon i’ll start- eugh- melting… so either i’m taking the hearts you’re stashing here, or you’ll have to watch me die. Would you really want that, Henry?”

Frowning himself, he isn’t sure what to say; he didn’t want her dissolving and getting lost in the ink, but he really didn’t want to feed her murderous addiction of using soul pieces for her stabilization. There had to be something they could do…

“I don’t, but… well, there’s always another way.  We’ll figure it out, i’m sure of it.”

She gives him an unconvinced look, shaking her head

“You seem to spew about hope as much as Joey and his dreams . It sounds cheesy, fake, and is suffocating. You can’t fix everything with hope, Henry…”

Henry frowns at her, looking determined despite her cynicism

“Maybe not, but holding onto it is always worth it. Always . It’s what keeps people going no matter what… and losing it is what turns you into Joey.”

Alice blinks, looking taken aback by that; Barley, Charley, and Boris all turn to him curiously now as well. Alice puts her hands on her hips, now questioning him;

“And what do you mean by that? ”

Henry sighs, looking up at the ceiling furrowing his brow

“Because of reaching too far and falling, Joey had empty dreams that resulted in this. He was desperately clinging onto shreds of a false reality and misplaced his hopes; what he should have been hoping for was no matter the result of his studio that he’d have friends and family. Instead… well, you know.”

Closing his eyes, Henry recounts how forlorn and tired his once companion had been when the studio closed all those years ago…

“If you lose or misplace your hope… you end up clinging to things that have nothing left for you, or losing yourself entirely. And if you lose yourself, you fall into nothing but trouble and despair. I’ve been able to keep myself together in this place because of my desire to see my family, right what Joey did wrong, and be free again… because of my hope”

He looks to Alice who simply smiles at him, still shaking her head

“You give speeches just like him... only, I was wrong about one thing… yours at least aren’t  completely full of lies. You at least actually believe what you say. But I still digress; Hope won’t fix me.”

Henry grins then, the two butcher gang members looking at him questioningly once more as Boris seems equally confused.

“That’s what you think. In fact… you just gave me an idea.”

Before he can explain however, splashing footsteps in the ink draws all of their attention over to the tunnel entrance as Bendy and Edgar come walking in. Boris looks relieved and happy to see the little demon, holding his arms out to Bendy who grins and gives him a brief hug

“Hey buddy! Told ya i’d make it! Ol’ Inky got scared an’ ran off.”

Henry raises an eyebrow at that, feeling rather skeptical

“Really? You scared him away?”

Bendy shrugs, still grinning before waving a hand dismissively

“Nah; I dunno why he left, he really did just leave instead ‘a fightin’ me...”

“But?”

Bendy blinks, looking at Henry blankly

“What? Whaddya mean ‘but’?”

“You look like you’re thinking something. What else about him?”

Bendy stares for a moment before sighing and drooping a bit

“...But he said he’d be back soon. He ain’t givin’ up that easily.”

Edgar walks over to the other butcher gang members who looked concerned, Alice crossing her arms and speaking

“Then we need to do something, because if we’re caught off guard it’ll be a disaster. Does this place have any defenses?”

The projectionist comes skulking back into the area as if purposefully timed, looking to her; Looking unamused herself, she adds

“Ah, yes… him. He’s the only defense down here.”

Henry sighs heavily at that before answering her

“And not one we can use against the Ink demon.”

Everyone’s attention turns to him at that besides Bendy, who knew what he meant. Henry was recalling the fight between the projectionist and the Ink demon he’d usually watch from that particular miracle station… the one where the Ink demon always won.

 Sammy looked concerned now, asking;

“What do you mean by that? You sound like you know something.”

Henry gives a sympathetic look to the projectionist who was staring at him.

“I mean that fighting the Ink demon is certain death. There’s nothing that can stop him.”

Irritated, Edgar steps forward then looking a bit desperate

“There has to be something we can do! If we keep running, he’ll simply catch up, and we certainly cannot run forever!”

Henry stares for a long moment before bleakly looking to the side

“I’m afraid that’s all I’ve ever done… run and hide. Fighting the Ink demon never works. I’ve tried.”

All around it seemed the general mood had become rather dismal at that; there was no fighting chance, just running and hiding. Henry had never been able to stop the Ink demon before, but they needed hope… if they didn’t believe they could win, they wouldn’t ever have a chance.

 Inhaling deeply, Henry gains everyone’s attention before speaking

“Just because we can’t fight him doesn’t mean there’s nothing we can do. There’s many things I haven’t tried that we can no- like luring him into a trap for one thing. It’s something I’ve never tried… which is what I think our best option is here. If we can catch him, and keep him caught, then we can figure it out from there.”

Bendy looked rather nervous at that, holding his hands before his mouth as if he were biting his nails through his gloves

“ Catch him?! I-I mean, maybe , but keeping him caught… that’s like tryin’ ta keep ink in yer hands! He’ll leak through!”

At that, Alice smirks and steps forward turning the attention on her now

“Actually… it’s possible. How do you think I kept him out of my lair for so long? He can’t phase through glass and metal. Squeeze around it, sure, but not through it. My lair was sealed, but thanks to someone sneaking around, it was broken…”

She eyes Bendy, who nervously smiles and feigns innocence. Sammy leans forward then, curious

“So you’re suggesting… we trap him in what, a giant jar??

Alice rolls her eyes at him, shaking her head

“Very funny, but no; unless you happen to have one…”

Henry furrows his brow thinking about that, then looks to them as realization hits him

“Actually… we do ”

Everyone turns to him confused and surprised, many faces of disbelief staring at him. 

“The ink machine… the old ink machine; the smaller one. On the back of it was a large interchangeable glass container that held ink. There should be leftover containers like it in storage somewhere since Joey upgraded the machine…”

A loud fingersnap draws the crowd’s attention to Bendy then

“You’re right! I remember that! I dunno where they are, but I vaguely remember a lotta complainin’ from employees who had to move the things…”

Sammy chin hands, furrowing his brow too

“That sounds familiar, but I don’t know why… it makes me feel almost irritated. And wait- you were there before the studio closed??”

Alice snorts at him, giving him a look

“That’s because you’re thinking of our old janitor, Wally, Whom you did not get along with. Though that is odd… when did you come about, Bendy?”

Bendy shrugged a bit nervously at that

“‘s hard ta say; I can’t really remember a whole lot before this place…”

To Bendy’s seeming relief, Sammy changed the topic along with his posture suddenly as it became straight while he exclaimed;

“That name! Wally!.”

Pausing now, he falls silent and doesn’t move. Alice raises an eyebrow, as does Henry, before she leans in a bit

“You alright in there?...”

Sammy doesn’t respond however, making the projectionist move over to him before gently touching his shoulder. Stumbling back a bit holding his head, Sammy shakes it a little before looking up to the concerned group

“...Sorry. I accidentally fell into some memories… I remember the janitor. Wally, right? How annoying…”

Alice smiles at him, actually seeming glad about it; Henry was feeling happy too, because if Sammy was getting his memories back, it was a good sign of recovery. The moment was quickly forgotten however as the quiet Barley speaks up;

“...I remember seeing them. I know where we can find them, but it’s dangerous… the Ink demon will be wandering near them”

Charley looks concerned at that, shaking his head and looking to Alice

“My lady, I don’t know if we should risk that. Barley… I mean, none of us can fend that guy off.”

Edgar sighs in disappointment, adding,

“Nor can we hide from him. His shadows always find us.”

Bendy frowns at that, rubbing the back of his head

“Yeah… they’re like, an extension of his senses. He can’t see all too wel,l so he uses that ink ta feel out the place. Hidin’ don’t work.”

They all turn their attention to Henry then, who gets the sense they’re going to be looking to him for leadership now; he was becoming a bit used to it by now, but still found it nerve wracking.

“Right… the only person who can is me.”

Sammy snorts at him, giving him an incredulous look

“You? You can’t even move without pain, how’re you supposed to sneak by the Ink demon and carry a heavy glass container?”

Taking a deep breath, Henry could feel his body ache, but it seemed the effects of the chemical grenade were finally wearing off; the projectionist nearby was also recovering, so it must’ve been for him too. The pain was still bad, but he forces himself to sit up with a grunting effort that makes Bendy and Boris worry and fuss over him.

“Henry, stop movin’! Yer hurt!”

Boris whines adding on, but Henry still sits up despite it

“It’s fine; i’ll be fine. The formula is wearing off, and i’m feeling better enough.”

The group looked unconvinced, and Sammy sighs

“So, what, your bit of regained health is going to change the fact you’d still have to carry a giant heavy glass jar?”

Shaking his head, Henry looks to Bendy with a smile, who blinks at him looking confused

“What?”

“I’m going to take a page from your book. I’m going to be bait.”

At that, Bendy’s eyes widen before he frowns while the others all fuss in their own ways over him;

“You’ll get yourself killed!”

“Henry, you’re really not that talented, even if you survived my errands!”

“Ya can’t!! He’ll kill ya!”

“You truly have lost your mind, my good sir”

“Nice knowin’ ya pal!”

Boris whines as the projectionist clicks at him, and Barley shrugs before adding

“...I think it’s not a bad idea.”

As everyone turns to him, the fisher gets a bit nervous

“I-I mean… he’s able to hide and capture the demon’s attention better than us…”

Henry nods before looking to Bendy again

“Plus, i’ll have you.”

Bendy stares quietly before walking towards him a bit

“Ya mean it?? You’ll let me help?”

“Yeah, I mean it. You survived the Ink demon earlier… I have a feeling you can help me with this.”

Henry wasn’t saying something he was thinking; he knew the Ink demon and Bendy had some kind of connection, even if he wasn’t letting anyone in on it. Bendy seemed like he could always tell what the Ink demon was thinking, where he’d be next, and all kinds of details about him even Henry didn’t know himself. Bendy had experience, and that was exactly what he needed.

Boris, however, was pulling his ears and whining while Sammy steps forward with his concerns

“You’re going to risk this lord at the hands of the other?! Are you mad?!”

Henry gives him a look over that

“You didn’t seem to protest the idea of sticking one in a jar…”

“That’s because it wouldn’t hurt him! As disgraceful as it is, we need to try and pacify him so we can speak somehow …”

Rolling his eyes, Henry holds out his arms to Bendy, who runs up to him happily and clings to him in a hug

“We’ll be fine. Besides… even if he gets me, i’ll come right back. And I have a feeling our little demon here knows what he’s doing”

He ruffles Bendy’s head, who gets huffy and puffs at him angrily

“I ain’t LITTLE! But, yeah… I know what i’m doin’! The Ink demon wouldn’t dare think about killin’ me.”

Alice seemed curious at that, as does Sammy and the rest; there was a lot Henry knew Bendy wasn’t telling them, and he wished he would. There must’ve been a reason he wasn’t however, so for now he’d leave it be and be patient with it.

Struggling now, Henry lets go of Bendy as he tries getting up, but finds it was incredibly difficult still and really painful; on the bright side, he wasn’t passing out, and the pain was mostly burning aches instead of electric shocks to his spine. While considering his pain, Henry could suddenly feel himself almost being lifted by what felt like an invisible force to his feet. Looking around himself in wonder, all he sees is some ink dripping off him… interesting.

Reaching out towards Bendy again, the demon hops into his arms as he holds him up now while looking to the others

“Right; so here’s the plan,”

Everyone approaches him in a semi circle then, even the projectionist who was curious as to where this was going;

“Me and Bendy are going to distract and lure the Ink demon away from the area Barley needs to access. Boris, you and the projectionist are going to go with him to carry the glass container back here to the abyss. Alice, I want you, Charley, and Edgar to start setting up any kind of defenses in this area that you can; and if you can find a way, drain some of this ink. The Ink demon will have a field day in this stuff if we don’t pull this off.”

Sammy huffs, giving Henry a look

“What about me?”

“You have a choice; either you can help Alice here with defenses, or go with Barley’s group to get the glass container.”

The projectionist makes a quieter version of his typical piercing screech, making Sammy look to him

“Oh fine… i’ll go with your group.”

The projectionist seemed pleased at that, looking back to Henry who looks to Barley then

“When you get the glass container back here, start working on a trap for the Ink demon. Once it’s ready and everyone else is safely out of the way, me and Bendy are going to lure the Ink demon right in here to the trap. Got that?”

Barley nods, and Henry looks to the group smiling now with confidence

“Alright; We’re going to catch ourselves an Ink demon.”

Chapter Text

Alone with Bendy now, Henry was rather quiet as they were in a new area of the Ink demon’s domain he’d never been in before. He could tell it was frequented by their inky friend however by the way it simply looked- everywhere, there were dark patches with no light, and plenty of ink pools. It seemed nobody had been through since the studio’s fall, as the walls were bare of any writing. 

What this meant was no ink creatures dared to venture here- even more evidence the Ink demon often lurked around, driving them away. Aside from that, Henry had a chilling feeling of unease simply being around the area which was more than enough proof for him. 

Shifting Bendy (whom he was carrying on his back), Henry feels the strange radio device Barley had crafted hanging off his belt; it was able to remotely communicate to the other two devices he’d handed out to their teams. This meant they could stay connected even when apart, and Henry would be able to let them know when he was coming with their featured guest. 

Silently, Henry can feel Bendy peering over his shoulder ahead; both of them were uncomfortable and nervous. The whole scenario was making him a bit scared, something he hadn’t felt in a while- it was new and unknown, and the unknown always made him nervous. Looking over his shoulder to his small companion, Henry asks very quietly daring to break the silence; 

“Do you think we should get his attention on purpose? If we don’t, he might go right to the others…” 

Bendy swallows, frowning and looking nervous but nodding 

“ ‘S what we came here ta do… it ain’t gonna be fun though.” 

Henry looks around, wondering where he could hide if need be; there weren’t exactly miracle stations in these halls, but there were many rooms and closets. Perhaps if he had to, he could even squeeze into vents. Wading through one of the ink flooded halls, he takes a deep breath before nodding 

“...Then let’s get our inky friend’s attention. Before that though, I want to ask you something Bendy.” 

Blinking, the demon tilts his head 

“What?” 

“What have you been hiding? I know you’re hiding a  lot  from us. All of us. I want to know… it could be the difference between us living or dying, because it seems really important.” 

“I’m not hidin’ anythin’!” 

Just then, a chilling chorus of whispers chimed up from nowhere making Henry flinch a little; repeatedly, they were whispering: 

“Liar”  

“Lies”  

“He’s lying to you”  

“He’s hiding the truth”  

“Hiding from you”  

“Hiding and lying to himself”  

“Hiding”  

“Lying”  

Stopping and staring off into the ink, Henry slowly turns to Bendy who looked a bit mortified by the commotion. Glancing to Henry with a wild expression, he shakes his head while starting to physically shake too. At that, the whispering gets louder as even more of the voices seem to chime in together; Henry starts moving again feeling uncomfortable. 

“Bendy, if you’re hiding something just tell me; I promise, you can tell me anything! Whatever you’re hiding, the lost ones don’t like it!” 

Bendy squeezes his eyes shut tightly, still shaking his head 

“N-no! I can’t, I can’t- there’s nothin’ ta say-” 

The voices were getting unbearably loud now, making Henry stumble and kneel, wishing his arms were free so he could hold his head as they began to yell. Grimacing, he moves Bendy off his back before holding him in front of himself firmly by the shoulders 

“Bendy, just tell me!  Please !” 

Staring, Bendy’s eyes well up with tears before he closes them tightly and sniffs, looking like he was trying to hold back really hard  

“I  can’t ! I-If i tell ya, you’ll hate me! Everyone’ll hate me! I’m not lyin’, I swear; I-I just-” 

“Lies”  

“Still lying”  

“Hiding the truth”  

“No trust”  

“Full of lies”  

Henry could feel the almost tangible panic coming off of Bendy now, who desperately starts turning and yelling at the walls pointlessly 

“I’M NOT LYIN’! I’M NOT! IT’S NOT TRUE!” 

Henry clutches his head then as the voices became truly unbearable, so loud he felt like his mind was splitting open; what was happening?? Struggling and gritting his teeth, Henry yells now trying to get his own voice above the clashing noise; 

“BENDY, JUST TELL ME, PLEASE! IT’LL NEVER STOP IF YOU KEEP HIDING THE TRUTH!” 

Opening his eyes a bit from his grimace, Henry can see Bendy staring at him wide-eyed and looking helpless. Then, what he says next shocks Henry into his own wide-eyed stare: 

“I CAME FROM THE INK DEMON!” 

Immediately, all the voices went silent leaving nothing but the quiet dripping of the ink around them. Ears ringing, Henry doesn’t know what to think or say; Bendy continues, not looking at him 

“I split from him. He was tired a’ bein’ held back by his emotions like carin’ and wantin’ ta be good, so… he made me.” 

Henry blinks slowly at him now, taking in this information; Bendy… came from Bendy. Of course- it made sense now that he thought about it. Tom’s old tape coming to mind, he recalls the machine only made one Bendy, so there was only one place another could be made from. That’s how he knew everything the Ink demon did, and how he was able to connect to him too. That’s how he found him.  

Bendy could tell Henry was having internal realizations as he looks down again after having glanced at Henry’s face 

“I’ve been tryin’ ta help ya and stop him because he’s the bad one… he’s hurtin’ people, an’ hurtin’ you. I didn’t tell ya because… well, if i did, why would ya want me around? All the Ink demon has done fer ya is cause ya pain, fear, an’ misery… an’ I came from  that ” 

Sniffling and crying now, Bendy still refused to look at Henry 

“I’ve always had his powers an’ memories… I-I’m sorry I lied Henry- please, don’t abandon me, I don’t wanna be alone again! Not anymore! I-I can’t handle seein’ ya leave again-” 

Henry hugs him tightly then, silencing the little demon with surprise. Squeezing, Henry could feel his own eyes tearing up; despite everything, the Ink demon always  had  cared… about the studio, everyone here, and  him - even if he pushed it away to make Bendy. And frankly, that’s all Henry could ever have asked for; knowing his own creations didn’t purely hate him. 

