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Chapter Text

 Our story begins in 1959 were two young friends decide to change the course of their lives forever. A young winged demon named Jonathan "Joey" Drew and his best friend had just committed another of their crimes, the biggest one they ever had so far, Joey felt the jolts that the adrenaline brought to his body as three police officers chased him and his friend on the alleys of the city. Joey had always been a smart kid, he knew his way around the alleys better than any other imp in the entire city of New Jersey. Joey ran into a dead-end, dragging his friend by the hand, he assured him that everything was running according to plan.

 The cops closed in with their flashlights pointed at them, their glaring eyes piercing through the soul of whoever was weak of heart, but the young imp never took their looks too seriously. The two youngsters backed into the wall as one of the cops grabbed his handcuffs, mumbling swearwords under his breath. Joey waited with his hands resting on his lower back until the officer got close enough, the young imp clicked his revolver, making the officer flinch, his friend followed suit, in no time, both demons had pointed their guns are the small number of officers, they chuckled at how unprepared the three wolves in front of them looked. 

 Joey shot at the officer holding the cuffs, the boys even heard a woman screaming from above one of the apartments. His friend frizzly held his gun, he started to mock the two standing officers, even pulling the trigger and shooting at their feet, Joey wiped his tail at his friend, an annoyed and impatient look stamped across his face, he heard his friend groan before shooting at the second officer. And then, they heard it, a police car coming from the far end of the street, Joey didn't expect to have more guests coming to their little party.

 He grabbed his friend by the armpits and opened his wings, the officer blew in a whistle while pointing at them. The car stopped and two more officers walked off and quickly pointed their guns at the two young imps, they didn't even hear the clicks of the guns before bullets flew near them. Joey tossed his friend over the large wall of the alley as the bullets pierced his wings, he roared out in agony and pain, he gripped the wall with all his might, his claws breaking off bits of the bricks, his friend climbed the wall to help, but it was too late. The officers watched as he fell hard on the floor with a sharp snap, they could hear the friend calling out for him, but Joey couldn't, he had blacked out on the impact against the ground.

 He woke up in a prison cell, his head and wings were wrapped in bandages, Joey looked around, covering his eyes from the bright light of the cell. He watched as an officer knocked on his bars with a nod to someone, Joey froze as a huge red demon stood in front of the cell, glaring daggers at him.

"Thank you for bringing him back, Jacob."

 He said as he unlocked the cell and stepped in, with each step Joey felt his heart sink deep into his body like a nail dropping into a pool. The demon kneed in front of him, his black eyes and gold pupils starring deep into Joey.

"What were you thinking this time?" His deep voice asked, resonating in the quiet department, every officer and prisoner could hear the demon, he sounded a little more than angry.

 Joey didn't say a thing, not daring to even make eye contact with the demon, but he knew that he had to answer, he took his time, letting each second turn into minutes, then he opened his mouth.

"I was doing what I was born to do." Joey sounded nervous, not even daring to look at his father.

 The demon nodded and got up, he looked around and grabbed Joey by the shoulder.

"Let's go home, now." He ordered, sounding annoyed and disappointed.

 Joey complied, simply walking along with the demon, he took a glance at the other prisoners, the sight of criminals locked in cells like feral animals felt wrong, he wanted to free them, to dominate every one of them and prove that he was the strongest among them all, he wanted everyone to tramble in terror as they heard his name.

 The demon started the engine of his car before entering, he waited until Joey joined him, but Joey stood there, he looked to his side, the sight of his friend made him smile, they both nodded, a new plan was hatching on their young brains. With a loud growl that scared even the mightiest of lions, Joey entered the vehicle, and they both made the way home.

 The ride home was silent, no word to be shared, no glares to be given, Joey sat looking at the window, drop after drop falling on the glass, his reflection taking all of them, the street was empty, no soul to be seen aside from the occasional rat.

 The demon pulled over in front of a humble house, he looked at Joey and took a deep breath.

"Are you out of your mind?! You're lucky that man didn't die!" He yelled loudly.

 Joey kept his eyes glued on the window.

"I should send you to the military and then you can learn to be a normal fucking citizen!"

 Joey left the car, being soon followed by the demon, the door opened, and a short lady came out, she was a blue succumbs dressed in a night gal, she looked worried. The demon grabbed Joey, the young imp looked at his father with an annoyed expression.

