Before the ink

Part 4

Two weeks had passed since Bendy had been brought to life. Joey would abuse the poor demon. Whenever Bendy didn't do as he was told, or if he said anything, he'd be punched or kicked.
Bendy was sent to the verge of tears every day, and hadn't smiled once before so far in his entire short life.
One day, Joey had accidentally left his office door open and Bendy ran into the hallway. He tripped on his shoes and fell on the floor.
Joey ran after the demon, and picked him up. Then as he turned, he noticed Henry at the other end of the hallway, staring over at them.
"Joey, what are you holding?!" Henry called. "We made giant Bendy plushies and I was seeing if it was durable." Joey called back.
Henry tilted his head like a confused puppy. "Oh...?" He said. Joey quickly went into his office. "That's it, I'm done with you, bringing you to life was a mistake, you are a mistake, and now I'm going to fix this mistake." Joey grabbed his knife, and charged at Bendy.
In a quick motion, the door was banged open and someone slammed into Joey, flinging him into the wall, the knife clattering on the floor.
Bendy was snatched off the floor and the person ran out of the office and into a different one. They locked the door behind them so Joey couldn't get in.
Bendy looked up at his saviour and was surprised to see the one person he'd seen other than Joey. Henry, although the little demon didn't know who Henry was yet.
The animator seemed nervous at seeing a live toon, but didn't want Joey to kill it. "Hiya, I'm Bendy!" The little demon said.
Henry took a step back. "I...I'm uh, Henry." Henry stuttered. "How are you alive?" He asked. Bendy wondered that too.
"I'm not sure." He said. Henry wasn't sure what to do now that Bendy was safely in his office. "I think I need to have a chat with Joey." Henry said, edging towards the door.
Bendy frowned. "Do I have to stay here?" He asked, hoping Henry wasn't going to be like Joey. Henry thought for a second.
"How about you come with me." He said. Bendy smiled again and ran up to Henry, hugging his legs. "Yay!" He said.
Henry laughed at the little demon. They walked down the hall towards Joey's office. Bendy hid behind Henry's legs once Joey came out.
"Joey, you have a lot of explaining to do." Henry said sternly. Joey sighed. He started by telling Henry how Bendy had come to life, and that cutting Henry's arm wasn't an accident.
"Why couldn't you've used your own blood?" Henry asked, crossing his arms. Joey sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck.
"The book said it had to be the creator's blood." He mumbled. Bendy glared at Joey. "Ay, ya said that ya were my creator!" Bendy yelled.
Henry shot a glare at Joey. "No, I'm your creator, Joey just likes to take credit for everything because I guess he's selfish." Henry growled.
Joey looked down at his feet. "Go on, and don't spare any details." Henry demanded. Joey sighed, and with Bendy butting in to tell the full truth, Joey told Henry about how he'd been abusing Bendy for two weeks.
Henry stared shocked at Joey. "And you think you know a guy..." Henry muttered, shaking his head. He suddenly shot out his hand and smacked Joey upside the head.
"OUCH!" Joey yelled. "You're an asshole, you know that? How can you live with yourself. I'm not quitting, and you're not going to fire me, but Bendy has as much rights as us, and I'm not your pal anymore, you monster." Henry snapped.
Joey glared at Henry, and just huffed as he walked back into his office. Henry's expression softened when he looked down at Bendy.
"Hey, it's lunch break for all the workers, wanna come meet them?" He asked. Bendy nodded. So the two set off down the hall towards the break room. Bendy clung tightly to Henry's pant leg.
"I feel so short." He said. Henry laughed. "Do you want me to hold you up so you can see everyone better?" He offered.
Bendy nodded, and Henry picked him up like how you would pick up a toddler. He opened the break room door and walked in.
Everyone stared at the live toon, their mouths dropping open. "Did they finally make an animatronic Bendy?" Shawn asked. "Or is it a really big plushy?" Grant wondered.
"Okay, nobody freak out, but Joey brought Bendy to life, and now he's actually real!" Henry said. The room went silent and Bendy grew a bit scared.
"Awesome!" Wally squeaked.
"Why doesn't everyone introduce themselves to him?" Henry suggested. Everyone was hesitant, having never seen a live toon before, and not even thinking it was possible.
Wally decided to go first. "I'm Wally." He said, sticking his hand out to Bendy. The little demon shook his hand.
Suddenly, everyone started crowding around Henry to get a good look at Bendy. The little demon buried his face into Henry's neck, feeling overwhelmed and scared from all the attention.
Henry patted his back. "Hey bud, you okay?" He asked. Bendy nodded. Soon he grew accustomed to everyone and wasn't as shy as before.
"I think the studio can be your home, and you can go wherever you want." Henry said, smiling at the little demon in his arms.
Bendy smiled back at him. Yes, this was a wonderful home for him, especially with someone like Henry in it.