“I’m sorry. I didn’t know… Bendy, I’d  never  abandon you on purpose. Even if you were the Ink demon, I’d never want to hurt you… I made you with love and care, and want to make sure that’s all you feel when we’re out of here. I’m sorry I left… I didn’t know...” 

Silent and still crying, Bendy stares over Henry’s shoulder into the distance before he slowly devolves into sobbing, clinging to him tightly. Closing his eyes trying not to cry himself, Henry gently rubs the little demon’s back comforting him; it reminded him a lot of something his heart ached for… 

Briefly, a flash of a memory takes over; he was crouched in some of the greenest grass he’d ever seen, warm sunshine and a beautiful blue sky over him. In front of him, he was hugging a young girl he felt he should be able to remember. She was crying, and clinging to him as he quietly comforted her. It seemed she’d scraped her knee. He could hear himself speak and feel his mouth moving, but it sounded distant like it was coming from somewhere else: 

“Don’t cry… I’m right here. I’ll always be here for you.” 

Still clinging to him in a hug, he could almost hear her say something, but it was lost in an echo; furrowing his brow in confusion, he asks, 

“What did you say?” 

Suddenly, he’s snapped back to reality as he opens his eyes hearing Bendy speak instead: 

“I love you, dad.” 

Blinking a couple times, Henry realizes he’d been crying; and, he realizes what Bendy had just said to him. Feeling a strong emotional ache, he can’t help but tear up more as he smiles warmly looking to Bendy when they separate the hug. 

“I love you too, Bendy…” 

Bendy rubs his eyes, sniffing before giving Henry a look 

“Aw geeze, I made an old man cry… I still don’t like that feelin’, y’know?...” 

Henry blinks before he snorts, slowly devolving into laughter; it grows harder to the point Bendy even laughs a bit before Henry sighs and looks to him, wiping his own eyes 

“You’re pretty good at it, you know?” 

Bendy smiles back before hugging Henry again, who gladly hugs him; however, he felt haunted however by the memory he’d briefly had. It was the most realistic one he’d had in ages… and it made him feel a deeper, heavier sadness than ever before. The melancholy and joy of the moment regardless though was starting to be replaced by something else… a chilling, creeping sense of dread climbing over his back. 

Slowly, Henry turns his head to see the source of it; the Ink demon was looming right behind him, grin twitching eerily as he hissed with seething anger. Frozen, Henry stares as the Ink demon simply stands over him- Bendy was staring up at him as well, looking scared. Then, the terrible voice Henry found he really hated (despite not wanting to) spoke from the Ink demon; echoing, layered, and ominous: 

“You can’t do that.”  

Bendy blinks, giving him a look while bravely responding 

“Can’t do what, ink brain?!” 

The Ink demon hisses, silencing the little demon and giving Henry a start 

“You can’t just have a happy ending! He should HATE you! Hate ME! Why’re you forgiving him, and not forgiving ME?! It’s all fake; it’s all lies! There’s no such thing as happiness! No such thing as forgiveness! There. Is. No. HOPE!”  

Henry clutches Bendy tightly, squeezing his eyes shut as he defensively curls around him; he was terrified, but the Ink demon’s words strangely made his heart hurt. The Ink demon was truly hurting in his own way… 

Standing slowly while holding Bendy tightly in his arms, Henry turns to face the Ink demon who looked surprised and angry. Taking a deep breath, Henry straightens out as he faces him 

“There  is  hope. There is  always  hope. All you have to do… is let go of the past. Let go of vengeance. You need to heal and move on, regardless of forgiveness; you just need to let go. Then you can find your hope.” 

Taken aback, the Ink demon leans away from him as if he’d just been hit- and perhaps he was in a way, by realization of something. This however didn’t stop him turning and hostile hissing loudly at Henry, making ink fly from the floor and hit the walls 

“LIAR! LIES! YOU WILL PAY FOR YOUR SINS, AND YOU WILL SUFFER AND DIE LIKE THE REST! FOREVER!”  

Startled and quite frankly horrified, Henry chooses the most sensible thing he could think of in the moment; he runs. His whole body was still recovering and hurt horribly, but with the Ink demon now chasing him with a renewed hatred and anger, he didn’t have a choice.  

Breathing heavily, Henry glances at Bendy in his arms who was reaching a hand over his shoulder and behind him; Henry wasn’t sure what he was doing, but he welcomed any help. Suddenly, Henry could hear the Ink demon screech in a blood chilling rage that made him want to cry. Whatever Bendy had done, it’d surely made him angrier. 

Risking a glance over his shoulder again, he sees that Bendy had collapsed part of the ceiling on the Ink demon by bursting a couple of ink pipes- but it didn’t last long. The ink quickly shoved the debris so hard out of the way Henry had to dodge the deadly shrapnel as it came their way. Unsure of where to go, Henry turns and busts into one of the many rooms hoping for something he could do; by sheer luck, he finds that there was a miracle station in the corner. If it would actually save him, he didn’t know; but he was willing to try anything at this point. 

As Henry runs towards it, Bendy frowns up at him looking unsure 

“Henry, I dunno if he’s gonna let ya just hide in that; he’s really,  really  mad! More mad than I’ve ever seen him!” 

“Well, it’s worth a shot- I don’t have much of a choice at this point!” 

Quickly shoving both of them into the station, Henry slams the door shut just as the Ink demon collides with it having been right on his heels. Hissing loudly through the slat view, the Ink demon was in clear view as Henry leans away from him, cowering a bit and clutching Bendy who was doing the same. They could only watch in uncomfortable horror as the Ink demon’s hands wrap around the door, attempting to rip it off its hinges. However, the most incredible thing happened instead. 

Almost instantly, the miracle station glowed with a transparent golden aura that reminded Henry of his similarly golden ink before it seemed to zap the Ink demon off. Enraged, the Ink demon roars at them before slamming into the door again- but the shimmering golden force kept him at bay. Bendy stares in awe, Henry doing the same as the Ink demon paces in front of the station unable to reach them. Slowing down to a stop, the Ink demon stands in silence, twitching angrily and unmoving. Frowning, Henry slowly looks to Bendy who frowns back before the Ink demon finally breaks the quiet as he speaks; 

“Fine. If I can’t get you in there… I’ll wait until you come out here. You can’t hide in there forever… you’ll have to leave eventually, Henry. Then  i’ll  get you.”  

That, Henry thinks, was incredibly bad news; if he couldn’t get out of the station without being immediately killed, he wouldn’t be able to lure the Ink demon to the waiting trap- or leave period. Sighing, he sits on the small bench inside the station, holding Bendy who looked quite irate 

“Ya  would  do that, wouldn’t ya you sore loser! Can’t always get yer way, so ya gotta throw a tantrum!” 

The Ink demon simply stood in silence, ignoring the taunts and insults. Feeling quite unnerved and tired, Henry solemnly looks to Bendy 

“Now what’re we supposed to do?...” 

Bendy taps his chin in thought before shrugging  

“Guess we wait. When we get the signal, well.. Guess we’ll have to run fer it, huh?” 

Henry looks to his radio device before realizing that though this situation wasn’t the best, it would keep the Ink demon planted right here while the others did their part. Essentially, he’d accidentally created the perfect scenario; at least, for the other two parts of the group. 

“Well, if we’re going to be stuck here, could I ask you a few things Bendy?” 

“Yeah, sure, why not… I guess I already told ya the ‘big’ truth anyways.” 

Henry smiles at him, gently nuzzling Bendy on the head who waves a hand huffily at him 

“Alright, alright! Don’t get all mushy on me now.” 

Outside, the Ink demon hisses again making Henry shiver; he was clearly upset that Henry was being affectionate and caring towards Bendy. It made him feel a bit guilty, as he’d never had the chance to do the same for the Ink demon… and now, he may never get it. The Ink demon, however, comments on something else entirely: 

“You have hardly scratched the /surface/ of your so called /truth/, liar.”  

Bendy looked irritated at that, glancing to Henry 

“He’s just bitter; don’t listen to ‘im.” 

Henry frowns, feeling that he was still missing something important... but he wasn’t going to press for it right now. 

“Right… so, how exactly were you made?” 

Bendy looks at him blankly for a moment before sighing 

“Well, like i said, Ink head out there was tired a feelin’ stuff. He didn’t want t’ feel guilty or hopeful or anythin’, so he kinda just… took it outta himself an’ accidentally made me. I’m like the good Bendy, full ‘a all the stuff that makes me like yer original Bendy! I’m funny, can feel lots of emotions, get scared, an’ feel guilty… all that stuff that yer full of. Oh, but I guess most importantly…” 

Bendy takes the viewing device from Henry’s belt where it had been hanging this whole time, putting it in Henry’s hand now and clicking it on. Aiming it over himself, Henry looks surprised to see the little demon had a golden aura around him like a transparent shell of light. When they had first met, there had been nothing; truly, it seemed, the little devil had changed. Bendy beams at him, able to tell he was admiring it. 

“...I’m full a hope! The hope you gave me when ya made me, fer all kinds of good and happy things.” 

Shaking his head, Henry furrows his brow in confusion 

“I don’t understand. When we first met, I didn’t see it before...” 

Bendy hums thoughtfully about that, kicking his feet a bit before responding 

“I guess ya brought out the best in me? Not to be full on cheesy, but ya tend ta bring out the best in folks, y’know? As fer the Ink demon out there… well, he’s all the bad stuff. He’s angry, vengeful, bitter, spiteful, sad, unwilling to change, and all the things that make him  him . When  yer  full of a lotta toxic  feelin’s ,  ya  tend to  look  toxic… thus why he’s so ugly and i’m good lookin’!” 

Bendy snorts loudly at that, but the Ink demon didn’t find it so funny; he punches the door of the station that makes both Henry and Bendy flinch from the sudden noise of it, Bendy now glaring 

“Oh REAL mature, moron! Ya think yer more of an adult by gettin’ rid a all yer good feelin’s, but you’re just an angry brat!” 

The Ink demon puts his face close to the door again, blocking the view outside the station 

“Bold talk from the cry baby who gets scared so easily. Tell me, do you enjoy running and crying to dad  everytime  you don’t get what /you/ want?”  

Bendy sputters at that, and Henry facepalms slowly wishing they would stop insulting and fighting one another. Sighing heavily, Henry takes hold of Bendy who blinks and goes quiet as he’s moved into his lap now, hugging him. Closing his eyes, Henry muses out loud as the little demon looks up at him curiously; 

“I don’t think either of you are mature, really… but that’s because of who you’re supposed to be. It’s funny… it’s like you’re two versions, meant to be echos of us…” 

Bendy was likely giving him a questioning look that Henry didn’t have to open his eyes to know he was making as the demon questions him; 

“What? Whaddya mean ‘us’?” 

Henry slowly opens his eyes, staring up at the ceiling of the miracle station as his expression becomes solemn 

“Your creators.” 

Staring, both Bendy and the Ink demon seem surprised into silence now; Henry found it kind of cute really, the way they both interacted with him. Well, minus the Ink demon’s anger that is. Taking a deep breath, Henry sits up a bit, looking out the slat right at the Ink demon who was staring back at him before turning his attention to Bendy sitting in his lap 

“What I mean, is you remind me so much of myself… and  you ,”  

he nods to the Ink demon then 

“You remind me of him. Hurt, angry, bitter, unwilling to let go… reluctant to admit when you’re wrong.” 

Seemingly offended at that, the Ink demon slams both hands to the door of the miracle station making Henry and Bendy both flinch again and lean back as he speaks 

“How DARE you compare me to my tormentor! I am no product of him… I am a product of YOU! If anything, I am the part of you that you /deny/! I’m nothing like him!”  

Snorting, Bendy smirks despite the fact he was glaring a bit at the Ink demon 

“Well… guess i’m not the only one who’s tellin’ lies.” 

Frustrated, the Ink demon tries once more to break into the station, but rebounds off of the golden aura around it uselessly. Growling angrily, he slowly looks to Henry then 

“You will never leave this place… you will never escape. I’ll be sure to keep you trapped in this eternal hell as long as I have to be in it too.”  

Henry frowns, feeling a bit nervous at that; he wasn’t exactly helping their cause by making the Ink demon less and less willing to perhaps by a slim chance try and help them. He wonders if their plan would work, and if they really would find a way out… but all he can do now, is hope. 

Chapter Text

Quietly following the strange fisher named Barley that was guiding them to the jar necessary for their plan, Sammy glances behind himself into the empty darkness that made him feel nervous. The projectionist had tried insisting on keeping up the rear, but his light was needed at the front for navigating. Unsurprisingly, Boris didn’t tolerate the dark very well and was almost clinging to the projectionist as they walked.

No… Norman. His name was Norman , right? Shaking his head a bit, Sammy thinks how he needed to get into the habit of calling him that even though it felt strange. It was like he’d used the name so many times before, but the face wasn’t coming to him. Seeing the projectionist as this ‘Norman’ didn’t feel right, so it was difficult to remember at times. Sighing a bit, Sammy glances behind again, feeling like they were being watched; yet, no sign of the Ink demon had showed up for a long time.

Usually, this would be a good sign- but in these levels, the longer an area went without the Ink demon the chance of him showing up rose steadily. It felt as if any second those ominous shadows would flood the walls, and the ever vengeful lord would be on them in moments bringing down his wrath. Shivering at the thought, Sammy crosses his arms now holding them tightly and looking ahead. The projectionist’s flickering light played off the narrow hallway walls, making them seem alive.

There was so much Sammy wanted to think about, yet not think about because it made his mind feel murky; he had to focus on their mission, but his memories seemed to be prodding more and more threatening to cause him to have another episode like before. Each time something flooded to him, he physically became unable to move as he re-lived memories so vividly it always shocked him. The most recent one had been a brief flash of a dark night in the halls when he used to work here that popped up as they’d entered the passageway, but it passed quickly enough he hadn’t blanked out. The projectionist- no, Norman had fussed over him for it regardless, but they’d managed to move past it.

It felt as if they’d been walking for ages, but Sammy couldn’t really tell how much time had really passed; in this place, time seemed to not really exist anymore. If days and nights still turned, he wasn’t aware. 

Deep in less memory ridden thought, Sammy accidentally bumps into the projectionist’s back as he’d stopped walking. Blinking and looking up, Sammy peers over his shoulder to see why he’d stopped; then, immediately wishes he hadn’t.

Tons of glowing eyes were staring at their group blocking the pathway as tons upon tons of lost ones were clustered within the space of the hallway. Sammy wasn’t sure why they were crammed into the tight space like this, nor why in the dark. 

Norman slowly looks down to Barley who was frowning, clearly unprepared for such a scenario; Boris, however, walks forward a bit while silently waving to them in a friendly gesture. The lost ones all gave him rather bleak looks, but didn’t do anything aggressive in return; they were simply staring. Sammy furrows his brow, turning to look at Norman

“So… do you think we could just walk through them?”

The flickering light turns to him, blinding and a bit painful; his projector head tilts as he shrugs. Right... he wouldn’t know. Barley sighs, looking up at them speaking quietly

“I suppose it’s worth a shot, there isn’t a way around…”

Slowly now, the four approach the lost ones who simply watch them get closer. Having to form a single file line now to move through them, Norman takes the lead with Boris behind him, Barley behind Boris, and again, Sammy in the back. However, as Sammy attempts to follow the others, he finds himself suddenly barred by dozens of limbs blocking the path. Startled by such a sudden movement, he takes a step back getting flustered and sputtering a bit

“W-What?! Why aren’t you letting me through?! What did I do??!”

The lost ones silently stare at him, and though their expressions remained unchanged they didn’t seem to quite like him; the reason was entirely beyond him. 

The other three had stopped, looking back his way at the commotion- Sammy could tell that Norman would have rushed right over had he not been currently squished by lost ones. Barley frowns once more, shaking his head before calling over a bit louder than normal;

“I think it’s your mask. They don’t exactly like Bendy, i’m sure…”

Offended, Sammy scoffs at them

“Don’t like him?! He’s our lord, and will save us all- how can you all be so blasphemous?! Do you have nothing left to cling to but your misery?!”

Naturally, that didn’t make it better; the lost ones simply stared at him, but Sammy could feel they didn’t like what he’d said as there was a bit of tension in the air. Boris whines, clearly scared that something bad was going to happen. Frustrated, Sammy looks to the other three helplessly

“Now what? They’re not letting me through, how am I supposed to follow??”

Barley sighs heavily, seeming tired

“Take off the mask, and leave it.”

Sammy’s demeanor drops at that, his arms hanging by his sides 

“What?! Absolutely NOT! It’s important!”

“It’s a sign of your faith to someone they don’t like… just put it down and we can get it later”

“It’s not that simple!! I can’t just remove it and leave it- I need it!”

Sammy felt a bit hysterical now, desperately not wanting to take off his mask; it was so many things he needed. It hid his horrible, terribly inky husk of nothing that was his real ‘face’, it showed his adoration and respect for their lord, and it connected him to said lord in ways they’d never understand. If he removed it, he would be severing his much needed security; it simply wouldn’t be done.

Barley looks up at Norman then, tired still

“We’re going to have to leave him… we don’t have time for this”

Norman gives an irritated screech from his speaker that makes several lost ones nervously shift and try to give him more space. Boris whines again, shaking his head; he didn’t want to leave Sammy behind either, which made the music director admittedly feel a bit touched. Barley was getting a bit frustrated however as he looks over to Sammy almost desperate

“Please just remove the mask? We can’t afford to be wasting time, the Ink demon could show up at any moment”

“I will never -”

“Sammy.”

Surprised, Sammy started at hearing his name spoken in the static-y crackle from Norman’s speaker. Staring, he feels a whole mix of emotions he can’t really discern

“...What?”