"You had your fair share of yelling, let go-"

 He slapped Joey, leaving a mark on his face that became deep red rather quickly, it was pulsing as Joey heard a loud buzz and nearly lost balance. The succubus rushed to him, yelling at the demon, who simply brushed them off and walked inside, no words shared between them.

 Joey was dragged inside, he kept his eyes closed, his head banged over and over again, he felt as if something would pop out of his brain and explode his skull into tiny shards. The succubus placed a warm towel on his head, her hand gently touched Joey's, holding him with a smile. The young imp looked at his mother, giving her a faint smile before closing his eyes once more, not wanted to deal with his current state.

"You should rest dear." The succubus softly spoke, but Joey nodded a no, he smiled and laid on the couch.

 The succubus brushed her hand across the unbandaged side of his head, giving him a light kiss on the forehead before heading for her room. Joey heard yelling from behind the door, he chuckled and stood up to his feet, even in pain he had to finished what he had started, so he waited patiently for the lights to go off. 

 He got up, making no sound, no squeak, he walked to the front door, locked. He looked at his hand and pressed against his finger pad, Joey smiled as a sharp claw popped out, he pried at the keyhole for a while before hearing a familiar click. He touched his sides and looked at his father's workroom, he walked over, opening the door carefully, and walked inside, he saw many things his father had kept from crime scenes, but two caught his attention, a pair of white gloves and a colt cobra, a grin formed on his lips as he grabbed the gloves and weapon, he wasted no time on rushing out in the rain.

 He ran and ran looking for his friend, calling out for him, the cold drops of water and wind made him shudder. Joey wandered around the town for a while, his tail trashed around behind him, he braced himself to keep the little warmth he had left.

 Joey was about to turn around and run home before his parents noticed he was gone, but a hard tug on his tail made him stop in his tracks, he looked behind, there was his friend, hiding in the basement storage of a store, he sprinted towards the window and got in, the warm feeling of the indoors rushed around Joey, he did regret not bringing at least new pants.

 His friend laughed and walked to an area with a small table and a few men sitting there, Joey smirked and sat down. His friend bowed to him, which made the men share a laugh.

"Tonight we are no longer simple stray thugs, tonight we will carve our way to become the most feared mafia the world has ever seen!" Joey yelled, the men cheered and shared a drink of rum.

 Joey looked at his friend, they shared a huge smile, he knew the path of success would be clear as daylight.

-30 years later-

 Joey sat on his chair, smoking another cigar in front of his fireplace. He lifted his hand and snapped his fingers.

"Wake him up already." He ordered a small cat wearing a beautiful yellow dress.

 She rushed through the corridors of the house, sprinting to get to her assigned location. 

She stopped at her at the end of the corridor and knocked on the door.

"Sir, your father desires your presence."

 You groan and roll around on your bed, you hear another knock, and another, and another, you covered your ears in annoyance.

"Junior, as you know, your father does not enjoy waiting."

 With a deep breath and a few seconds, you finally sat down, not even daring to open your eyes right away.

"Young si-...oh, good morning, your father and breakfast await." She walked out of the door and into the corridor, leaving the door wide open.

"Just call me Bond, aight?" You lazily say to the fast walking maid who already left you to your own devices.

 You kicked off the sheets and got up. The sun peeked through your curtains, lighting up the room just enough for you to look around. 

 You got up, walking out to the bathroom. There was a glimpse of yourself in the mirror, your fur was a mess and you still looked tired, you sigh as you grabbed the comb.

 Not much than twenty minutes later, you walked into the kitchen, your father had moved places, now he had the morning paper and a cup of black coffee.

"You should have been up earlier," Joey said, eyes glued on the paper

"Well, if someone hasn't sent me to seal the deal I could have gotten up earlier, sides, it's dark outside." You replied, reaching for the fridge to get milk.

 Joey closed his newspaper, placing it on the table.

"Is that all you gonna eat today? A bowl of cereal?" He raised an eyebrow. 

 You saw his scars after his face was uncovered, white stripes on his horns, missing bits from the sharp tips, his face had been slashed so long ago and the scar was barely visible now. Shaking the cereal box and pouring it on the empty bowl, you turn your gaze down.

"A healthy boy eats a hea-" you cut him off

"A healthy breakfast, I know, I know, I just want to eat some cereal." You sat down and finally poured milk on your breakfast.

"Oh, like you ate the entire box in one single day? You are the reason I don't let them buy cereal daily." Joey sipped from his coffee as he looked at you.