Norman tilts his projector head forward a bit so the lens was aimed down, looking rather ominous. His message didn’t need to be spoken; he was simply asking ‘remove the mask so we can move on’. Defeated and still frustrated, Sammy sighs shakily before crossing his arms huffily

“...fine. But if I don’t get it back, there will be hell to pay. You all hear that?!”

The lost ones don’t respond naturally, making Sammy shake his head. Slowly, he reaches for his mask feeling incredibly reluctant; he always hated taking it off.

As his fingers touch the sides of the mask, he grasps it preparing to remove it when instead he feels something… as if he was buzzing with a strange energy. Without warning, his vision was now flying through the ink, travelling through walls, zipping incredibly fast before it slows to a jarring halt elsewhere. What he could see now was a dark room, flooded with ink over the floor; the only things inside it otherwise were a desk that was shoved aside, and a ‘miracle station’ which really was a repurposed portable toilet.

What he sees inside of it, however, is what really surprises him; it was Henry, holding Bendy in his lap looking incredibly tired. Had he always looked so worn out? He was saying something, but Sammy couldn’t hear it- instead, he watches as his view rushes at the door of the station, slamming and shimmering with a strange golden aura. Inside the station, Henry and Bendy had fearfully flinched before the little demon became irritated yelling silently. Henry, on the other hand, simply sank back into looking incredibly tired. It almost made Sammy feel bad for him.

Unsure of what was happening, Sammy couldn’t really feel or hear anything he was seeing; in fact, his body felt as if it were still standing where his mind had left it, and it was incredibly disorientating. His view slowly turns to look down at what should have been his reflection in the ink on the floor for a moment, and that’s when it hits him- he was seeing through the Ink demon’s eyes. He was connected right to his own lord, and he wasn’t sure why until his lord speaks:

“I see your companions, Henry. I can tell where they are… what /are/ they up to, I wonder?”

Feeling rather scared now, Sammy becomes fairly aware that this was definitely bad. His view moves up to the equally scared looking faces of Bendy and Henry. Out loud, the Ink demon speaks as if directly to Sammy:

“You’re very faithful, my ‘prophet’. Faithful, but oh so naive… you have helped me against your own interest.”

Sammy could see Henry silently yelling, but his vision returns to himself now so fast he stumbles and collapses to the floor resulting in many confused lost ones and a screech from the projectionist. Pushing through the lost ones, Boris, and Barley, Norman quickly kneel by Sammy who was slowly sitting up and holding his head

“...He knows. He knows where we are- I-I didn’t mean to, I didn’t know...”

The lost ones all look startled then, panicking a bit; one of them actually calls out

“What do you mean?! Who knows?!”

Sammy looks to Norman, who was looking a bit nervous himself

“The Ink demon. My lord was seeing through my mask this whole time . I-I didn’t know, I didn’t mean to-”

Suddenly, all of the lost ones devolved into a chorus of wails and panic, scrambling chaotically and trampling over one another as they flee. Boris quickly snatches up Barley, trying to protect him while Norman wraps over Sammy tightly as lost ones flood past them. Shaking a bit, Sammy closes his eyes tightly before it clears as suddenly as it had started; they were all gone. The commotion having died down, Sammy becomes keenly aware of the way Norman was holding him and flusters pushing at him

“Y-you can let go of me now… I’m fine.”

Norman silently gazes at him, obviously staring at his mask Sammy realizes; it was, afterall, now a really bad thing to have. Upset but knowing what needed to be done, Sammy whips the mask off his face hesitating only a moment before forcing himself to snap it in half; the action hurt his heart, but he wasn’t going to risk his friends for the sake of worship. He was actually a bit upset that Ink demon had called him naive and threatened him… wasn’t their lord supposed to be forgiving, wanting to deliver them from suffering?

Barley walks over then, disgruntled and upset as well

“We really need to move now, we’re out of time- If what you said is true, I don’t think Henry’ll be much more of a distraction for long”

Feeling exposed and barren, Sammy tries covering his face with a frown; Norman however gently takes his hands, moving them away. He shakes his projector head, very briefly touching Sammy’s cheek before getting back up, offering a hand to help him up. Flustered, Sammy was actually glad about his inky lack of a face for one thing- he’d be blushing furiously right now otherwise. Why was Norman so keen on being friendly to him like this?? Alice said he’d had a crush in the past, but did he really remember it?

Touching his cheek where Norman had brushed it, he uses his other hand to take a hold of the one being offered and gets pulled up swiftly. The movement was so fast he stumbles right into the projectionist, who looks at him curiously. Sammy was finding this all conveniently cheesy. Surely, he was doing this on purpose now. 

The gravity of their situation however quickly dashed whatever budding romcom they were apparently living in, as Barley frowns listening to his portable communication radio. Curious, Sammy walks over forgetting his embarrassment from Norman and not having his mask for the moment

“What’s wrong?”

Barley looks up to him, still frowning

“Henry says the Ink demon is getting antsy… he might leave him any second. We really are out of time now”

Boris whines, but Sammy shakes his head clutching both hands into fists holding them before himself

“We’re going to have enough time! We can still do this- let’s get a move on, shall we? No need to be quiet if we know where the lord is waiting!”

With that, Sammy doesn’t hesitate to take the lead as he runs down the hall making the other three have to hurriedly jog after him, the projectionist giving a small shrill that he figured meant ‘Hey, wait up!’. Henry had tried so hard to help them along this far, Sammy didn’t want to be the one who ruined it with his mask and the Ink demon seeing through it. Thinking how his lord had been watching everything through his eyes gave him a small chill; how much had he seen? Regardless, he was going to make sure their plan didn’t fall apart so easily if he could help it. 

And maybe, just maybe, he could reconnect with their lord later and even potentially bargain with him… after all, as the prophet, he needed a good relationship with their divine deity anyways. Maybe he could convince him to help them… but funny enough, Sammy felt that idea was slowly losing his faith.

- (skip forward in time)

Staring up at the impressively large glass jar labeled ‘ink’, Sammy thinks about how they most certainly could fit several people (no less the Ink demon) inside it. Barley was currently inspecting it and a couple spares to find the one with the least damage and threat of cracking under pressure, which Sammy knew his lord would be putting against it the moment they trapped him.

Norman was helpfully using his light for Barley to see meanwhile, which thankfully gave Sammy some breathing room in the corner away from him to think with Boris, who was silently watching them investigate the jars. Speaking out loud partially to himself, partially to the friendly wolf, Sammy mumbles;

“Strange… it’s all so… strange. Norman, my lord, and my own memories… what’s going on in this realm?...”

He puts a hand on his chin pensively as he looks to Boris, who has his head tilted in curiosity at his words

“You think it’s strange, don’t you? It’s like a network of memories dictates everything… the more you know and remember, the more power you have. And yet, the more it can break you down and haunt you… but in the end, this is all one big memory, is it not? This… repeating wheel of someone’s lost dreams”

He sighs, shaking his head now, Boris frowning

“I know, i’m just rambling now… but I do wish I understood more. Where did all this ‘black magic’ come from, how did the ink machine come to be, and how does it work? What are we? And, who am I really? I say i’m Sammy Lawrence, but…”

Looking down slowly, he’s aware Boris was listening with deep interest

“Well, in the end… I think… we’re all just-”

“This one.”

Sammy looks up (as does Boris) to Barley and Norman who were looking back at them; Barley’s hand was on one of the ink jars. Sighing once more, Sammy nods and struggles to his feet before walking over with Boris to the large glass container. Looking at his distorted reflection, Sammy felt self conscious again, touching his face and frowning

“So, to move this thing… do you think sheer force will be enough? This is a ridiculously large glass jar, which means it’s ridiculously heavy …”

Barley looks up at it frowning, Boris looking to Norman who simply walks up to the jar and crouching down before it. The fisher speaks as he does so;

“Well, it’s going to be difficult to move for sure... maybe I can fashion something that’ll roll it? I’d say roll the jar itself, but it wouldn’t fit horizontally through the halls and it would risk damage… maybe if I-”

Before he can continue, Norman uses rather impressive force to lift the jar partially from the floor that made Sammy really glad they hadn’t fought when they’d met. Taking the cue, Boris hurries over to the other side; if he’d help, Sammy wasn’t sure, considering how thin he was. However, his judgments are tossed away quickly as the wolf lifts with an equally impressive feat of strength, heaving the jar into the air; both of them were shaking a bit with the effort however, worrying Sammy.

“Is that going to be enough??”

Barley gives him a look that makes the music director slump before moving between the other two an so the weight would be lifted by all three equally. Taking hold of the bottom, Sammy grunts with strain as he helps ease the burden of the jar; he thinks, howeve,r that he wasn’t made for this being a musician and not a heavy lifter!

“R-right… so- back the way we came?”

Barley clicks on a flashlight then, turning it down the hall

“Exactly. I’ll lead the way so you three can focus on holding that up”

Already not enjoying the task, Sammy thinks how this had to be payback for some kind of karma he probably deserved. Whatever it was, he didn’t regret it though; regret was for those who didn’t stand behind their actions, and his actions were always dignified. Even if the others thought worshipping the Ink demon said otherwise.

- (second time skip)

Having made decent progress down the hall, Sammy was shaking from the effort feeling a terrible burning ache in what he didn’t realize were still his muscles and not just blobby ink. His back was also hurting rather badly, which meant he’d been lifting incorrectly from something he vaguely remembered someone said… ‘Lift with your legs, not your back!’. Whoever it was that had said it seemed rather grouchy, and definitely over worked like the rest of them; but Sammy couldn’t remember where he’d heard it, or place a face or name to it.

“H-how much further do we have to go? I’m not- sure- I can hold this much longer!”

Boris whines a little, looking like he was getting tired too and Norman simply kept quiet, but Sammy could hear his equipment jangling more than usual as he was shaking from strain. Barley looks around seeming to be getting their bearings before calling behind himself

“We’re at least more than halfway back, but we’re not there yet.”

Groaning, Sammy wished he could get a break; manual labor was not on his resume at any point in time, and he certainly never planned to be doing it himself! This is what the bigger, stronger, beefier men were for! Hmm… his thoughts had trailed off a bit there. Oops. Either way, the music director was feeling grouchier by the moment

“Halfway- is not- good enough! I’m going to collapse!”

Barley shrugs, continuing to walk

“You complain a lot, but I think you can handle more than you let on.”

Pouting at that, Sammy continues struggling with the other two when the words sink in; something about it seemed… familiar. 

Without warning, Sammy suddenly stumbles letting go of the jar as he’s overtaken by another memory surge; he’d been fighting them away so much that one had finally gotten the upperhand. 

He was now standing in front of a rather disorganized desk covered in paperwork, reels, animation frames, and little bendy paraphernalia that framed an equally little name placard that read ‘Joey Drew’. He was feeling quite irate, arms crossed, puffing angrily at the man who was giving him a look from behind said desk.

“C’mon, Sammy! You’re always complaining, but I know you; you’re talented, and incredibly good at what you do! Sure, you’re a hard worker, but I know you can handle more than you’ve been letting on!”

Sammy couldn’t control what he was saying as it came from him, realizing it had already been said and done; he was simply reliving it.

“With all due respect, sir , I’m well aware of my talents and capabilities; but you’re asking too much! The band isn’t readily assembled with the drop of a pen, and I can only write so fast! I need more time!”

Joey leans forward on the desk, pushing aside some papers that suspiciously seemed to say ‘overdue’ on them…

“Listen, Sammy… I know you’re doing what you can, but deadlines are deadlines. Just push a little more these next couple of weeks, and we’ll be back on track in no time; no more overtime, or rushing!”

Mulling this in his head, he still felt unconvinced; but arguing with the boss clearly wasn’t getting him far.

“If it gets us where we need to be, I suppose I can try ... but you need to get that maintenance crew double time on the pipes by my office! And this better not become normal for me, or i’m going to have to finally agree with Wally of all people about something...”

Joey smiles at that, leaning back now in his chair that creaks

“Deal; you get those songs done in the next few days, i’ll make sure the fellas in Gent have your floor fixed and cleaned up good as new in no time! How’s that sound?”

Sammy sighs, giving in unfortunately

“I suppose it’ll have to do... I would appreciate having my space back.”

“It’s settled then. No time to waste, let’s keep this machine running!”

Sammy found the choice in words poor taste as he’d much rather take a wrench to that god awful ink machine, but he didn’t want to start a fight with the boss- so he bit his tongue instead. Leaving the office promptly, he mutters curses under his breath storming back to his department when along the way he accidentally slams right into someone having been preoccupied in his anger. Pinwheeling his arms, he falls roughly to the floor with a grunt hearing whoever he’d run into collapse and drop their own things with a loud clatter. Frowning, he sits up quickly

“I-I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to- I wasn’t looking-... Norman? What’re you doing heading to Joey’s office?”

Before him, the disgruntled and tired looking projectionist was recollecting a number of reels and a thankfully undamaged projector under his arm. He was very tall, with a firm but not overly muscular build; his skin was a lighter medium brown than his darker reddish brown hair, his even browner eyes full of exhaustion. And as always, he had a random ink smudge on his poorly shaven 5 o'clock shadowed face and a toothpick in his mouth; why the toothpick, Sammy never understood, but his some form of southern accent may have been a hint. Sighing, the projectionist grumbled;

“Drew’s been all over my case tryin’a get me to do overtime, work harder, an’ keep things rollin’ twice as fast. I can’t keep up with these demands when the damn equipment he gives me keeps breakin’ on me! I’m bringin’ him some more reels he asked for, but I’m more than damn well ready to ask for new projectors, and if need be, fight for ‘em.”

Sammy blinks at that, sighing himself in return

“He’s been working everyone to the brink of bursting like these damned pipes… it’s at least nice running into you, even if it was literally…”

Norman smiles at that, giving Sammy an expression that made his heart twist in knots; damn, was he ever good at making the usually stoic music director fluster. Distracted by the look, Sammy almost didn’t catch what Norman had said next;

“Likewise. You’re usually all broody, hunched over your songs or yellin’ your head off at some poor musicians tryin’a catch a break… you really should consider goin’ easier on ‘em”

Sammy huffs, smirking a bit despite it

“Go easy on them? Never! You can bet I won’t go easy on you, either…”

The projectionist gets a rather smug look at that, which makes Sammy a bit nervous

“I wouldn’t want it any other way…”

Suddenly overtaken with dizziness, Sammy feels himself sway a little; Norman seemed concerned, but his vision was quickly being engulfed by inky darkness. As if he were falling in a dream, Sammy suddenly snaps back to reality (if it could be called that) with a hard flinch as he finds himself sitting on the floor, propped against one if the dingy ink stained walls of the studio. Holding his head, he groans a little before realizing Norman was crouching next to him, his flickering light surprisingly dimmed so as not to hurt his eyes. On his other side, Boris looked rather worried while Barley was frantically going on about needing to move.

Rubbing his head a bit, Sammy looks to Norman who tilts his lens down a bit at him before Barley almost bustles right into his face

“What happened?? Why did you faint like that? Will it happen again?? We really really can’t stay any longer!”

Feeling a little overwhelmed at the barrage of questions, Sammy flaps a hand at the fisher until he goes silent

“Calm down- It was a memory. Sometimes they crop up without warning and do that... I should be good for a while though.”

Sighing, the fisher backs up a bit

“Can we please get moving then? Henry said the Ink demon has been leaving him now and again, I think he’s looking for us”

Frowning himself, Sammy struggles to get up feeling his arms burn with soreness, and his back as well.

“Oof.. well, then I suppose it’s time to get back to this… awful task.”

Norman gets up as well, giving him a small concerned sound while Boris whines a little at him

“I’m fine! Like I said, it was just a memory; nothing more.”

Looking at Norman, however, Sammy felt a bit solemn. Whatever that bit of memory with him had been, it had unlocked some strange feeling he couldn’t quite place; something had happened between them before, it seemed. Had it been romantic? A rivalry? Were they good friends? He couldn’t remember, but seeing what Norman was now compared to that memory… it made him feel rather sad. He didn’t deserve this. None of them did.

As they prepared to lift the jar again, Sammy glances to Norman who brightens his light back up a bit before looking back curiously. Sammy frowns, looking down and away from him

“I’m… sorry about this. All of this. You didn’t deserve it… and you don’t deserve to be forgotten.”

Norman silently stares at him, seemingly wanting to say something but Barley pipes up doing a small anxious dance that causes his head to come loose from its stand and swing now

“Pleaaaaaase can we move now? I really don’t want the Ink demon to find us!”

Sammy puffs a bit, but silently obliges; they all take hold of the jar, lifting it up once more with a struggle. If the Ink demon did show up, he wonders if they could simply topple it onto his head and trap him like a sad bug in a cup- but he’d likely just sink through the floor in that case. Still, the idea made him feel a bit safer at the moment... for now.

Chapter Text

Having miraculously made it back with the massive ink jar in tact (as well as Sammy’s own pride not having to drop it again somehow), the group was now running around like panicked mice in a maze as they set up their trap in Norman’s corridors. Alice was directing her pet butcher gang around the place to do her bidding (Boris included for some reason) while Norman was busy dragging over materials he’d stowed away a while ago. He and Alice seemed to be trying to avoid one another, but they kept inevitably crossing one another’s paths regardless only exchanging hostile looks but thankfully nothing more. In Sammy’s opinion, he couldn’t tell who was scarier; Alice was getting more melty than she normally was having gone so long without her surgical ‘fixes’, yet Norman still had a towering and menacing presence with intimidating looks and mannerisms.

Their feud aside, Barley was the true director of everything here (despite Alice bossing him around); he was the master behind the whole strange trap and its blueprints. Sammy opted to do anything easier for the set up, quite done with heavy lifting after that jar; at the moment he was rigging a few pulleys with ropes tediously. Sighing, he wondered how Henry and his two lords were doing... somehow, Sammy actually felt a tad concerned for the old artist more than anything. After all, Henry was alone and currently in a stalemate face-off with the very angry Ink demon… it was bound to end poorly at any given moment.