 You stopped before putting the spoon on your mouth.

"C'mon, it was one time."

 Joey chuckled and focused on his coffee. 

 You finish your bowl and got up, placing the dishes in the sink. With a big yawn and a stretch, you walk over to the living room. Sitting on the main couch you see a figure, looks much like your father, it was your younger brother and he appeared to be watching tv. You walk over to the chair and promptly drape over it, you hear a grunt from him. 

 You roll your eyes and focus them on the news report. The lady talked about the death of a man, he was killed the previous night. Your brother facepalmed.

"Can't believe you killed him, that's a rookie mistake." He chuckled.

 You look over at him, mild annoyance on your glare at the smaller demon. 

"Rookie move? I am above of you, shithead, how am I killing a guy on the hit list is a rookie move?" Your eyes roll back to the tv and your hand supported your head.

"Not a rookie move, but you could have been more careful for sure, as my underboss you should be an example to the entire gang." Joey enters the room and loudly makes his statement.

 Your brother gets up and strides away towards the front door.

"And where do you think you're going, Christian?" Joey nearly snarled, only to be met with a shrug and the sound of the door slamming. 

 You hear Joey's tail hitting against the floor, producing a low whip-like sound, you decide to focus more on the news rather than your short-tempered father. The lady shows a picture of the man, you read the header and smile, Inkwellers, a rival gang who would always steal your father's business, you still remember how they tried to kill him so many times over the years, too much to count.

 It was only fair that you finished off what they started after all. Your father looks at you and takes a deep and long breath.

"Go get ready, the casino won't run by itself and we are late." He gave you a dry request and walked off to the outside.

 You get up and walk back to your room, there was a huge pile of clothes on your chair, in the darkness it could be seen as someone creeping down on you. You toss them on your bed and look around the pile. White shirt and black jeans, perfect, you turn around to look at the rather small wardrobe you owned, it took you minutes to pick out a navy blue vest and a red bowtie. 

 You get dressed quickly, the maid calls for you outside, warning of your father daring to depart without you. With a sprint, you ran down the stairs, only stopping at a door near the main entrance, you take a few deep breaths before turning the handle of the small door, you see boxes of ammo and a few revolvers illuminated by the light from the outside, you sign and pick up one of them along with a few cartridges just in case.

 The loud buzzing from Joey's car made you drop a couple of bullets while rushing to close the door and run outside.

"Patient much." You get in the passenger seat, only to get a glare from the demon.

"Watch it punk, we gonna be late." His words have more of a serious tone to them, quite the difference compared to his calm and happy voice during breakfast.

 Soon the car roared into the street, rolling on the cold asphalt from the night before. The shy sky gaining the greyish color of winter, the small specs of snow drifting from above and gently resting on the ground. You saw kids running to school, some laughing, others quiet, some with friends, others alone, you drew a faint smile, you somewhat longed for the simpler times of your childhood once more. 

 It wasn't long before the sight of the kids changed to stray lushes on the street, wobbling around in their drunken state, could be entertaining for a while if you thought about it hard enough, the streets yet to be filled with the usual toon life.

You look at your father, his face remained the same, cold and serious, you sigh. 

"Did you really get the deal?" He asked, never pealing his eyes off the road.

"Yeah, wasn't easy but I got the shipment." You reply, letting your gaze shift to your hands.

"That's a good hound." You chuckled at his words, only a hear a faint exhale from Joey.

 He pulled over after a few quiet minutes driving, you watched him make quick movements to pick up a cigar and light it up, he leaned against the wall and closed his eyes. You leave the car, adjusting your vest, pants, and bowtie.

 Joey looks at you and inhales deeply.

"Listen, son, someone really important will be coming here for a reunion, you know who he is." He says before puffing on his cigar.

 You tilt your head just a little.

"I...really don't sir." You sincerely respond.

 Joey flicks his tail and chews on the cigar, you knew he hated explaining things, but you forgot to get the memo from him last night.

"Benedict, you know, that one friend of yours, he's coming 'round, I want you to let him and him alone come to my office, you know our protocol for unwanted visitors."

"Sir, yes sir." You nod and unlock the back door, a few car doors opened, you got inside and flipped the switch on, admiring the darkness before the light brought life into the small casino. You grab s sheet of paper from a desk and check the list, easily distracted by the to-do list, you didn't even notice the hand that rested on your shoulder until someone yelled.

"Good morning boss!" A chubby demon said in full excitement. 

 You felt your blood rush your body before looking at him, it was Wally Franks, he had a huge smile stamped on his face as he looked at you, nearly bouncing on his spot.

"Morning Franks, quite happy today eh?" You jokingly ask, giving him a small grin.

"Of course boss! We got rid of one nail on our asses, we got a new shipment of weapons during the night, and guess who's going on a date after the shift?" He proudly announced, stretching his bowtie and running his hand between his horns.

"Let me guess...hmm...Sammy? Shawn? Tom?" You look back at the to-do list, you signal him to follow you as you checked on the machines before turning them on.

"Hah! Sammy got the hardest to reach, I have a charm if you don't know." He smirked and tagged along.

"Hey, did you see Susie, Allison, and Amelia? We need them here in..." You grab Wally's hand and look at his watch. "Seven minutes, god I need a watch."

 Wally looked behind him and waved as the two angels walked in. 

"The power couple just got here, Amelia must be with Boris right now. She said she would be a tad bit late." He sprints to a closed room and opened the door. 

 You chuckled as he struggled to get his gear, Thomas Connor on the other hand simply didn't share the same excitement his co-worker had, he looked down at you and nodded before following the small demon so he could get his own gear.

 You turn around to find a small angel holding a bag of donuts, the sound of her heels against the marble floor echoed in the building. She tossed the donuts right on your hands and winked.

"Here, since you probably forgot your lunch again." She says, tossing her hair behind.

 You roll your eyes and smile, you did forget it, again.

"So, how was the party, Al? Met anybody?" You ask, eyeing the donuts she had brought and nearly licking your lips at the sight of the sweets.

 She shrugged and looked down.

"There this guy who kept following me around, pushing himself on me you know? He might know where I work, I saw the bastard on the way here...ugh" she shivered in disgust.

 With a hand on her shoulder, you look at her, with a genuine smile forming on your face.

"Don't worry, if he shows up I will blow up his head." You heard a giggle from Alice and a sigh.

"Thanks, pal, you should get going, we have a big event today after all don't we?"

 You finally look back at your list and rush out holding your new belongings to a small room. You flick on the lights and find yourself in a small office, you place your donuts on top of the table. You grab a pen and mark off a few items on the list before turning off the light and walking out of the room, locking the door behind you.

 You breathe in while staring at the casino, smiling to yourself, the day would be great.

Chapter Text

"Maybe a little more preparation could help this day be grander, don't you agree boss?"

An angelic voice-prompted from behind you, there stood Alice angel, she smiled ear to ear, holding a few papers, you return the smile and motion for her to step closer.

Alice steped by you and looked around the casino "boss" she says, keeping her eyes away from you, "you might want to check on the back, there's some weird fucking shit going on for sure, some off-looking car pulled over a while ago." You stared at her, a little thrown back due to her language.

Who knew an angel could have the mouth of a sailor. "What happened this time? The bars kicked their little customers on us again?" You asked jokingly, but Alice only gave you a concerned expression, "it's the Inkwellers, their cars have been roaming around your turfs, that is at the very least, fucking suspicious" she fixed her tiny bowtie and you nodded, "take care of this for me angel, I will check it out for myself" You handed her the paper with the tasks and head outside, passing by Boris and his wife, she and Boris had tiny droplets of tears on the corners of their eyes, you normally would ask them what happened, but a quick look back at your angelic friend told you to hurry outside.

You step into the morning air, the parking lot had the same cars it always had except for one, a black BMW parked on the far corner of the lot, 'maybe someone is using the parking lot for a while' you thought, it wasn't uncommon for toons to leave their cars in the casino's parking lot, but it was so far away from the road, they usually don't do that.

You carefully walk towards the car, maybe the owner was still inside, you could ask them to move to a public parking lot, after all, clients would come to this area later on. To your faint surprise, you saw a cigar light up inside the darkened car, so you decided to knock on the window, "excuse gentleman or ma'am, this is private a parking and-" before you could finish, the window rolled down and a gloved hand peered out of the darkness, it flicked the cigar, letting snowy flakes of ashes fall on the ground along with puffy clouds of smoke to escape from the new opening.