Tsking as a rope slides from his grasp swinging away, Sammy reaches for it only for his hand to bump into someone else’s; Norman had grabbed it for him and was offering it back to him now. Silently looking at him for a moment, Sammy takes it wishing he had his mask again 

“Oh.. thank you. You know, you don’t have to always be hovering around me… it’s a bit… odd.”

The projectionist seemed to take that a bit roughly as he gets embarrassed, looking away now and rubbing the back of his projector head. Sammy can’t help but feel amused at that, sighing

“It’s fine… I don’t know what you’re thinking, but I know you just want to help me. It’s sweet- really. Thank you.”

Norman turns to look at him again, staring for a moment before he nods a little. Sammy wished he could tell what the guy was thinking half the time. Instead of explaining anything though, the projectionist saunters off through the ink in a fashion that makes Sammy remember the southern cowboy-esque man he used to know… no! Now was certainly not the right time for any more memory flashes; he had to refrain from thinking about it.

Continuing his part of the set up, Sammy was helping Barley hook up a system attached to the ceiling meant to hold up and release the jar that was currently precariously standing on stacked crates. Looping ropes, hammering hooks, and such was making his already exhausted arms ache even more from the angle. 

Below, a sharp whistle causes him to flinch and nearly fall from the crates making him grumpily glance down to the smiling piper named Charley who was looking up at Barley.

“Niiiice work! This is lookin’ like a real trap now! Man, Barles, is there anything ya can’t do?”

The fisher blinks and becomes rather bashful from the comment, which makes Sammy raise an eyebrow. Just how much of this place was going to be a cliche story? Barley, howeve,r doesn’t respond to the piper who was still smiling up at him. Realizing he wasn’t getting a response, Charley speaks again;

“Aww, don’t gotta get embarrassed! It was a genuine compliment!”

Huffing a little, Barley quietly mumbles almost inaudibly

“That’s what makes it embarrassing…”

Sammy grins a bit at that, thinking that maybe Alice’s little crew weren’t so bad after all; he could potentially maybe even call them cute… of course, until the spider one reels down like an actual spider with a grappling hook. Naturally Sammy throws himself backwards away from him while flailing, unfortunately falling right towards the ink

“oH NO-”

Grunting hard, Sammy realizes that his suspenders had been grabbed by said spider who pulls him back up with a struggled effort. Once situated back on the crates, Sammy gives the striker a dirty look 

“Do you mind not sneaking up on people? Thanks.”

Rolling his eye, the striker gives him a look back

“Maybe you should be less scared all the time”

Puffing, Sammy was about to argue when Barley speaks up interrupting just in time

“It’s ready. We need the jar”

Edgar nods in response, reeling all the way down to the ink and unhooking his grapple before heading towards Alice who was watching nearby. Sammy slowly notices that the striker had something tucked under his arm… it looked like a syringe full of ink. Leaning in a bit, he listens in on the exchange

“Here you are, my lady; fresh and extra thick to help you”

Taking the syringe, she seemed a bit relieved

“Thank you, Edgar… this should be enough to tie me over for a bit longer.”

The striker bowed before watching as Alice starts injecting herself disturbingly with the ink; Sammy could feel his own gut twist, forcing him to look away. He wasn’t sure what the thick ink came from, but he didn’t really want to know- all he could hope was it would make Alice less irritable for the time being as it made it difficult to work with her.

Sammy’s attention was drawn away from the little interaction however as Boris and Norman were struggling to bring over the jar without his help, Barley reeling himself down with a harness to them. Leaning over his stack of crates, Sammy questions

“Should I get down now? I don’t like balancing on these, you know”

Barley shakes his head, not looking at him when responding as he was busy working with Boris and Norman to get the complicated straps and ropes around the jar

“You’re gonna have to help steady this into place… stay up there for now; you can come down soon, it’s almost done.”

Sighing, Sammy crosses his arms watching them before getting a curious glance from Norman who looks away quickly, perhaps being a bit more shy after the earlier comment. He thinks how it’s a bit silly that such a big scary entity such as the projectionist could get so easily flustered by… well, Sammy wasn’t sure what to call himself. A human-shaped ink blob, he supposes.

With a loud click, Barley gives them a thumbs up and both Boris and Norman slowly release their grip to back away, the jar making the whole set up creak with its weight; thankfully though, it was holding. Looking relieved, Barley reels himself back up to the ceiling near Sammy before holding up a part of the ropes.

“I’m gonna pull on three, and this should come up without a problem. If it’s too fast or swings, I need you to use your arms to steady it, alright?”

Sammy nods to him, watching and wondering how all of these ropes and pieces could make that incredibly heavy jar lift with an easy tug of some string... the engineering was impressive, to say the least.

“Alright… one… two… three!”

From below, everyone had gathered to watch nervously but eagerly as the jar hoists rather suddenly up into position like intended- but like Barley predicted, it was a bit too quick for the weight of it and it began to swing. Throwing his arms out to stop it, Sammy grunts as it collides a bit roughly with him but thankfully stops without knocking everything over including him. With another small tug from the fisher, the jar clanks into place and stays put. Smiling, Barley wraps the rope he’d been pulling on some kind of a hook and nods to Sammy

“All set. Now we’re ready to catch an Ink demon.”

Sammy stares at the jar thinking about it; really, what they were doing? Henry was going to make the Ink demon angry, guide him right into this hall, then they were going to drop a giant jar to catch him. It was a bit comical if one really thought about it. What wasn’t so comical, however, was the idea that Ink demon might be able to escape… if he did manage to get out or they missed, the amount of ink in the area was more than enough for his terrible wrath to destroy all of them several times over. 

From below, the curious piper questions;

“So, what about a lid, huh? If he’s gonna stay in that thing we need to seal it, right?”

The fisher reels back down again, Sammy looking after him thinking how he didn’t exactly have his own easy way down. Barley looks to Charley answering him

“The lid is hidden under the ink right here ”

The fisher taps his foot and a quiet muffled metal clank gives away its location

“If the Ink demon could see it, he’d know what was waiting for him… so I figured the ink would be a good cover.”

Huffing to himself, Sammy was about to complain about being stuck when Norman approaches him, holding out his arms as an offer. Sammy, however, felt a bit embarrassed by it

“I-I’m certain I can get down on my own, but thank you for the gesture-”

Alice cuts in then, rolling her eyes

“Just let him help you down. Your pride isn’t worth face planting into the ink and dissolving over something easily prevented and stupid.”

Puffing again, Sammy gives a curt “Fine!” before looking back to Norman who still had his arms extended. Nervously, he prepares to practically throw himself to the projectionist’s mercy; if Norman failed to hold him up or catch him, he’d end up in the ink anyways.

With a small hop, Sammy felt a rush of fear as he fell before a firm grasp caught and lifted him up, making the music director flinch a little. Staring down at Norman who seemed to be holding him up so effortlessly made him feel flushed- especially with everyone staring. Despite the attention, Norman didn’t seem to be in any rush as he gently lowers Sammy down to the floor making sure not to drop him.

As soon as his feet touch down, Sammy takes a step back crossing his arms while refusing to look up at Norman who he knew was looking back at him.

“Thanks… I, uh.. Thanks.”

Norman surprises him then by giving a small amused crackly sound from his speaker making Sammy fluster and puff again

“It’s not funny! I’m not that light, you’re just freakishly strong for some reason!”

Norman makes another sound of amusement he could only assume was equivalent to laughter, the piper now laughing at him too before chiming in

“Sounds like you’re pretty embarrassed! What for, huh? Feelin’ weak?”

“I do not feel weak. Can we please focus on the matter at hand, and not me? Thanks!”

Even Alice chuckles at him, shaking her head

“Barley is already contacting Henry, we’re just enjoying your embarrassment is all. You always get so flustered over Norman...”

Feeling like his face was burning, Sammy turns his back on them briskly walking away to hide around the corner and escape further embarrassment

“Whatever; i’m going to be over here if you need me”

“You can’t always run off and hide when your pride is hurt, Sammy~”

“I can, and I will! ”

It’s true, his pride was a bit bruised; but mostly because this was just one instant of constant teasing from the others, and not really Norman catching him. In fact, part of him kept nagging that he didn’t want to be put down at all which was only making him feel more embarrassed. He wished that the others would just leave it alone and let him try to handle and figure out his feelings without trying to turn it into their comedy.

Deep in thought, Sammy didn’t notice somehow that Norman had come around the corner after him and was silently standing there watching. Pacing a bit, Sammy turns around and walks right into him on accident before taking a step back and staring up at him, flustered all over again.

“I- what do you want?? Can’t you tell I don’t want to be bothered right now?”

As if numb to his words, Norman stayed put and didn’t respond. Sighing heavily, Sammy gives him a tired gesture of desperation

“Look; for the moment, I’d just like to be left alone. You understand that, right?”

Norman seemed unsure, like he was about to turn and leave when Alice’s voice spoke up around the corner teasing him yet again

“Oh Sammy, you know you can’t be left alone… at least not without your boyfriend~”

Sammy bristles a bit at that, feeling frustrated; frustrated over the embarrassment, over the constant weird feeling between him and Norman, over barely remembering anything about anyone, and being picked on for it. It was starting to really grind his nerves to a fray; just how much awkwardness and fleeting memory chases did he have to go through before something would change? Before he could begin to remotely sort through his anxious thoughts and feelings?

Norman hovering over him certainly wasn’t helping, and as the projectionist started to get closer to him with taunting and goading from the others, Sammy felt he’d finally had enough. Snapping loudly in an almost shrill tone, he cries out partially from frustration with himself to frustration over Norman;

“WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM ME?! CAN’T YOU SEE I DON’T EVEN REMEMBER WHO YOU ARE?!” 

Norman paused to stare at him, so Sammy Inhales deeply, trying to control his voice a bit before continuing

“ Whatever you’re thinking, it’s just... not there anymore! It isn’t here now, it won’t be there later- it won’t be there ever again ! It’s GONE ! My memories are gone, and so are you! Just, please- leave me ALONE! ”

Norman, despite the harsh words and tone, didn’t leave; in fact, he starts walking closer making Sammy a bit nervous as he doesn’t stop getting closer. Had he gone too far? Was Norman mad, and about to make him regret his words? Fearfully, Sammy tries stepping back away from him stuttering 

“I-I didn’t mean to- I-I’m sorry, I don’t know what came over me I just-“

Suddenly, Sammy gasps as he’s pulled into a hug without warning and held tightly. The gesture caught him off guard so badly that any emotions or thoughts beforehand immediately dissipated. Feeling his heart beating a mile a minute, he was almost certain he was going to faint when Norman gently squeezes him. Then, everything around him seemed to melt away… literally.

He was in a hallway, and it was dark meaning it was either night time or underground; he wasn’t sure which. Only the dim flickering light of an almost burnt out ceiling lamp illuminated the area, making it seem ominous. 

Sammy could see paperwork strewn on the floor that he was somehow aware he’d just dropped as he was currently being embraced tightly by the projectionist, who was squeezing him. He wasn’t made of ink with a projector for a head however; he was the handsome man he used to be, and Sammy felt incredibly flushed by the gesture. Slowly, he wrapped his own arms around Norman in return. Briefly glancing at a nearby office window, he notes that it had been shuttered as the studio was closed at this hour- also, his face was incredibly red.

Taking a nervous breath, Sammy closes his eyes and tries to regain himself; he leans his face forward into the shoulder of the projectionist who was so warm… his embrace was comfortable too. He didn’t want to let go. That’s when he hears the muffled words spoken against his own shoulder:

“I love you.”

Feeling as if everything paused in that moment, Sammy could hear the buzzing of the flickering light; they were alone, nobody watching, just the two of them… yet it felt like they were on a stage where everyone could see. Somehow though, he was alright with it. Happy, even. 

Slowly, Sammy could feel the memory slipping away but the situation was the same as he was standing alone, holding tightly onto Norman who hadn’t moved or let go the whole time. Surprisingly, Sammy felt something dripping from his face; was he crying?? Could he even do that anymore?

Sniffing, Sammy sighs shakily before gently squeezing the projectionist back a bit. He wasn’t sure how much time had passed but he was sure of one thing; he vaguely knew what Norman was trying to tell him. He was trying to remind him of what used to be… but something was still nagging Sammy.

Bracing himself, Sammy tries to work up his own courage now;

“I… I don’t fully understand. What you’ve been meaning to tell me, but... I have an idea. You liked me… right? and I think I…”

Sighing again, he shakes his head briefly pressing his face to Norman’s shoulder once more finding it difficult, and the moment incredibly out of place considering. Was now really the time? Then again… would there ever be a time? He supposes this might as well happen now rather than never.

“...I think I liked you too. I… is that why you’re being so nice to me? Following me around, and trying to help all the time? You want to remind me so I remember?”

Quietly, Sammy receives a rather melancholy drone from the projectionist who gives him another gentle squeeze; It seemed his assumption was correct. Closing his eyes now, Sammy quietly asks now;

“Even if i’m not who I used to be, and I can’t remember… you’re always trying. You aren’t going to give up on me, are you? Even if I keep failing to even recall your name sometimes?”

He can feel Norman physically shake his head no at that, and it made him feel a bit emotional; enough so that his face was dripping again to where he can visibly see ink droplets coming off of it. 

After all this time, he had forgotten everyone and everything, including someone he’d really cared about... and now he had to see it all reduced to this, trying everything he could just to reignite some possible memory. It made his heart ache in several ways, but he was glad above all else to be at least feeling something .

“Norman… i’m sorry… I…”

Breathing in deeply, Sammy tries to hold back so he doesn’t end up pouring his emotions out at such an inopportune time

“I’m trying to remember. I promise. It’s hard, and I don’t think i’ll ever fully remember- even if I want to. I want to remember you. But I can’t ; it’s just.. It’s not the same. I-I don’t think there’s anything there… at least, not anymore. Please understand that...”

At that, the projectionist moves away from him to hold Sammy firmly by his shoulders, gazing right into his eyes. Blinking furiously, Sammy tries to keep himself steady under the beam of light that was a bit overwhelming. Slowly then, Norman wipes his eyes before turning to one of the walls starting to write on it. Flustered and quiet now, Sammy tilts his head trying to see around Norman as he wrote.

Taking a step back, Norman looks to him waiting for a response as Sammy reads the scrawled words that were still dripping...

‘If I don’t get to tell you later Sammy, I still lo-’

Staring, Sammy feels truly overwhelmed having stopped reading before the last line; he wasn’t sure he could bring himself to. 

“N-No, you can’t... You can’t possibly feel that! We hardly know each other anymore- and i’m not… you can’t…”

He realizes, however, as Norman stares him down that there was a possibility at least that the projectionist had something left. Also, that there was a possibility that this could be it; that there wouldn’t be a better chance to say it later when it counted more, because the Ink demon could tear them all apart. Even though he was their savior, he wasn’t always merciful; especially with the blasphemy they’d be committing with this. 

There was a good chance this would be the last Sammy could ever speak with Norman if something went wrong, and the thought frightened him.

“W-We’re going to be fine! This isn’t the end, and there’ll be more time to talk. I’m sure of it!”

Norman looked unconvinced, tilting his head at Sammy who sighs and slowly crosses his arms moving towards him.

“I mean… maybe there’s a chance something could go wrong, but… well, it’s better to believe otherwise, right? I just… don’t want this to be where it ends. I don’t want to rush into something i’m not ready for… you understand, don’t you?”

Norman nods at him, gently touching his shoulder now; Sammy looks up at him frowning, but glad at the gesture

“I can’t say things will be the same, or that I can see you the same; that i’ll ever find something… but.. Well, with some time, I think we could at least make something. If there was something before, maybe there can be again.. But it won’t be the same. I don’t think it ever could be...”

Norman nods again, meaning he understood. Sammy was grateful for that.

“Just so long as you don’t try to act like things are exactly what they were- just keep that in mind. But I’ll admit I… well, it’d be nice to start over;  get to know each other again. What do you think?...”

Norman makes a soft almost cooing sound in response, leaning his projector head forward until it gently bumps Sammy on the forehead making the music director smile

“Hmph.. you’re sweet and horribly cheesy, you know that?.. I’ll take that as an agreement.”

Norman simply makes another pleased sound at him which makes Sammy smile more. 

However, the moment dissolves unfortunately quick as he hears a bunch of not so masked sniffling from behind the wooden slats of the wall they were standing next to. Ah, yes, the walls in these hallways weren’t exactly real walls, were they? Sighing and dropping his arms, Sammy turns to the wooden slats seeing the butcher gang poorly hiding behind them. 

“Alright you nosy pricks, shoo! Leave us alone!”

None of them left however, and instead, Charley speaks up

“Th-th-that’s so SAAAAD! Ya loved each other and can’t even remember?! And now you’re gonna start over?! WAAAAAH-”

Edgar slaps a hand over the Piper’s mouth, speaking himself now through his own poorly managed tears

“Truly s-such a beautiful display of love… what romantic fervor! So poetic and painful, but wonderful! I hope I can find love so charming and fulfilling myself...”

The typically upstanding striker devolves into his own blithering with the piper then while the fisher Barley wipes his eyes, seeming rather moved by it as well; not surprising for such a quiet guy. Sammy, however, was finding their reactions rather embarrassing and uncomfortable- not to mention completely unwarranted. Looking to Norman, his face must’ve been reflective of his feelings as the projectionist makes a sound not unlike a snort of laughter.

“This isn’t funny . It’s embarrassing .”

Behind the butcher gang then, he hears Alice’s voice which makes Sammy stiffen

“Aww, embarrassed again Sammy? Maybe if you stopped flirting in openly public areas, you could avoid that...”

Bristling, he turns to yell at the wall

“IT’S NOT PUBLIC AND OPEN, YOU’RE ALL JUST EAVESDROPPING!!”

Norman gently nudges him a bit, making Sammy deflate with a sigh before crossing his arms once more.

“Well, it’s true .”