"What a demon have ta do ta get some fuckin' privacy out 'ere?" That voice, you stopped for a moment before leaning into the window, there he was, Bendy the demon, you rolled your eyes "so, you really came, thought you had some heist to pull off or someone to gun off" he chuckled and took a deep and long puff on his cigar, nearly releasing the smoke on your face before you moved away. "I will be goin' in soon, just give me a second or two wouldya?" His door opened and he left his car.

You took a few more seconds to appreciate his new ride, "using the same model as the wellers now I see? What happened? Joined them, tough guy?" You jokingly teased, Bendy gave you a raspy laugh before flicking his cigar again, "nah, nah, I had ta get one ta ride 'round this area, this ain't mah turf and ya kno that" you nodded slowly.

"Hey, if we get the deal, I wantcha to come with me tonight, I got a gig for ya, will be good for the both of us." He tossed and stepped on his cigar, you scratch the back of your neck, knowing fully well that going with him meant you would get fewer hours of sleep, "if I can find someone to replace me tomorrow yeah, sure" you watch him smile, you weren't prepared for when he got a tight hold of you and messed your hair up, "ha! Look at this! Still looks too richy, c'mon, roughen up a bit you scurvy dog" you laugh and lightly punch his shoulder after his grip had loosened a bit, "excuse me, am a hybrid, not a dog, bastard." You two stared at each other for five seconds before laughing again, you had missed the goofy devil.

He patted you on the back and walked inside the casino, you started to follow him, but something caught your attention, passing by slowly was another black BMW, you felt your fur get high on your back, you rolled to Bendy's car and hid there until the sound of a car accelerating was off the newly busy street, you sigh in relief 'Alice was right' you thought, you had to tell Joey about it.

Like a flash, you ran inside the building, you ran so fast that you had to shove some of the staff out of the way, Joey was about to enter the office with Bendy and that's when you called out for him. Joey glared at you, not looking too pleased but a bit surprised by the tone of your voice. "Listen, boss!" You said among gasps "wellers, on our turf, just spotted them by the side road."

Joey's face twisted in anger, Bendy placed his hand on the demon's shoulder, "that's what I wanna talk ta ya, and I got a deal too, I need yer help" Joey nodded then shifted his gaze to you, "I want the soldiers ready, let someone else do the managing around here, you stay on the lookout" he practically yelled, you nodded and rushed off, but not before catching Bendy holding back laughter.

Alice took a glance at you and held your arm, "hey! What's going on?" You looked down at her, grabbing Alice by the arms, "you know what to do right?? I need you to keep this place tidy up until seven, aight? You gotta Al" you begged with your eyes, Alice closed her eyes and took a deep breath, she smiled "aight, I will, careful champ" you nodded and walked off to prepare the soldiers.

You looked everywhere, only finding a few scattered soldiers who were enjoying the free time before working, they all were sent to the break room where you explained to them the toll of the situation, some looked worried, a handful was serious, but the three members of the butcher gang smiled, turning their hands into fists, they seemed quite happy on hearing about a possible fight, 'they never change' you thought and nodded. "I want all of you on the doors and corridors, Charlie, Barley, and Edgar, you will stay by the boss' door, was I clear" Charlie and Edgar nodded, Barley, gave you an 'ay ay captain'.

You shyly smile from the sheer silliness of the sailor. You sat in the breakroom until all of them were gone, you lifted your head and saw yourself in the huge mirror inside the room, you saw your hands, arms, head, legs, everything, but you also saw a small child, maybe it was the stiffness of the air or the situation was stressing you out a little bit, but you could swear that you saw...yourself, your younger self.

The shy child who once wanted to play around the house until his legs gave up, no worries to be had aside from bedtime, in a way you longed for it once more, regretting ever wanting to grow up, on the another way, you looked at yourself, a grown hybrid, future underboss, you didn't have to long for your younger self no more, 'past is past' you repeated to yourself the words your father always told you. You stared at the mirror for a while, even smiling at it, you had to admit, your pup self was adorable, no time for games, focus.

The door creaked open, you get up to face whoever decided to venture into the breakroom, Norman looked at you and motioned for you to follow him. The man leads you to the remaining of the crew, there stood Thomas, Sammy, and Wally, two out of three kept a serious expression, but Wally looked scared, it wasn't an easy job, nor one easy to get out of, he had a good reason to be scared after all.

"Listen up fellas, some guys are patrolling our area, I want Thomas to warn the rest of the gang, Sammy you will stay with me and patrol the southwest, Wally, I want you to stay here and command the soldiers, clear?" They nodded, Sammy gave Wally a gentle kiss before walking outside with you, you had your hands in your back, chest out, and kept an ice-cold gaze. Sammy and you entered his car and you both drove away, the ride was slow, you needed to note anything suspicious, and that's when a car in an alley caught your attention, "Sam, look there, get the plate number" you ordered, squinting hard to make out whatever could be inside the car.

A figure got out, he wore a black suit and black pants, all matching with his black fur, oh you knew who it was, Nathan Arch, a fat cat for sure, "it's Arch." You murmured, Sammy took a look, "what is he doing here? This is not the high-class place he likes to hang around." You motioned for Sammy to simply look at the events unfolding, Nathan was greeted by a lion, your blood nearly boiled, Marco, the leader of the ink wellers, it could be your chance of striking him but only God knew how many guys they had hidden. Marco signed something, you were too far to see what was that, but they shook hands and shared a loud laugh, even you two could hear it, "definitely a contract." Sammy was puzzled, "why would he make a contract with Marco?" You turn around and take a deep breath, "Nathan owns a steel company, therefore he can provide them with free scraps for their little games and whatever, now for Nathan, it's quite simple, they get rid of competition, keeping his brand and company high up on demand."

"Should we follow them" you held your hand up, Nathan drove off, but Marco stayed, he eyed around, looking for anything suspicious, "go out and buy a pack of cigars, now" you demanded, Sammy, got out and took his sweet time, 'what are you up to this time big guy?' You thought, Marco finally got into his car and drove off, he had more guys with him, a strike would have killed you right then and there. Sammy finally came back, handing the cigars over to you, "back to the casino, we need to report it to the boss." He nodded and sped off, even getting the attention of an officer. "Goddamnit Sam...don't pull over, drive to the pier, I can handle that from there, you head for the casino and report our findings" the man nodded.

Upon arriving on the pier, you quickly walked of the car, the officers stopped and got out, one of them was a tall red demon with huge lower canines poking out of his mouth, he froze when he finally saw you, you stared at him, trying to look as intimidating as possible, your fluffy face wasn't a big help on this department yet. "Jonathan" he spelled out, you raised your eyebrow, surprised a cop knew you by name, your father hasn't exposed you to the world when you or your brother were younger, nobody knew who you were yet. But this fella did.

"You've grown...do you remember me, boy? It's me, grandpa." You took a heavy step back, grandpa? "I'm sorry, you might have the wrong guy" you knocked on the car's roof and Sammy drove away from the pier. The demon scrambled to fetch his wallet, from there he took a picture of...

Your father?

But younger?

You stared at him in confusion, your father never talked about his parents, but the man was eager to show you that he knew you and your family, "you were so tiny, look at you now, that rascal really gave you our name eh?" He laughed, god it was a rough and loud laugh, "look, I'm Jonathan Drew, where do you think Junior got his name from, you're the third one in the family, it's a tradition, oh my god, I can't believe your father got somewhere in life, just look at this fancy clothing!" He grabbed you by the shoulders and gave you a tight hug, the other officers were confused and so were you, never before you related so much with cops.

"Am...excuse me...I don't know you." You spelled out with the little air he hasn't squeezed out of you. The demon finally let go of you, "my, my, Joey never told you about me? Well, all you need to know is that we are family! I never thought I would have a grandkid, what are you boy? A businessman?" Your ears were nearly clued to your scalp, you even took a step back to have some space between you two.

The demon was tapped in the shoulder by another officer, he handed over a small notepad, "ah yes, you will get ticked, don't worry, your grandpa here will pull it easy on you." He said with a smile. You wanted to get away, but god he dragged you once more into a conversation you did not want, minutes went by, an hour even, the other officers went back to work but he stayed, the awkward feeling you felt was getting unbearable.

The familiar car engine was heard roaring into the pier, you sighed in relief. There he was, your father, leaving his car with a loud growl, the red demon looked at him, he had a faint smile on his face, but Joey wouldn't take anything from him, "what are you doing here?!" At first, you thought it was for you, but your father grabbing you by the shoulders and examining you told a different story, "what are you doing here?! Answer! I told you to stay away from my sons!"

His snarl made some workers turn their heads, the red demon flinched, "I was doing my job and we just so happened to bump into each other" Joey turned to you once more, "did he hurt you? Are you ok?" He sounded so worried, you nodded. Sammy walked behind you, resting his hand on your shoulder. "Thank you, Sam."