It was a bit funny he had to admit, and he was glad to have at least sorted on thing; he had established with Norman that at the very least their old relationship didn’t exist anymore, and it wasn’t going to simply return either. He wanted to take time to try and rebuild their friendship first rather than diving into something he both couldn’t remember nor was ready for.

He felt calmer… the whole situation did, funny enough even though they’d just set up a big trap moments go. However, the mood suddenly changes as everything grew oddly silent due to a quiet radio crackling voice... 

then, Barley delivers the chilling reality of the situation.

“Henry’s on the move. He’s coming with the Ink demon... It’s time.”

It was time to see if their plan would succeed or fail, and if they’d live to see another ink tainted day.

Chapter Text

Breathing heavily, Henry could feel Bendy clutching roughly to his back as he ran; he wished there was a better way to move, because currently he wasn’t going fast enough. From behind, a terrible howl of unholy anger made the walls and ink shake as the Ink demon was clawing his way quite literally across the halls.

Because of his damaged leg, the otherworldly demon was on all fours (threes really as he avoided his bad leg) and moving faster than ever. Frankly, Henry had never been so scared in his entire life until this moment- and more surprisingly somehow, Bendy seemed to be taking it rather well- at least in comparison.

“QUICK QUICK, LEFT!”

Henry slides horribly in the ink almost losing balance as he throws himself to the left, the Ink demon sliding past them trying to regain his pace as well. Heaving, Henry wildly shoves himself ricocheting off the walls like a terrified pinball before finding his balance again. Shouting back, Henry was panicking;

“CAN’T YOU DO SOMETHING ABOUT THIS?! I CAN’T RUN FOREVER, OR FAST ENOUGH FOR THAT MATTER!”

Teeth chattering in fear behind him, Bendy was looking around wildly with his arms practically tied around Henry’s neck choking him a bit as the demon looked for something

“I-I DON’T KNOW! JUST KEEP RUNNIN’ UNTIL I THINK OF SOMETHIN’!”

Henry did not like that plan, but he didn’t have much of a choice. Having finally gotten back to the hall, the Ink demon was bearing down on them again hissing so loud it sounded as if everything around them were melting.

“RIGHT! TURN RIGHT- WAIT NONONO-“

It was too late however, as Henry had already vaulted in that direction. Unfortunately, what he hadn’t vaulted was a thick and uninviting pool of ink that the room had been flooded with. Gasping and flailing to keep them above it, Henry cries out 

“BENDY!!”

“I’M SORRY I’M SORRY!! HOLD ON!”

Blocking the doorway they’d come in from, the Ink demon had slid to a halt and was smiling menacingly with glee at Henry’s situation.

“Well well, it seems I have a little fish in my ink well…”

While Henry struggles and gasps for air, Bendy snorts before yelling back

“Not even in yer crooked nightmares , STINK demon!”

About to lunge for them with an angry yell, the Ink demon flings from the doorway…

…only to miss and fall into the pool himself as Bendy had lifted them up with the ink. Heaving for air, Henry looks at Bendy over his shoulder wildly

“COULDN’T YOU HAVE DONE THAT SOONER?!”

Bendy gives him a sheepish smile

“I’m sorry! I forgot!”

Henry was about to argue when the ink below them starts furiously bubbling, making Bendy’s eyes shrink comically

“Wuh-oh… we should go!”

With that, Henry yells as the ink holding him and Bendy up surges forward, carrying them out of the room like a flood. Wobbling, Henry flails and pinwheels his arms as he’s suddenly standing on a wave of ink as if he were surfing. Looking to Bendy again, he receives a pleased smile

“How’s this fer travelin’?”

Henry lets himself smile for a moment, but it quickly dissipates as he hears the Ink demon following suit behind them; he was already catching up again, having taken a similar idea as he too was riding his own wave of ink.

“At this rate, we might not even make it down one floor no less several !”

Bendy frowns at that, looking around trying to come up with something else; Henry, however, was quicker this time as he grabs one of the protruding pipes on the walls flinging their surf down another hall. Bendy blinks, and tries to lean over his shoulder to look at him

“So what’s the plan now, huh?? Ya got some kinda idea in that head of yours??”

Henry grimaces, not looking too excited

“Yeah; sort of. I was thinking about taking the elevator”

Bendy gawks at him with a well placed duck quack sound effect before shaking Henry a bit by his neck making him cough

“ARE YA NUTS?! WE’LL BE CAGED IN WITH HIM!”

Henry tugs on Bendy’s arms to loosen his grip a little before speaking again

“Partially the idea- you’ll just have to trust me!”

Looking behind them, Henry could see that the Ink demon was gaining on them once more bit by bit; his power must’ve been stronger over the ink, which made sense considering. They needed just a little more distance to make the plan work in time, but the ‘how’ was failing him. Mind racing, Henry tries to think of anything that could slow down the Ink demon… that’s when another ambitious idea hits him

“Bendy, do you think you could get me a door from a miracle station?”

The little demon gives him a look of confusion before holding out an arm making a yanking motion, a loud wooden crack sounding from somewhere before said door comes flying over carried by an inky hand

“Ya mean like this?? What for?”

Henry was glad he brought it over before questioning as he takes hold of it, turning them around and raising it just barely in time; the Ink demon’s claws glance off of it causing a golden glimmer to radiate around them. Bewildered but pleasantly surprised, Henry gives a single laugh of shocked relief as Bendy stares at the reeling Ink demon, Henry exclaiming;

“It worked! I can’t believe it! I cheated the system!”

Looking ahead of them to make sure they don’t hit a wall, Bendy calls over his shoulder

“WHAT in sweet inky HELL did ya do?!”

Raising the door like a shield, Henry keeps it firmly planted between them and the Ink demon who was angrily unable to squeeze past the sides of it thanks to the narrow hall

“By being behind the door, technically we’re inside the station- sort of. As long as we’re behind the door, we may as well be in one, right?? I wasn’t sure it’d work without the rest of the station, but i’m really glad it did!”

Cackling at that with his own glad relief, Bendy beams

“Henry, yer a real mad genius! Ol’ stink brain has gotta be losin’ his mind right now!”

However, with each impact deflecting the Ink demon away, Henry could see the golden glimmer growing fainter; while it was a good temporary solution, it seemed it was losing power. Soon, they’d really be out of time. The other issue they had was summoning and opening the elevator on time as well, but Henry had already thought ahead for that problem; he had asked Alice to remotely send it their way ahead of time, and she was awaiting their signal to close it.

Turning roughly and bumping off the wall a bit, Henry grunts as his shoulder aches from the impact (Bendy shouting several ‘sorry’s), but he was too focused on the impending doom of the Ink demon to care. They were so close now as a few feet away the ‘cage’ to bring them down was waiting; Henry hoped the door would last long enough to make it.

“You think you’re so clever, that you can escape me?! I know your every move, /Stein!/ You cannot ESCAPE ME!”

Frowning, Henry shakes his head behind the door he was still holding up between them

“Wasn’t planning on getting away- just staying alive!”

Clearly a bit skeptical, the Ink demon hesitates a moment as Henry and Bendy both collapse and roll into the elevator off of the ink, making both of them grunt in pain. Having briefly dropped the door however, Henry’s gap in self defense was enough to lure the Ink demon right in who lunges with claws extended ready to strike and kill. Unfortunately, Henry wasn’t quick enough this time; searing burning pain ripped through his left arm, shoulder, and chest as the Ink demon lashes over him, sinking the sharp claws deep into him. 

Despite the pain, he still manages to concentrate the pained yell into a sensible word:

“NOW!”

Confused and taken aback by the command, the Ink demon released him before whipping around as the gates to the elevator shut them in. With the Ink demon distracted by attempting to get through the bars and escape, Henry quickly shoves the door up again, squishing into the corner to make a small walled in spot for him and Bendy. Currently, the little demon was panicking over the old artist’s injuries

“HENRY!! A-are ya okay?! He got ya really bad, it doesn’t look good!! Oh man, oh man- what’re we gonna do?!”

Breathing heavily, Henry genuinely didn’t have an answer; all he could do know was try and bear the pain while praying they’d last the elevator ride down without the door losing all of its power. On the other side of it the Ink demon was roaring in frustration having found the elevator was similar to the stations, glimmering with the same power denying him to leave it when the doors were closed. Turning to the wooden door in the corner, he seethes with ink dripping from his teeth like foam

“/You/… You have made a GRAVE mistake, Henry… as soon as that little door can’t save you, you’re going to be turned into LESS than ink when i’m through with you!”

Closing his eyes for a moment, Henry continues to focus on his breathing ignoring the threats from the Ink demon. Bendy ignores him too, instead trying to stop the dark inky ‘blood’ coming from Henry’s left side- but not to much avail.

“J-Just hang in there, okay Henry?? W-We’ll make it outta this, an’ then you can take a nice long nap an’ get all better! Okay? Yer gonna eat lotsa soup, get some WELL earned rest, an’ be safe!”

The more the little demon rambled, the more Henry realized he wasn’t trying to comfort him so much as he was trying to comfort himself; he was probably panicking at the thought of losing the old artist. However, Henry wasn’t too concerned; he’d just come back out of the ink as always. Right? 

A slight cold fear presses the back of his mind however, as he thinks that perhaps the Ink demon might not allow that; he might make it so Henry couldn’t come back. After all… who knew how many secrets the Ink demon had that none of them were aware of? 

However, he’s snapped out of it as said Ink demon slams on the door making the old artist flinch as another dimmer gold glimmer protects them.

“Your time is running out… Pray uselessly while you can, traitors! It’s all you have left, considering there’ll be no mercy for you soon…”

Indeed, Henry was praying in a way by hoping that the others were prepared, that they’d make it down in time, and that they’d make it out of this alive at all. Perhaps there was no divine entity who could help, but as long as they had hope there had to be some force of good left, right? After all, it seemed something had to be working behind the scenes giving him protection… Whatever force created the golden shield, it was keeping them alive.

For now.

Chapter Text

Within the ink abyss of level 14, an air of dread had spread silence through the room; the only sounds that could be heard were dripping ink, projector reels rolling (including norman’s ambient clicking that blended in rather well), and the ever present but quiet creak of the studio’s walls. 

All over, the group had hidden themselves and were waiting with tense anticipation for Henry to arrive; Barley and Charley were poised near the elevator with a tarp to temporarily blind the demon by throwing it on him, and Edgar was hanging above from his grapple holding a reel line that would pull the demon clear of the stairs right into the ink in front of the corridor’s entrance that would lead to the jar. By the jar, Sammy, Boris, and Norman were waiting to grab and use their combined strength to seal the jar shut as soon as the Ink demon was inside it. 

Meanwhile, Alice was a small distance within the entrance of the other side to the corridors, ready with several controls. At the press of a button, she could either explode and block that side if the Ink demon attempted to take the wrong direction, or manipulate the controls to the elevator as she was now to guide Henry and their special guest to them. On her hip was the communication radio to keep her up to date on Henry’s situation, but it was now silent; she was tense and nervous knowing why it’d gone silent, having heard his assault through it. Things were already not going well.

Despite this, Alice held her ground and stayed waiting in her place as did the rest; everyone was in their spot, knew their job, and was armed heavily despite the fact they knew fighting would be rather pointless. Either way, it was better than admitting defeat and not preparing for a fight- at least, that’s what had been suggested.

All that was left was to wait, the suspense of the elevator’s arrival making them all slowly become anxious. However, the anxious silence is broken as a loud metallic screeching starts to echo down the shaft into the vaulted abyss walls. From her position, Alice was struggling with the elevator controls before yelling out for everyone to hear:

“The elevator’s losing its track! It’s coming in too fast, it’s not going to stop!”

Breaking from position, Barley releases the tarp and goes running

“I have an idea! Hold on!”

Nervously, Charley almost follows, but the fisher gestures for him to stay put as he dives into a duffel bag of tools and devices he’d brought. From above, Edgar nervously swings a bit before speaking

“Barley, whatever you are planning, do it quick! ”

Running over then, the fisher breaks into the electronics of the elevator’s call button panel hooking up a mess of cables and wires. Confused, Charley calls over

“Anything I can do to help??”

“Just stay back unless you want to be fried”

Saluting him and taking the message clearly, Charley keeps back as Barley rigs a system fast as he can to a nearby power socket. Holding up one more clip, he takes a deep breath

“I really hope this works…”

Clamping it on, a shower of sparks causes the entire abyss to be plunged into pure darkness (besides norman’s light of course), the flashing and sparking from the plunging elevator illuminating the shaft ominously as it screeches and begins to slow down. Panicked, Charley dances a bit

“W-What’d that do?! Did ya fix it??”

“I overloaded the power to shut off the elevator long enough to make the brakes clamp down. It should be slowed down enough to make it…”

“ Should?? ”

Getting back to his position then, Barley scrambles to pick up the tarp signaling Charley to do the same from the other side.

“Should.”

The screeching of the elevator sounded far off, but it was quickly approaching; soon, they would be full sprint into action.

Of course, that action arrives sooner than they could have predicted as the elevator slams to a jarring stop on the level, the doors rattling loudly as it swings and hits the sides of the cement shaft. Inside, it was pitch black as the light had burned out, and none could see what was waiting inside. Shaken and surprised, both Charley and Barley stared waiting for something to happen as did the striker who wasn’t hanging too far off. Quietly, the piper speaks up; 

“Is that it?”

As if on command, the power suddenly surges back on, causing the doors to slam open as Henry uses the last of the miracle station’s door to slam the Ink demon off the elevator right into the tarp. Having not been prepared for such force, both the piper and fisher tumble away losing their grip of the tarp that had at least served its purpose regardless. Now flailing, the Ink demon tries to yank it off when Edgar casts and yanks a fishing line he’d borrowed from Barley right on his unformed leg.

With a screech that echoed off the walls worse than any other sound the abyss had ever held within it before, the Ink demon gets pulled right along on track; Henry wheezes as he watches from the railing of the landing, Bendy fretting over him still but he was focused on their plan. It was now or never- they had to succeed no matter what.

“Don’t let him get away! You know what to do; we can do this!”

Having been startled by the elevator problem, Alice snaps out of it shaking her head as she quickly detonates her side of the hall running from the rubble that now blocked the Ink demon who had attempted to run that way. Infuriated after bumping into it blindly, he rips the tarp off effortlessly with his claws before looking up at Edgar who had hooked and dragged him. 

Before he can attack however, a hatchet comes twirling from the other entrance to the corridors, slamming roughly into the Ink demon’s back causing him to temporarily lose his balance before reeling to face the assailant. 

Standing in clear view, Sammy holds another hatchet in his other hand as he managed to brave himself for the job; he had to keep the Ink demon on the right track, even if it meant committing terrible sin.

“I’m right here, my lord ! Come and get me if you think me such a poor, naive prophet!”

Feeling an adrenaline rush at his arrogant disobedience, Sammy felt equally guilty but strangely thrilled at insulting the Ink demon. However, it turned to pure regret and fear as the Ink demon surges towards him by using the ink, snarling and terrifying as ever. With a brief rather high pitched scream, Sammy throws himself through the slats of the nearest wall to try and escape. 

“PLEASE DON’T KILL ME, I DIDN’T MEAN IT, OH GOD, I’M SO SORRY MY LORD, PLEASE FORGIVE ME AND DON’T KILL MEEE!”

Running a record speed for a music director, Sammy passes right by the trap ahead of the Ink demon who was now barreling down on him. Within seconds, he’d be tearing the so called ‘prophet’ into sad pieces- or so, he believed he would be. 

To the great fortune of them all, the Ink demon’s blind fury made him highly susceptible to poor evaluation skills; he couldn’t read an obvious trap, even when stepping right into it.

“NOW!”

As Alice yelled the command, she had cut loose the jar that was rigged to hold the Ink demon who realized too late what was happening and couldn’t stop his momentum which carries him straight into the swinging jar. Scrambling inside the glass jar half hanging out of it, he screeches as several others come scrambling out of the blue all over, grasping and forcing the glass container over him. Trying desperately to squeeze free through the ink, the Ink demon finds there is no way out; they had hidden the lid right under his feet, and now it was quickly sealing his escape.

“No! NO!! YOU CAN’T CONTAIN ME! YOU CANNOT STOP ME!!”

With a heaving effort combined from Sammy, Norman, Boris (and Alice now too), the lid seals him in with a suctioning click. Inside, the Ink demon boiled with an inky fury that didn’t look unlike a violent snow globe- except that it was a jar instead of a globe, and thick black tarry liquid instead of fluffy white snow.

Limping in now with the assistance of Bendy and the butcher gang members, Henry stares in disbelief before the gang bursts into cheers and relief; Henry himself simply sighed in relief, smiling nonetheless. They had succeeded.

Alice roughly pats Sammy on the shoulder, who lurchers forward from the force before complaining and rubbing it; she just smiles and speaks

“That was brilliant, Sammy; your acting made him really think you were running away in fear and not right into a trap!”

Rubbing his shoulder still, Sammy stands a bit blankly

“Oh… uh, yes, of course; acting! I’m a very good actor.”

Norman gives him a small crackle of amusement before gently but playfully shoving him, clearly pointing out that the music director hadn’t faked his terrified fleeing at all

“Alright, alright! Can we just focus on the fact we trapped our lord himself in a jar?! And we are still alive?! Because I think that’s rather impressive, and terrifying!” 

Everyone turns to the jar then, the Ink demon heaving from wasting energy trying to escape, now leaning both hands on the glass and shaking with silent twitching fury. Bendy whistles at him, shaking his head

“It is pretty impressive! Also pretty sad for this guy; what a tool! ”

Furious, the Ink demon slams against the jar with enough force that it actually wobbles, causing over half of them to jump with a start. Wheezing, Henry looks to Bendy pleadingly still holding his still very injured left side

“Bendy, please don’t antagonize him… the last thing we need is to shake a wasp in a jar that we’re going to be letting out eventually”

Bendy shrugs, but sighs in compliance

“Yeah yeah, whatever… he’s still in a jar.”