"Oh please, Joey, why would I hurt him? I have no reason to, he's a normal civilian, ain'tcha business boy?" He smiled, your father looked at him and took a deep breath, "Bond".

You walked up to him, " yes boss", Joey looked back at the red demon, "what are you son?" He asked, his serious voice set the tone of any future conversation, the red demon twisted his expression, he looked almost horrified, "I'm your underboss, sir, the future heir to our mob" you stated clearly, trying to keep up with your father.

You heard the demon murmur softly 'no's over and over again, "you...Junior, you're ruining him, you will get him killed by someone!" Joey nothing said, his wings unfolded and he turned around, covering you and Sammy in one of them, "I gave you one simple order, but you are terrible at following them", these were the last words before the demon yelled for your father, telling him to get back there and listen to what he had to say, of course, Joey wouldn't listen, your father was too stubborn to mind other's views of his career. You almost made it to the car but he grabbed your tail and yanked you back, out of instinct you retracted your claws, sinking them down on his eye, his yell of pain filled the area, workers rushed to help the demon, but you decided to not let go. Still with your claws deep inside his eye socket, you pulled him towards the edge of the pier, the sea was raging that day, waves going up high and shooting water all over the place. You stared at the demon one more time, his unharmed eye stared at you, he was terrified.

"Who's ruined now?!" You used all your strength to toss him above your head and into the sea, his plunge down was quick, like a rock being thrown in a lake, but it wasn't enough, he rose from the water, trying to get back up. You glanced over at Joey, he nodded, that look, that nod, you knew what it meant, no survivors, you drew your gun and pointed at him, he pleaded with his eye for you to spare his life, for a split second you reconsidered, shooting the water near his head and swiftly forcing him off the edge and into the water once more. Joey's footsteps indicated that he had made his way towards the car, and so did Sammy, you kneed down and looked at the demon, "if you ever come back, I will kill you" your voice was quiet, not to raise any suspicion from the boss.

You walked over to the car and got in, Sammy pointed at your hand, you looked at the blood-soaked glove, taking it off and shove it deep into your pocket. During the ride, you kept thinking about the demon, that was your grandfather, he looked very happy to see you, and yet, you clawed his eye out, leaving him with scars all over his eye socket, he was bleeding so much, the water went from a sickening grey to stained blood-red in a matter of seconds, you hoped he would die in the sea, your father would never find out about it, that's what he wanted, of course, the death of his parent, could you ever wish the same? No, maybe never.

Joey grabbed your face, once again examining you closely this time, you held his arms and looked at him deep into his pale blue eyes, "I'm ok dad, relax", Joey pulled you to him, hugging you tight, " I could have lost you there, what did he say? What did he do?" You looked at the small mirror above on the car roof, you could see how worried Sammy looked from the driver seat, "he only said that he was my grandfather, just that dad, I swear, he's gone now, just...relax".

Joey silently nodded, he released you from his vice grip, you scooted to the side, getting a nice distance between you and him, you looked at your hand, and the thoughts came back. You had done it before, why did this felt so weird so suddenly?

"Anyway...as I assume Sammy reported sir, Nathan was talking to Marcos in an alley, we decided not to interfere due to the possibility of many other grunts being around them" Joey nodded, moving his hand in a circular motion, telling you to continue. "I will follow them next time using one of their models, will be easier to spot their hiding place snd then attack. The demon took a deep breath, you looked at him from the corner of your eye, " tonight you will be heading with Bendy, this following week you will go with him to investigate this situation, I will find a temporary replacement for your position, Sammy, head home please, Bond will be dropped off there."

Sammy complied and made a sharp turn, heading quickly towards your house, you looked at Joey "it's not even noon yet, I won't be going home yet, just because a weird guy showed up out of nowhere doesn't mean I need to be home". The demon ignored your words, simply brushing you off as the house got closer and closer, Joey was treating you like a child, " come on, I can do things! You know I can, I can't just stay home and sit on my ass all day, you told me to do a job", Joey closed his eyes and with a deep breath he opened his mouth "what would I do if I lost you tho?" For a second you think, what would he? You did have a sibling, but even then, he was as capable as a can of spoiled beans, "what would I do if I lost you?" You asked him the same question, that made Joey turn his head to you.

"Sammy, get in the garage and stay in the house for a while, I want you to call our contacts, we have new loads for them, Bond and I have a business to attend to." Your lips shyly formed a smile. From the look on his face alone you could tell the thick skin was damaged, you had gotten into him.

A few minutes go by and Sammy is inside calling way too many numbers, you had more time to pick a better weapon and proper ammo, Joey simply adjusted his tie and guided you to a pickup truck, he tossed the keys on your hands and nodded towards the car.

The entire way he was telling you where to go, the end result was a farm on the edge of town, you look over at him and he smiled, Joey left you in the car and curled his finger for you to follow him. You nearly scrambled on your feet to catch up with him, there were lots of greenhouses with nice-looking flowers, could pass by a normal farm, but oh that smell, the fresh smell of burning weed, you had grown used to it, it would always sting your nose if you breathed too much.

"Joeeeey, how nice to see you! Is that the puppy? Jesus time flew" Joey nodded in agreement, "yes, yes it did, anyway, he is here to settle a deal with you, I will have a look around, Maxwell, if you don't mind." The man simply lifted a bottle of cheap booze and grabbed a foldable bar table, "come on now boy, sit down".

Maxwell was a coyote, a very scruffy-looking one for that matter, he had a thick southern accent even though you were in Toon Town, he smelled like weed yes, but also like booze, almost like he hadn't bathed in weeks. You pulled a small log that was lying around and Maxwell wasted no time in showing a stash of weed, "here we are, fresh as ever, and since your mob usually take a good number of them, I will suggest a nice price of 10.000" you looked around and found Joey staring from a distance, he gave you a thumbs up, you picked one leaf and gave it a nice look, "seems...fair enough, we need to ship these across the country, can you assure me that this will be safely delivered?" You raised your brow, he coyote smiled, a warm and friendly smile, he nodded a quick yes and got up, he waved for you to come with him, "you're just like your father boy, that's what I like to hear, anyway, we will make sure to deliver those bad boys to the pier asap!" He inhaled the scent and took a long and dragged puff of his cigar, you watched, he smoked just like Bendy, just as eager to get the good side effects. Joey walked closer with a stash of money at hand, "say, how much?". Maxwell smiled and patted you on the back, "same as the first time pal 10k and nothing more, we will deliver that in the same place, same time." Your father looked at you with a smile, his chest rose up with cheer pride.

Maxwell walked off, seemingly telling some workers to pick some stuff up, Joey gave you a thumb up and a huge grin, you awkwardly smiled back, not sure where all this happiness came from, you just hoped your father wasn't replaced or smoked a bit while out in the field.

"I'm glad he likes you! The more he likes, the more he cuts us some of the price" Joey chuckled and nearly skipped towards Maxwell. You were left under a huge tree, the shade was a nice contrast to the dirt ground and dry grass. You leaned your back against the tree and watched Joey talk to him, it was a weird thought that one day it would be you doing it, all the dealing, managing the price, the deliveries, the fights, not that you minded the spot of power, you felt special for having it right in front of you, waiting to get claimed, but the journey ahead would be long and you were glad your father would be there to guide through some of it, you never know the day of tomorrow.

After spending the day checking the products, calling the drivers, making sure the cops didn't suspect a thing, and sighing a few papers Maxwell had given you, you found yourself back at the pier, right where you had gauged the eye out of the red demon from before, well he was nowhere to be seen so that calmed your nerves. You close the gate in one of the warehouses on the pier, and out of the dim light of the fading day, a cloud of smoke hits your face, you cough, "what the fuck is this shit?!" You wave the smoke away and someone gives you a hardy laugh, you finally open your eyes, it was him again.

"What a way to say hello" you twist your face at Bendy and all he gave you back was a smirk. "Well hello ta ya too, so, ready?" You tilt your head and knee down to place the lock on the gate, "ready for what exactly?" Bendy flicks his cigar before letting his tail astray to play with yours, you freeze at the sudden touch and turn your head sharply to him. "Good, I have yer attention, I have somethin' for us tonight" Bendy smiled, from the back of your mind you remembered the first time he smiled like that to you, god, you swear you could still feel the tomatoes being thrown at you by the poor cashier.

"We will be teaching den inkfuckers a thing or two" his crimson eyes shone with his words, all you could see was the faint glow they emitted along with the light from his cigar. You smile and get on your feet, tapping his shoulder and walking past him, "what are you waiting for big guy? Let's get going".