As the momentum of action and energy began to settle down, the group was now all admiring the Ink demon trapped in their oversized glass jar. Inside, the Ink demon’s grin was twitching with his fury still; it didn’t reflect his mood properly whatsoever. Frowning, Sammy takes a step closer only to quickly reverse the decision as the Ink demon slams into the glass towards him

“G-goodness! That was unnecessary, my lord!... What exactly are we to do now?”

Henry frowns, slowly starting to kneel as the pain was becoming unbearable from his adrenaline starting to wear off. Shaking a bit, he grunts while Bendy and Boris both rush over to him upset and fretting over him

“Henry!!”

“I-I’m alright… What we need to do now is- Nrgh! M-move him away from the ink…”

Soon, Henry found himself being approached by all of them; it seemed his rag-tag group cared quite a bit for him, which left the old artist feeling touched. All of them seemed to be trying to help him, lifting him up and offering different services

Alice was gently touching his shoulder as she spoke,

“We can bring you back to my lair, I have a place you can lay down that’ll be far better than anything”

Sammy shook his head, helping Boris and Norman hold him up

“You really do need to rest; after everything you’ve done for us…”

The butcher gang all seemed to be pushing one another as they tried offering different medical supplies, wanting to all help Henry at the same time before Bendy snaps at them a bit with “Hey, watch it! Quit crowdin’ him and bumpin’ all over the place like dumb balloons! You can all help if ya slow down!”

Behind the fuss however now that everyone had turned their backs, the Ink demon was slowly pushing the jar away from the commotion. Using his strength, he was repeatedly hitting the side of the jar so that the momentum was scooting it away- albeit rather slowly. Henry, having realized nobody was watching him, pushes them all away

“W-wait, you guys- the Ink demon! He’s getting away!”

The group’s attention quickly turns, Sammy gasping

“He’s pushing the jar away!!”

Norman quickly runs over and grasps the jar, stopping it from moving further; however, the Ink demon gave a devious grin that made Henry’s heart sink, trying to call out

“GET AWAY FROM HIM, QUICK! ”

Unfortunately, it was too late; the Ink demon had thrown his whole force into the jar one more time, causing its glass to collide with and shatter that of the projectionist’s bulb and lens. Screeching in a combination of pain, surprise, and anger, he reels back away from the jar causing Sammy to yell and run over to try and help him. The projectionist’s rage however proves just as rash as the Ink demon’s,  ignoring Sammy and instead slamming the jar furiously into the nearest wall.

With a resounding crack, the wooden wall splinters and loosens, but the Jar stays upright not falling through. Near the commotion, Barley gasps exclaiming in the loudest volume he’d ever spoken:

“The pulley system!! LOOK OUT!”

Sammy quickly tackles Norman out of the way, nearly falling into the ink in the process as the carefully crafted system they’d rigged now came crashing down, separating everyone in a frenzied dash to avoid injury.

The calamity settled down as fast as it had started however, Henry wheezing quietly as Boris whines holding him, Bendy clinging to Henry’s arm. Taking a painful breath, he forces himself to call out

“Is everyone alright?”

Shuffling from nearby was soon followed by Sammy’s voice

“I’m alright, but Norman can’t see; he broke his lens and bulb!”

Alice peers through debris at Henry, her gang all around her protectively

“We’re okay here, just minor bruises.”

Henry grunts, trying to get up on his own, but Boris huffs giving him a stern look holding him down.

“Boris, please; I need to make sure…”

The silent wolf shakes his head, Bendy getting in Henry’s face now

“Boris is right! Yer hurt an’ need ta stop pushin’! We can handle whatever’s happenin’, okay?”

Defeated, Henry sighs and nods while sinking back down to sit next to Boris who was now content.

“What about the Ink demon? Is he still contained?”

Without anyone having to answer his question, Henry hears a maniacal cackle that made his skin crawl and turn cold like he’d been hit with a blast of winter wind.

“I told you, Henry, time and time again… you cannot contain me”

A loud gasp from Sammy comes from the other side of the debris, who cries out

“IT CRACKED! WE’RE ALL GOING TO DIE!!!”

With a sudden burst of ink, all of the debris including the glass jar goes flying, shattering everything into terrifying shrapnel that causes everyone to try and shield themselves.

“For once, the foolish music director is right; you all most certainly ARE going to die!”

Somehow, Henry had known deep down that this was going to happen in a sense; there was no way things were ever so easy, or in their favor. Something always happened; something always went wrong. Somehow, something always managed to rip away any progress Henry made as if the cruel ink dimension was watching and purposefully thwarting his every move. And Somehow, Henry felt this statement had more truth to it than he knew.

And now, there was nothing he could do but hope the others would at least be spared on behalf of his own foolish lead that had brought them to this.

Flinching, Henry feels the ink under them move as a chorus of gasps, yells, and screams fills the abyss; All of them were being flooded out of the halls into the open area that had even more room and ink at the demon’s disposal. Struggling as the ink gripped and crushed him, Henry grits his teeth before crying out in his own agony when his wounds feel like they’re being bored into with a hot iron.

Starting to hyperventilate, he blinks through tears sniffing and looking at an incredible and terrifying sight before him; they were all raised high above the floor now, each grasped in constantly shifting ink fists that surrounded the Ink demon who was held to their height by a pillar of his own ink. It made him think of a demonic octopus almost, but much, much worse; he now had to watch with agony as all of his newfound friends struggled in pain and fear. 

Breathing deeply despite his horrible pain, Henry yells loud as he can

“STOOOOP!”

The Ink demon pauses at that, his grin turning neutral as he turns to face Henry;

“Stop?”

“Just- Stop! L-let them go… it’s me you want, n-not them! I’m your creator! I’m the one who’s responsible! Just… let them go. Please…”

Henry can feel himself devolving into tears, but he didn’t feel embarrassed as everyone’s attention turned to him despite it; all he could feel instead was the shame of bringing them into harm, having lead them all into this.

“Please… I’m begging you, just take me. It’s me who you want”

Silent for what felt like an eternity, the Ink demon’s mouth twists into a horribly devious grin that made Henry’s heart sink yet again

“Mercy? You’re begging for me to have mercy, and /spare/ them? Oh, dear Henry… you truly /have/ reached your darkest place, haven’t you? Nowhere left to run, nothing left to do… so you beg.”

Henry grimaces as the Ink demon moves close to him and grips his face with terrible claws, making them look eye to eye- if it could be called that

“You took everything from me... you damned me to this eternal HELL! You will NEVER find ANY mercy from me! Everything and everyone you love will suffer forever because of you, as long as you persist in MY DOMAIN!”

Frowning and staring, Henry can’t help it as he’s overwhelmed by his emotions; all the fear, guilt, pain, struggling, and everything was becoming too much. His kindness and hope could only hold out so long he supposes, yet… he can’t be angry. Instead, Henry takes a moment to let himself weep in front of the Ink demon who seemed to silently revel in his pain, before he sniffs and looks him in the eye again, everyone watching intensely

“I’m sorry.”

Shocked into silence, the Ink demon stares at him before becoming aggressive

“Sorry?! How dare you try and-”

“You didn’t deserve this. None of you did. All I wanted was to bring joy into people’s lives... to put my love, hopes, and dreams into my work- to inspire others... I didn’t want it to end like this. All of these... Broken dreams and promises; this isn’t what the studio was meant to be. I’m sorry…”

Staring at Henry, the Ink demon was now frowning and hovering before him

“...You can cry your regrets all you want, but it changes nothing! It doesn’t change what happened to /me/!”

Looking to his left then, Henry’s eyes meet with the scared wide ones of Bendy who looked rather emotional. Somehow finding it in himself to smile at the little demon, Bendy sniffs and blinks tears in response, looking down. Henry turns back to the Ink demon who was gritting his teeth in rage.

“I can’t change what happened to you… and I can’t change you either. But that doesn’t mean nothing can change. I can still give you what you always deserved, what Joey never could…”

Moving away from Henry a bit, the Ink demon looks reluctant before moving in close again and hissing in his face

“And what, pray tell, is /it/?”

Frowning for a moment, Henry looks over the angry visage of the Ink demon before speaking

“Love. I can give you love. And not just for who or what you were meant to be… but for who you are . You’re not just a monster, or some mistake . You’re alive . And that means you deserve the same decency as anyone. I helped create you, and i’m more than ready to make things right. All you have to do… is let me help you. Let me give you hope .”

Shocked into silence, the Ink demon moves away from Henry as he stares at the old artist; it was clear he was at a loss for words. Nearby, Henry could hear surprisingly that some of the others were crying. Either his message had reached further than he’d intended, or they were rightfully scared.

“After everything… all of the pain, fear, and suffering… you still… are somehow so naive, that you would be willing to help your worst enemy? You are a FOOL! A COWARD! I WON’T BE SWAYED BY YOUR LIES! NOBODY COULD EVER LOVE /ME/!”

Frowning now, Henry tries to argue but the ink quickly covers his mouth rendering him mute; Struggling for a moment before the pain becomes too much, Henry stares wide eyed in helplessness as the Ink demon was now spinning all of them around himself like a sick amusement ride. Slowly, the Ink demon’s hands extended into claws Henry realizes were soon going to be gouging everyone he’d been trying so hard to protect.

Keeping everyone moving around him, the Ink demon pauses one of the arms in front of himself with a jarring stop; it was Bendy. Wanting to cry out, Henry felt his heart sinking at the thought of his beloved companion suffering the same wounds he currently was dealing with. The Ink demon however was grinning maliciously with delight as he brings the panicked struggling smaller demon before himself, extending his arms and claws in a grand gesture

“You may have eluded me for a while, but /finally/ you will pay for your /arrogance/. How does it feel, /Liar/? Knowing that no matter what you do, you can never win? That you will ALWAYS lose?”

Squirming, Bendy slowly stops to glare the Ink demon down face to face, no longer looking scared; instead, he looked angry.

“If anyone’s bein’ arrogant, it’s you! Actin’ like ya already won when ya haven’t even taken everythin’ into account! And fer the last time… I… Am NOT… A LIAR!”

The Ink demon merely grinned in amusement for the moment, until it quickly diminished into a frown as the ink holding Bendy bubbles. Bursting violently, the Ink demon hisses as ink splatters him while Bendy frees himself. Tumbling into a free fall, Bendy plummets towards the ink making Henry’s heart jump as if he were falling himself; however, the ink quickly raced up and catches him. From above, the Ink demon snarls

“That’s a cute trick, but it won’t save you! My abilities /far/ surpass anything you /think/ you can do!”

Bendy doesn’t seem deterred however, merely looking even angrier and more determined

“Buddy… you don’t even know the half of it ”

As Bendy closes eyes, Henry hears the nearby butcher gang members all chorusing in some kind of panic for whatever reason. He couldn’t quite understand what new problem they were fretting over until he catches a brief glimpse of it; Bendy had reopened his eyes, but they weren’t the friendly pie-cut eyes he’d known... instead, they were wild, unnerving, and angry.

“Oh, did I make you mad?”

“Hell YEAH, YA DID!”

With that, Bendy breaks into his own menacing grin before launching himself with the ink so fast he slams hard into the Ink demon, smashing him into the nearest curve of the vaulted ceiling. Immediately, the Ink demon’s control was lost and now everyone was falling towards the ink. A chorus of yells and screams echoed around Henry who was panicking himself, wondering how he was supposed to help them now; not to mention, he wasn’t invulnerable to falling either.

Within the commotion, Henry could hardly keep up with everything as it happened in a split moment; Edgar had managed to grapple to a wall and swung, catching his gang members and Alice before throwing them ungracefully onto the elevator landing with pained grunts. Sammy had clung onto Norman who blindly was bracing for impact, and Henry uselessly flailed with Boris as neither could do anything to save themselves. At the very last second however, a whole set of inky hands bursts from the ink catching all four of them and quickly letting them down to safety.

Falling to his knees from pain and exhaustion, Henry was met with Boris quickly lifting him up again causing him to grunt in pain. Looking around wildly, he sees that Bendy had taken the moment to save them, but was currently locked in a terrible wrestling match with the Ink demon who had sank his claws into the little demon. Weakly trying to go towards them, Henry calls out

“BENDY!”

Boris whines however, holding him firmly in place; Henry knew it was useless to try intervening now, but he still wanted to try because he knew for a fact that Bendy would do the same for him

“I have to help him!”

Distantly, Bendy yells as the Ink demon smashes him through a wall causing a loud rumbling; a massive pipe that had been behind it blows suddenly, ink shooting from it throwing both demons right back out into the abyss. Grunting from the force of it all, Bendy looks over to Henry with his wild angry expression

“HENRY! GO!”

“I’m not leaving you, I can’t-”

“I GOT THIS! JUST TAKE THEM AND RUN!”

“I won’t-”

“GO!”

The last word Bendy yelled sounded almost identical to the Ink demon’s scathing unholy voice, and it caught Henry off guard. Defeated, he looks around seeing Sammy trying to help guide the stumbling projectionist who was having difficulty walking now. Starting to have Boris help him hobble that way, the silent wolf whines again 

“I know, it’s bad; but we gotta grab them and get out of here… it’s the only thing we can do now”

Boris still gives him an upset look, but suddenly lifts Henry entirely into his arms causing him to grimace a bit in pain before focusing on the other two

“Boris, you can’t carry me- someone has to help Norman, and you’re the only one strong enough”

Sammy looked ready to complain, but the weight of the projectionist was starting to pull him down. Behind them, a violent explosion of ink rains down on making Sammy stumble and almost drop Norman entirely, who lets out a crackly whine from his speaker. Reaching Henry and Boris, Sammy wheezes

“Th-think we could do a trade off here?”

Boris nods, setting Henry down who struggles to grasp onto Sammy now while Sammy transfers the projectionist’s weight to Boris in turn. Having made the trade off, the four of them start to limp quickly as they can towards the stairs, Sammy groaning

“How could this have happened?? Everything went perfectly! Then last second, it all just… just fell apart! How are we even alive?! Also, Henry, you’re really not much lighter than Norman”

Huffing a bit with the effort of moving with his injuries, Henry still somehow finds it in him to crack a little humor with a smile

“Just means-” He takes a moment to catch his breath before finishing, “-more of me to love…”

Sammy snorts, giving him a look

“You’re trying to be humorous now?! ”

Henry merely thinks of the cheeky remark Bendy made a while ago on him getting chubbier in his age. He’d never really been ‘light’ to begin with his wider stature, but regardless, it never bothered him. He realizes, however, that was incredibly off topic of the current situation; maybe he was losing too much blood?

“Just.. gotta get to the elevator. Need to.. Reach others”

Sammy frowns at him, looking rather concerned

“Henry, don’t you pass out on us now! Just hold on a little more, okay??”

It was getting difficult however as they started going up the stairs, Henry finding his legs were getting harder and harder to move. Surprisingly, Sammy huffs before getting under him and lifting him entirely onto his back; in the sudden feat of strength, the music director struggles rather obviously up the rest of the stairs.

“S-sorry…”

“Don’t be! Just don’t die on us! W-we need our leader, afterall!”

Henry blinks at that, wondering how smart it was to follow his lead in the moment. 

Ahead of them, Boris had made it to the elevator with Norman and set him down with Alice and her gang before running over to help Sammy carry Henry now. Finally, all of them were loaded into the elevator minus Bendy; Henry frowns, wishing he could see what was happening, but everything was starting to slow down and feel sluggish.

“Bendy?...”

Sammy frowns and Alice shakes her head before speaking

“He’s busy, and we need to move! I’m sure he’ll follow when he can!”

Hitting a button on her remote then, the elevator sparks a bit before starting to drop slightly faster than usual, taking them away. However, the elevator clunks and comes to a forced stop making Henry blearily look up. Just as he does, the light flickers and goes out.

“What’s happening?...”

Alice could be heard repeatedly clicking her remote, frustrated

“I don’t know!! Damn thing is jammed! Barley-”

“ I can’t fix demons, ma’am ”

At that, all of them jump with a start and yell in varying degrees as loud hissing and screeching from above them rocks the elevator, slamming it off the walls of the shaft. Briefly, the light flickers and Henry catches sight of something rather awful; ink was bubbling all over the elevator’s release holding onto the cables, visible through a hole that’d been broken into the roof. Sweating nervously, Henry holds his stomach knowing full-well what was coming next.

“Guys… brace yourselves!”

Without hesitation, a loud snap indicates exactly what Henry had feared; the Ink demon had cut right through all of the cables while ink jammed the emergency brakes. Yelling cries out from above he figures must’ve been Bendy, but it was too late; they were falling, and there was nothing that could save them now. Henry, for once ever since he ended up in this inky hell hole, decides to try and pray into the darkness as his stomach felt like it would fly away. Muttering under his breath, he whispers:

“For the love of all hope and any good that might be left in this place, please let us survive and see the light of day again”

Closing his eyes tightly, Henry could feel himself starting to pass out; the G-force on top of blood loss was becoming too much, and his mind felt like it was floating right out of his body. Falling numb, he slumps unconscious to a chorus of fresh yells he thinks were probably over him, but he couldn’t hear them anymore.

Chapter Text

Falling in the pitch black, Bendy could barely see the form of his opponent as they plummeted down the elevator shaft after said elevator that was careening away with all his friends. Angry, hurt, scared, but most of all determined, he was going to give it all he could; the Ink demon wasn’t going to take away everything from him like this.

Yelling, Bendy kicks off the wall slamming into the chest of the Ink demon despite it giving his enemy a clear shot at being able to claw him again; it didn’t matter to him anymore how much he got scratched or pierced, he wanted vengeance.

“You can’t WIN!”

“I CAN DAMN WELL TRY, YA BASTARD!”

Cackling chaotically, the Ink demon was only making Bendy angrier

“My my, how charming! We are one in the same, but you love to insult me!”

“I’M NOTHIN’ LIKE YA! Origin don’t mean NOTHIN’, it’s what ya MAKE OF IT! An’ all you’ve made is a MISTAKE cause that’s whatcha always WERE!”

Quickly, the Ink demon’s smile diminished to a scowl before snarling

“YOU WERE THE MISTAKE, YOU NAIVE BRAT!”

Wincing as claws dug into his back, Bendy growls in frustration before his own hands became clawed and he returned the favor, sinking them right through the Ink demon’s ribs. An angry howl echoes off the walls as they now were colliding with and ricocheting off of them. 

“YOU. WILL. DIE!!!”

Bendy grimances, but holds back his own pain before yelling

“NEVER! NOT AS LONG AS I. HAVE. HOPE!”

Bendy grits his teeth, closing his eyes so tightly he swore he was starting to see light. Then, he realizes, there really was light; opening his eyes in shock, he realizes it was coming from him . Quickly shaking the confusion, he focuses on his battle with the Ink demon once more when a voice chimes in his head

“Bendy? Can you hear me?”

Startled, Bendy disengages from the Ink demon who tries to claw him back into another hold, but misses him badly; he was getting beaten as much as the little demon was. Internally, Bendy responds:

“Henry?! Is that you?? How in tha Hell are ya talkin’ to me?!”

“I-I don’t know, but I don’t think I can for long. I... think I passed out but I’m still here? That’s not the point though- Bendy, listen; the others are falling too fast, and they can’t stop it. You have to help them!”

Growling a bit in frustration, Bendy whacks away the Ink demon’s arm and surprisingly, it glances off of him just like the miracle station door. Staring in awe, Bendy blinks making his eyes return back to their pie-cut form; was he radiating gold?!

“I can’t believe it!! Ya can’t touch me anymore! I Don’t have a freakin’ CLUE why, but still; HAH!”

As the Ink demon begins Howling with rage again, the shaft shakes around their descent and Bendy frowns

“Aw, crud. I really need to keep my mouth shut...”

Walls cracking loudly, Dark ink began flooding the whole shaft and pouring down after the elevator. If anything, they’d crash, all pancake, then get drowned; what a horrible combination. However… maybe he could use this!

“Alright Henry, I know what ta do; just don’t let go an’ give up on me!”

“Thank you Bendy… I have faith in you”

Hearing the old man’s voice sounding weak and tired, Bendy panicked a little

“Henry?... HEY! Henry, don’t let go, ya hear me?! Henry?! HENRY!”

With a loud tsk of frustration, Bendy barely holds back the nagging fear over his creator; he had to focus. Shaking his head then, he smirks at the Ink demon who was writhing with fury

“Yer all outta luck, stink demon! Thanks fer the help though, in foilin’ yer own plans! It’s been real fun, but ya know what? Get OUTTA HERE ALREADY!”

With that, Bendy skims his hand over some of the ink, which glitters with gold at his touch… it was reacting differently to him now. Taking hold of his new power, the little Demon throws a hand in the Ink demon’s direction to test it. With a startled howl, the Ink demon is suddenly slammed into the wall so hard Bendy could feel he’d phased right through it into god knows what part of the studio.

Now alone in the dim waterfalling cascade of Ink, Bendy turns himself so he’s falling with his head aimed directly downward like an arrow trying to catch up to the elevator.

“DON’T WORRY GUYS, I’M COMIN’!”

Of course, they probably couldn’t hear him- but it didn’t matter. He was going to make it no matter what. He couldn’t afford not to. 

And as he deemed it, so it happened; quickly throwing out his arms to try slowing his descent, Bendy still rather ungracefully collides with the roof of the elevator. Struggling to recover fast as he can, he peers inside the hole the Ink demon had made earlier where he could see his friends all clinging to each other and various parts of the cart, including an unconscious Henry. Frowning, he slowly returns to his previous determination; they had almost no time left before they’d reach the bottom, which was coming up fast.

“ALL OF YA HOLD ON!”

From inside, he hears Sammy shriek

“BAD THINGS HAPPEN WHEN PEOPLE SAY THAT!!”

Snorting, Bendy shouts back

“JUST DO IT!!”

With that, Bendy throws his arms out into the waterfall of ink and watches in his own amazement as it all glimmers with a dim gold shine, falling under his control. Whatever was happening to him it was incredible; both in power, and to watch. Raising his arms then, he quickly throws them down with a strained grunt as he forces as much of the ink as he can around and under the elevator. Then, when wrapped well enough, he quickly starts trying to make the ink expand and shove against the walls of the shaft to slow their descent like a makeshift brake. 

Jerking, rattling, and throwing them all around, the elevator shakes violently as it struggles to stop falling. Sweating, Bendy was struggling barely able to control so much ink under such an intense force; but there was no other option. He had to. 

Within seconds, everything felt like a blur as the cart comes to a crashing halt slamming hard into the bottom floor with enough force to throw off its doors. 

It felt almost as if reality had hit slow motion; shimmering ink sprayed in all directions, debris flew away in a radial burst of energy, and everyone inside fell to the floor of the elevator in varying degrees of unconsciousness and injury. Bendy himself had collided pretty hard with the roof of the cart, and was seeing stars before he groans and slowly forces himself to sit up and swat them away. He’d tried all he could, and there was a chance it still wasn’t enough; but Bendy hoped and hoped that they were okay.

Moving painfully, he looks down through the hole in the roof noticing the ink that was pouring down the shaft was starting to leak in and around the various barely conscious bodies within. Sighing, Bendy struggles once more to use his power one more time to break a drainage hole in the floor under the cart just big enough to let it all flood safely away without causing the floor to entirely collapse.

Wheezing, he now lowers himself into the cart dangling and kicking his legs for a moment before burning pain all over makes him drop like a rock, thudding pathetically to the floor. He’d half landed on something soft though, which he realizes was Henry; frowning, he scrambles to roll to his knees before checking on the old man.

“Henry?... Henry, I did it! I saved ‘em! They’re j-just a little unconscious an’ battered, but alive! I-I did it!....”

Frowning slowly though, he shakes the old artist gently

“Henry?... C’mon Henry, yer still okay! W-we all made it! All of us!”

He smiles, but it’s forced; inside, Bendy could feel cold fear gripping his thoughts again. He tries to push it away though, reasoning out loud;

“I-It’s okay… even if ya get hurt, you’ll just come back, right?... Cause ya always do. Y-ya won’t die…”

Around him, a chorus of varying groans alerted him that the others were stirring; however, Bendy kept his focus on Henry instead not wanting to leave his side until he was sure of his well being. Slowly, a hand pressed to his shoulder but he doesn’t look to see who it was until a familiar posh voice speaks to him

“Bendy… I… I am sorry.”

Shouldering the hand away, Bendy finally looks to Edgar who was frowning and looking rather bruised and battered up.

“Why? There’s nothin’ to be sorry about! It’s fine! And Henry’ll be fine!... he just… he just needs a moment.”

Looking back to Henry, Bendy was beginning to doubt his own words just a bit; but he always came back, so he just had to not panic. Edgar, he could tell, was shaking his head before kneeling next to Bendy

“I… I do not know if he can recover from this, but… strange things seem to happen here. Perhaps he will be alright..”

“He will be. Because if he wasn’t, then we… then I… then, well... He just has to be.”

Frowning, Edgar doesn’t say anything, but Bendy knew what he was thinking; if Henry died for good in here, they’d be doomed. Without Henry… they couldn’t have hope. Sighing softly, Edgar moves his hand on Bendy’s then, looking him in the eye

“He’ll be alright. We’ll all make sure of it.”

Blinking a bit, Bendy stares silently before his vision gets a bit blurry… his eyes were watering. However, he continues to force a smile

“Of course! I ain’t worried! We’re safe now. It’s over.”

Edgar was giving him a silent look of disbelief, but simply holds his hand reassuringly. Smile twitching a little, Bendy’s voice waivers

“H-hey… quit givin’ me that look! I-I’m fine! An’ it’s all gonna be okay! It’s gonna be-”

“Please, stop.”

Blinking and going silent himself, Bendy stares before trying to speak again, but he’s cut off;

“You keep forcing yourself to be like Henry- always pretending to be okay, so everyone else can rely on you. But listen to me… you /don’t have to/ . Not you, nor Henry. We will be okay. You need not pretend for us while we have one another; You are not alone. Just… please. Stop forcing yourself to smile.”

Suddenly feeling overwhelmed by exhaustion and pain, Bendy can’t help it; he inhales sharply before his smile melts away and he starts to cry. He felt like he was burning embarrassment (especially as more people woke up to witness it), but he was surprised yet again: Edgar had wrapped him in a hug, just like earlier when he’d encountered the Ink demon alone.

Letting out a sob, Bendy sinks into it and lets it all slowly settle over him; he’d come so close to losing his friends, losing Henry, losing his life- losing everything . He couldn’t bear the thought that he’d actually lose it all, and was terrified.

Flinching, Bendy felt a second weight as someone else starts to wrap him in a hug too; blinking profusely through tears, he glances over to see Boris was there too now.

“A-aw c’mon guys… i-if ya don’t stop, I won’t be able t-to stop cryin’!”

Next to them, Bendy hears a sharp inhale of breath that caused all three of them to flinch; it was Henry. Quickly pushing out of the hug, Bendy moves to his side trying to blink away the tears as he presses his head to Henry’s chest, listening. Slowly, he can hear the old artist starting to breathe again; he was going to live. Letting a weak grin cross his face, Bendy sighs

“Y-ya did it Henry… ya held on. fer me. Fer all of us… good job, old man…”

Edgar blinks in disbelief before sighing and smiling as does Boris who was also relieved that Henry was alive. Nearby, a shifting smack and a grunt announces the grumpy music director who slowly sits up before speaking

“That. was truly. HELL! I am never EVER riding an elevator EVER again . Now…”

He looks around, seemingly taking in the damage and emotional scene before sighing and rubbing his head

“I suppose we should move our wounded to somewhere safer and more comfortable…”

Bendy sniffs, wiping his eyes before nodding while still laying on Henry’s chest not wanting to move.

“I know a good place… it’s safe, an’ everyone’ll be able to get a break. Gettin’ there though… is gonna be a little rough.”

Groaning, Sammy flumps back to the floor of the elevator

“Wonderful… let’s just pile up a blind projector headed man, a bunch of living cartoons, a half dead artist, and two very tired ink people in a train and go.”

Snorting, Bendy smiles and closes his eyes listening to Henry breathe; it was making him sleepy almost as it was surprisingly comforting. He was picturing now the treacherous path through the archives that lay in wait for them to the safe area.

“Maybe not a train… but lotsa stairs and a danglin’ cart over a deep second fall to yer death is in tha way…”

Sammy merely groans even louder in response, his face muffled on the floor making Bendy snort a bit. Shrugging a little, the demon adds

“Ah, don’t worry; it’s only scary the first time ‘round. Every threat of fallin’ to yer death after just feels cliche!”

From the other side, Alice groans but speaks without getting up yet

“After that experience, I’d have to disagree; I have a short cut we can take instead…”

Chapter Text

(Song: Russ Columbo - Just Friends, 1932)

“Just friends, lovers no more...”

A warm hand holding his own, but it wasn’t unfamiliar; in fact, it was a warm firm grip he knew well.

“ Just friends, but not like before...”

Slowly dancing, he was being held close; his eyes were closed, but he felt secure. He could trust the one holding him to lead.

“To think of what we've been, and not to kiss again...”

His lips tingled, a ghost feeling of someone else’s clear in his mind; they’d just been pressed there.

“Seems like pretending, it isn't the ending...”

Lingering in a doorway, he was waiting. They would be coming soon; they were just a bit busy.

“Two friends, drifting apart...”

Solemnly, he knew he was stalling in the exit doorway; behind him, he could feel those intense blue eyes boring into him, pleading for him to stay. But he couldn’t. Not anymore...

“Two friends, but one broken heart...”

It was the right choice; it had to be made. Besides… he was happier now. Soon, he’d have a lovely daughter. He could only hope there wasn’t bitterness left behind. Maybe they’d like to see her...

“...We loved, we laughed, we cried, and suddenly love died! 

The story ends, 

and we’re, 

Just Friends!”

-

Slowly, Henry comes to his senses feeling like the elevator may as well have landed on him; his entire body ached, and he felt incredibly heavy. He could hear the soft solemn lilting of a record playing with a song that was somewhat familiar to him. He could almost swear he remembered someone mentioning it to him in passing…

Opening his eyes now, Henry was greeted with a rather unusual sight; he was resting in a tiny room that must’ve once been an office, but had been repurposed into a mini clinic. He was laying on a bed that had been wedged in somehow, a record player on a small side table near him. A bookshelf far too big to be there was crammed into the other side of the room, tilted on a bit of an angle as it was too tall to sit flat in such space; it was cluttered with sad leftover scraps of pilfered medical supplies. A small stool was near the bed that he supposed would be for whomever was visiting or tending to wounds (considering nobody became ill anymore).

Looking up at the ceiling, an old dusty light flickered occasionally and dimly lit the room. There was also a curtain rod stuck precariously between the walls with a curtain that could be pulled shut, which would close off the bed from the room; Henry realizes comically though, it was most definitely a decorative curtain not meant for such a purpose. Not so comically, there was a blood bag hanging off it with an IV in his arm but it was most certainly not full of blood; he figures if anything, it was likely ink to replace his lost ‘blood’. Sighing, he wonders where in the ink dimension he was now since he didn’t recognize this room at all.

Now moving his attention to himself, Henry realizes his shirt and sweater-vest had been removed and his entire torso was wrapped in bandaging. Grimacing, he suddenly feels the pain; burning, dull, and definitely deep. For whatever reason, he’d not succumbed to the ink and reformed or simply healed, and now had to deal with injuries for once. What was so different this time??

Closing his eyes again, Henry feels exhaustion tempting him to fall back into either sleep or unconsciousness, the music only adding to the feeling. He’d just take a quick moment to rest, then get up and check out his situation.

Laying there in the quiet, he sinks into a darkness not unlike the inky abyss before he decides it’s time to try and wake up again.

Opening his eyes once more rather slowly, Henry realizes with a slight start that much more time had passed than he’d thought; the light was off now, and the record player was too. Someone had recently come through, and even changed his bandages it seemed as he ached more than before and they felt tighter. Although, he realizes, something else was exaggerating the feeling…

Looking down, Henry sees that Bendy had somehow climbed on top of and cuddled up to him without rousing him from sleep. To be fair though, he wasn’t sure if it could be called sleep if the bandage change didn’t wake him either. Quietly sighing, he smiles a little at Bendy finding the way he was sleeping rather cute. He must’ve been worried for the old artist, which didn’t surprise Henry; after everything they’d been through, they were bonded pretty closely.

Struggling a little with pain, he lifts the arm Bendy wasn’t clinging to and pats it to the little demon’s head gently before petting him. He couldn’t entirely be sure, but if he was alive and Bendy was here, everyone must’ve made it. The thought made him feel incredibly relieved, and soon Henry was dozing right back off.

-

Once more waking again, Henry lets out a sharp grunt of pain as this time he’s woken by the commotion of someone clearly doing something to him. Groggily opening his eyes and looking around in startled confusion, he receives an equally startled response as a voice he doesn’t recognize reacts 

“He’s awake! Quick; go get the others!”

There was a shuffling from near the door, and Henry tries blinking to clear up his vision. Slowly, his eyes came in to focus and he realizes there was a lost one sitting on the stool rebandaging him. They weren’t alone however, as the projectionist was present and currently holding Henry upright for the lost one who was continuing to bandage him despite the pain. The lost one speaks, a different voice from the first he’d heard...

“I’m sorry if it hurts, but you bled a lot; if we don’t change this, it’ll stick to you permanently … I’m sure you don’t want that.”

Grunting, Henry shakes his head a little, finding it surprisingly difficult to speak at first

“Nn..nno. Not really...”

Norman gives a small snort, his projector head bobbing a little from it; Then, Henry hears the first strange voice speak up again- it had a southern accent, and was on the deeper side in a way one may describe as handsome.

“He’s still dazed off his nut on that painkiller ya gave him.”

Looking for the source of the voice, Henry was feeling more and more confused; where was the strange voice coming from? And why was it familiar? Also… what the heck did they give him??

“Hello?... ssomeone there?”

Henry felt a bit embarrassed at the slight drawl his grogginess was causing, but it only elicits a small chuckle in that southern voice again…

“Well, guess I ain’t helpin’ much neither, huh? Thinks there’s someone else in here… Guess I kinda did spend a lotta time screechin’ like a possessed banshee, and not a lot talkin’.”

The lost one finishes reapplying the bandages to Henry’s aching relief, Norman lowering him back down; Bendy and Boris come cramming their way into the already tight space then, making the lost one have to struggle getting up without knocking anything over. The lost one nods then before speaking;

“Alright, i’m done here for now. Just be careful with him, and don’t overwhelm him- he’s still groggy and needs to process things longer until the drug wears off”

Having given the group the room, the lost one was gone now as Henry blinks blearily at the others, probably looking a bit pathetic right now. He wanted to at least try and solve one thing though...

“Hhhwhere’s the cowboy?...”

At that, Bendy bursted into snorts and laughter making Henry feel a bit embarrassed again; was it so obvious?? What was he missing? 

Bendy trots up to him then, quickly clinging to him in a hug causing a pained grunt that makes the little demon grimace some

“Oh- sorry… I’m just really glad yer okay! You were in an’ out a lot. It was super close… we almost lost ya! B-but ya held on!”

Frowning, Henry felt a bit shocked to learn he’d really been on the brink so long- and dangerously close to apparently not coming back. What was happening to him? Also… why wasn’t anyone answering his question??

“Yeah, buuut… still. Hwwhy did you laugh?”

At that, Bendy perks up with a little ‘Oh; right!’ smile and steps back, at least as much as the space permitted

“Henry, while you were out we’ve been tryin’ ta patch up a little. So far everyone’s doin’ better, but there’s still a few problems… things aren’t so great right now”

Bendy frowns, making Henry a little concerned but Boris interrupts as he excitedly goes up to Henry seeming like he was up to something. Bendy grins pretty wide himself before the wolf happily signs with his hands:

‘Hi, Henry! They taught me sign language!’

Smiling slowly now, Henry lets out a huff of happy disbelief

“Tha’s great, buddy! How hassz that been?”

Boris gives a vague gesture, before looking like he’s thinking, carefully signing again

‘Slow, but I’m getting it!’

Henry smiles, but still was confused

“I’m glad… tha’s amazing, Boris. But... can you guyssz explain the other thing now? Tha voice?”

Bendy blinks, realizing the question was directed mostly at him before huffing a bit with a smile

“Don’t look at me , he can introduce himself .”

Henry squints, not sure what to think; who was he supposed to be looking at? Slowly, his gaze turns to look at Norman before Henry hears the southern accent again

“Henry, you’re lookin’ right at me an’ ya still can’t figure it out?”

A bit boggled by that, Henry blinks before turning his full attention to Norman who had his hands on his hips now.

“Wh… Norman?”

Nodding now, Henry notices the speaker box on his chest was spotless and looked almost new; also, it was vibrating as the voice spoke

“Mm-hm! Who else? Ya listened to my recordings, didn’tcha?”

Still processing, Henry’s face must’ve been pretty priceless as Bendy devolves into more snickering at his expense. Excitedly, the little demon bounces next to him before being surprisingly gentle as he lays against him

“Everyone survived, an’ we’re all okay! Thanks ta you, Henry!”

Looking to Bendy, Henry smiles gently rubbing Bendy’s head a little before shaking his own

“No… thanksss t’ you. And ev’ryone themselves. You all did great…”

Bendy closes his eyes, and Henry almost gasps out loud when he hears what he could swear was a purr coming from the demon; jeeze, he really was cat-like sometimes. Bendy seemed to not have noticed however, as he speaks instead

“Thanks fer not givin’ up on comin’ back, Henry… we really need ya now, more than ever…”

His tone makes Henry frown as he felt that something wasn’t quite right; and why should it be? After what they’d all been through, he could only imagine morale was not very high. Turning his attention to Norman, he attempts to ask;

“Wha’s going on with the otherssz?... issz everything okay?”

Norman shifts his posture, crossing his arms before speaking (and Henry was still trying to get used to that being a thing now)

“Ah, could be worse… but the little devil’s right. Alice is meltin’ worse than ever, an’ she’s gettin’ real fussed up about it which is makin’ her gang antsy too. Sammy’s actin’ odd… i’m worried ‘bout him most, ‘cause he’s gone… quiet. He won’t say nothin’ ta me, an’ he just sits in the corner all sulky playin’ on a banjo the lost ones got for ‘im. Something’s botherin’ him, an’... I wish I knew what...”

Letting out a heavy rattling sigh from his speaker, Norman looked rather… tired.

“I was… hopin’ that maybe if I could speak, I could reconnect with him. But now he’s bein’ colder than the devil’s snowman.”

Bendy pouts, lifting his head off Henry

“I still miss that snowman…”

Boris gently pats the little demon while Norman shakes his head. Henry realizes something else he probably should have sooner; the bulb and lens in Norman’s projector had been fixed and replaced too. They really had been busy... but also, what was bothering Sammy so much now? Deep in his gut though, Henry already felt he knew the answer.

“...it’s the Ink demon.”

The air of the room tensed as the other three turned their attention on Henry at the mention of their enemy. Oddly enough, Henry felt as if his senses had cleared up in that moment too- a convenient time for the drugs to wear off, he supposed. Quickly trying to diffuse the tension, he continues; 

“I mean, the Ink demon is what upset Sammy. He worshiped him, saw him as some… merciful savior who was going to be his key out of here. Now… well, I think he’s getting a bit of a wake-up call.”

Norman lets out a sound of exasperation then, knocking gently on the side of his projector head

“ Of course! How could I have been so blind?? After nearly bein’ killed by his ‘lord’, he’s surely second guessin’ everythin’ . Ah, man… I really hope he ain’t second guessin’ me .”

Shaking his head again, Norman straightens up... 

...only to bump the curtain rod, being unfortunately tall for the cramped room

“I’ll go talk to ‘im… thanks fer the heads up, Henry.”

Henry nods back, but Bendy snorts shrugging

“Sammy shouldn’t have trusted the stink demon in the first place anyways… he’s good fer nothin’ an’ mean!”

Norman huffs, ignoring him to Henry’s relief as he leaves. Boris whines gently then before nuzzling Henry making the old artist smile

“Hey now; it’s okay… we’re going to figure things out, okay?”

Boris and Bendy both snuggle up to Henry who smiles more, but even he felt unsure. They’d failed in containing the Ink demon, and it had nearly cost their lives… he couldn’t help but feel deeply responsible for the near disaster. He’d inspired the idea, and lead them right into it… how could he have been so dumb thinking they could catch a demon ? 

Frowning now, he sighs heavily letting himself sink into the bed feeling exhausted in more ways than one. Perhaps the fact the recordings suggested the Ink demon had been contained once before gave him the idea… but it was clear he’d had escaped the prior containment as well; why had he thought it’s be different for them? Regardless of it, he felt this wasn’t the time to be wallowing in guilt and regret.

“You know… things will work out, we’ll make sure of it. But still… it could be better. Where we’re at…”

He slowly lifts an aching arm, looking at his battered ink stained hand

“Well. We just need to figure a few things out, because if we keep going around blind like this… someone will get irreversibly hurt.”

Henry felt a deep, tired ache in his chest that was more than just physical injury this time; it was something more. Perhaps, he thinks, it was his perseverance starting to wane as it was always being tested, now more than ever... but relaxing it meant giving up, and that wasn’t an option. 

He then notices two very beady sad gazes looking at him, and he frowns before sighing and gently pulling both of his creations into a loving hug

“Alright, c’mon guys… don’t give me that. I’m just tired is all… after a small break, we’ll figure it out, okay?”

Bendy pouts more though, wrapping his arms gently around Henry

“Henry?”

Looking to the little demon, he raises an eyebrow

“Yeah?”

Sniffling a little, Bendy looks him in the eye with concern

“How long…”

He goes quiet before speaking again

“How long are ya gonna keep pretendin’? Everyone breaks at some point…”

Staring, Henry wondered where Bendy had gotten such an idea; had he realized it himself? Did he think Henry was faking a facade to keep everyone happy? He supposes, in a sense, it had more truth than he was willing to admit…

“I’m not pretending… promise. I really do feel the way I do. People rely on me, and I know that- but i’m saying and doing everything because that’s who I am, not just for you guys. I promise… I’m just guiding everyone because they decided to follow me.”

Bendy seems to search Henry’s face for any hints of a lie, but sighs and nods apparently having found none

“...Okay. I just… I just don’t wantcha ta think ya have to bear all this stuff alone, okay? Someone… kinda wise told me that. We have each other, an’ ya don’t have ta lead alone.”

Surprised a little by the wisdom coming from his demon friend, Henry stares for another moment before a warm smile crosses his face that comforts both Bendy and Boris

“Whoever told you that is very wise indeed… they’re a good friend.”

Bendy positively beams at that, nodding a bit with his head still laying on Henry

“Yeah… they are. An’ I think… well, I definitely wanna keep ‘em around.”

Henry smiles back still, sighing a little more contently now as he leans back in the bed closing his eyes while he continues to hug the two.

“I think I’d like to keep all of you around, really… I don’t think I ever want to be alone. Not again after this...”

Pondering the thought, Henry realizes that his words couldn’t have been more true; when they escaped (and they were going to escape), he’d be sure to keep everyone together if he could help it. What they were going through, Henry couldn’t imagine separating indefinitely afterwards; and the thought of living in a big family so there would never be a lonely empty moment again… well, that filled him with warmth. He could only hope the others might feel that way too, and want to stick together. In the end, if they all split off… well, Henry wasn’t sure his heart could handle it; being alone for so long, he had gotten attached.

 And now, he almost felt like praying again. He didn’t want to end up alone with nothing but his memories and regrets like someone else he knew, who’d suffered that terrible fate…

...Someone who had ultimately shared that pain with everyone.

Chapter Text

Plucking the strings of a banjo one at a time rather solemnly, Sammy just couldn’t find it in himself to play anything... yet, he couldn’t put down the instrument either. He was deep in thought, feeling incredibly… confused. and definitely not alright. Everything was different now, and he wasn’t sure if it was for the better.

Sighing, he leans his head down while plucking another solemn string and letting it echo against the instrument. Everything he’d believed in was thrown to the wind… what could he even think anymore? His blind following of the Ink demon, for one, was conflicting him the most. He was supposed to be their savior. He was supposed to help them. He was supposed to have set them free.

But now… looking around, seeing all of these people for the first time as they truly were and not through blind worship… he could tell he was wrong. The Ink demon wasn’t merciful, helpful, nor any kind of savior who was going to help them be free. No… he was just as twisted and tormented as the rest of them, if not worse for being a tormentor himself who only sought to cause more suffering in their already wretched realm.

With the truth of the Ink demon nagging him, Sammy felt guilty having ever believed in him; he was supposed to have been a prophet, following without question so he would be delivered from suffering. But now… where could he put that faith? It was clear everything he’d believed was wrong. That he, himself, had been wrong this whole time and had hurt so many others.

So, then, what was he supposed to believe? Who was going to help them now, if there was anyone? Sure, Henry seemed like their best bet- but he wasn’t powerful… he was just… another person, like them. It all seemed so hopeless… that they could do nothing, being just leftover nobodies made of ink that were long forgotten with no true hope left to turn to. Whatever force of good may have existed before their realm was missing now, and just as long forgotten as them, clearly never going to return to them again… at least, that’s how he felt.

Plucking another hollow note, Sammy feels the vibration through the instrument and hums slightly to mimic it. Who were they now? What were they going to do now? And who was going to help them now?

Lifting his head directly up to stare at the ceiling now, Sammy feels his heart ache for some answer; he almost just wanted to cry out to someone above, and pray he be heard. But at this point her felt there was no one. They were truly, and utterly alone and disconnected. And that, he thinks, made him feel more hopeless than anything.

It seemed now all that was left was the pain and empty wishes for it to end… a hollow, dark, and somber place. In a sense, he wonders if this is what it was like to be dead; waiting in a dark place with nothing but despair, wishing someone could help you, always longing for what used to be. He didn’t much like to imagine this was what the afterlife was supposed to be.

Yet again, Sammy plucks another somber single note and closes his eyes letting himself be taken by another memory; it’s all he’d been doing since they were rescued by the lost ones in what felt like had been days ago. 

He was sitting in his office, back turned to the door hunched over song sheets; in one hand was a pen that was dripping ink pointlessly onto a blank sheet, the other shoved into his hair in frustration. He’d been trying for hours now to write a song, but he just couldn’t ; he didn’t feel happy at all, and writing a happy tune was impossible like this. With the direction the company was taking, he was at a loss of what to do and he’d been drinking more than usual. How could he have hope when the career he’d dreamed would make a name for him was soon not going to exist anymore?

Groaning, he reaches for the bottle of wine he’d snuck into his office when suddenly he feels a bigger hand grasp his firmly, causing him to flinch. Sitting up quickly with fear of being fired for the wine, he turns only to relax and sigh irritably; it was just Norman.

“You scared me… don’t you know not to sneak up on me like that?!”

Norman smiles apologetically, still holding his hand as he moves closer

“Sorry… ya just seemed busy. Ya know ya shouldn’t be drinkin’ on the job… or as much as ya have been in general.”

Frowning, Sammy looks away, but finds his cheek is quickly cupped to reconnect their gaze

“Sammy… I’m worried about you.”

Blinking, the music director sighed heavily while sinking his face against the projectionist’s palm before speaking

“I… I’m sorry. I’m just worried too… about everything. I don’t want to lose this… or…”

He trails off, but Norman smiles sympathetically adding on

“Ya don’t wanna lose this place, or me. Ya like it here despite whatcha let on…”

Pouting, Sammy doesn’t look at Norman until the projectionist kneels to his eye level

“Sammy… ya know you can always talk to me, right? I care aboutcha, an’ I wanna make sure you’re alright.”

Sammy blinked repeatedly now feeling his eyes burn a little, trying to look away but he finds he can’t; Norman’s gaze was holding his firmly

“I… I’m not good at talking. You know that… If I think about it too much, it just drives me mad until I just- burst .”

Norman sighed before moving in close enough that their foreheads touch, making Sammy close his eyes and inhale shakily as the other spoke

“Then don’t talk. Just… let me be here with ya, alright? An’ if you’re ever ready to… then we can talk.”

Nodding a little, Sammy quietly enjoys the comforting touches of the projectionist who was slowly pulling him into a hug

“Just being with you makes me feel better…”

Norman’s voice sounded distant then, almost echo-y

“Bein’ with you makes me feel better too…”

Opening his eyes, Sammy finds himself staring at the bright lens of current Norman, who had been apparently watching him the whole time it seemed. Huffing slightly, Sammy gives him a look

“What? You just enjoy staring at me now?”

A heavy sigh rattles from the speaker on Norman’s chest before he slowly clanks down in front of the music director, sitting with him now.

“Ya know Sammy… I’ve been worried about you.”

Blinking, Sammy finds the coincidence a tad uncanny; either way, he looks back to his banjo, half heartedly plucking a three note tune

“Well, you shouldn’t be… you should be worried about everything else.”

Norman sighs again, shaking his projector head

“I don’t have ta be if everyone else already has it covered. I’m worried about you . Ya just… haven’t been yourself lately.”

Frowning himself now, Sammy stops plucking on the banjo to silently stare off into the distance

“To be frank with you, I haven’t exactly been myself since ending up here. I’m... “

He looks down, going silent once more as he starts tuning the banjo for the hundredth time. Norman surprises him then by taking hold of the instrument’s neck and tugging it from his grasp so he can move in front of him

“It’s because of the Ink demon. You were all hopped up on believin’ he was gonna save us, an’ that you were a special part a’ some plan fer freedom. But now… you’re lost. Confused, ‘cause you had forgotten everythin’ t’ follow some weird faith, tryin’ to cope. But that wasn’t you… an’ now you’re actin’ unlike yourself in a different way, bein’ all quiet an’ broody...”

Feeling his face get hot with shame, Sammy looks away refusing to look back now

“It’s ridiculous- it feels like i’m the foolish sheep now, surrounded by other confused, aimless, scared sheep. None of us know where to go, or what to do. I had a purpose… I had something to hold onto. But now…”

Trying to take the banjo back, Sammy grunts with irritation when Norman doesn’t let go

“Now, i’m getting irritated and tired of it all!”

Staring silently at Sammy for a moment, Norman releases the instrument making the music director feel a little guilty for snapping at him. Slowly, he takes the Banjo back into his lap before looking down once more

“I’m… sorry. It isn’t your fault, and I shouldn’t take it out on you… It’s just so frustrating.”

Norman gently places his hand on Sammy’s now, making the music director pause to look at it. He dims his light before leaning his projector head forward, gently resting it against Sammy’s and speaking

“I know. I don’t blame you… your whole view just got washed away ina traumatic event. It’s a wonder you’re functionin’ at all right now.”

Sammy frowned at that, not looking up but staying close with Norman; it was the most comforting thing this place had to offer him anymore. He stays quiet, prompting the projectionist to speak again

“...it’s not hopeless though. Maybe the Ink demon won’t help us, but we don’t need ‘im anyhow; we’ve got our friends, an’ each other. We’ll find some other way outta this place, and we’ll do it together .”

Wishing he could accept the comforting words, Sammy instead just felt overwhelmed; how could he just be okay with it all? How could he accept it, be so calm, and not outright infuriated by it?? And, worst of all, how could he be so accepting when Sammy couldn’t even begin to fathom accepting it?! Growling with frustration, Sammy suddenly pushes away from Norman standing so fast he nearly drops the banjo before shouting those exact thoughts

“How can you just be okay with this?! Clearly, you don’t UNDERSTAND! Without the Ink demon, none of us will EVER LEAVE! ”

Shaking a bit, he was gripping the neck of the banjo tightly while refusing to look as he could feel everyone’s attention was boring into him now; especially Norman’s. Norman quietly tries to calm him;

“Sammy, we don’t need him; we’ll still get out an’-”

Sammy cuts him off however, feeling angry and starting to yell once more

“The Ink demon is the KEY out of this place, because he’s what controls this dimension! If he’s not on our side, then we can NEVER open the gate to get home ! But he never would’ve helped us anyways, because there is no prophet, there is no mercy, nor any savior; there’s only HELL! I believed I could appease him, maybe get him to see things for the better to help us- or at least me because I selfishly just wanted to go home- but he never WILL!”

Gripping the banjo with both hands now, he grits what would’ve been his teeth

“He doesn’t care; he never did, and never WILL because he’s just a DEMON! That’s all he was, and ever WILL be! An evil , wretched, twisted DEMON! And I, OH, I was FOOLISH enough to BELIEVE otherwise! That he was some God, some savior , some holy entity that would SPARE ME! And now, I’m exposed for the moron I was, blindly wishing for something I knew deep down this whole time was NEVER TRUE!”

Shaking in his fury, Sammy could see Norman starting to get up, but he waves the banjo between them like a weapon as he continues making the projectionist hold his hands up and keep his distance

“So now, all i’m left with is a shell! I don’t know anything anymore! I-I’m not some, some PROPHET, some sacred being who will be freed! I’m not a music director, as the band is LONG gone and dead , and I’m most certainly not even HUMAN anymore! How do I even know i’m really Sammy Lawrence anymore?! All that’s left is an echo, a copy, some- some false memory of what I used to be! And I have NOTHING! Don’t you see it?! The real Sammy is DEAD!”