Notes:
Hi...I am sorry this took so long. I was stuck on baby duty, then I had an exam and THEN the chapter refused to paste in anything but half binary! UGH! FRUSTRATION!
"You should chill. It's the weekend after all."
WAKKO! What are you doing in my author's notes! You're supposed to be in the story!
"I wanted a look/see. This is a pretty sweet spot. Look at all that below us." He grinned.
GET OUT OF MY NOTES!
"Okay." He pulled out a couple of slices of toast and a jar.
...What are you doing?
"Making a snack." He unscrewed the jar and dumped a glob of jam on the toast. He reached behind him and pulled out a thick pile of paper. He placed the stack on the toast and took an experimental bite.
A-are you eating paper? Wait. IS THAT MY STORY!
"Hhhm, salty," he said thoughtfully. "With a hint of sweet."
WHAT ARE YOU DOING!
"What? Wanna bite? That Kit suggested I eat the script in the comments. Sounded tasty, had to try it." He shrugged and grinned. "C'mon it's strawberry jam, real good."
GET OUT GET OUT GETOUTGETOUT!!!!
"Okay. Shesh. So grumpy. See ya in the story." He took another bite. "And tell TAP hi at the end of chapter."
OOOOUUUUUTTTTT!!!!!
~~~
Bendy finally pushed the odd girl away from him. "Look you gave us a letter to apparently give back to you."
"So, you are a mailman!" she cheered.
"No!" he snapped and focused on the tall guy, since he seemed to be in charge. "Look, you said something about a favor?"
"I did?" he asked.
"Yes, you did," Bendy said.
"When did I do that?" he asked.
"When you gave me the letter," Bendy said.
"Nah, I'm not a mailman," he said. Bendy felt his frustration starting to boil into anger. He pulled the letter out of his pocket.
"Look, you gave me this letter to deliver to you. You offered us a favor for doing this for you wakkos, so here." Bendy said stepping over and shoving the letter into his hands.
"I'm not Wakko, he is." he threw a thumb to the guy with his tongue sticking out. Bendy glanced at him to see he was eating a-wait-was that paper with jam and toast? "I'm Yakko," the first continued. He turned to the shorter. "What you got there Wakko?"
Wakko sighed and in a pleased voice explained. "The script to the story with strawberry jam. Wanna bite?"
"Oh? Anything good?" Yakko asked with a speculative look.
"A bit salty, if ya ask me, but sweet enough to balance out the salt. You should see chapter twenty-eight." Wakko smirked. "Oh, and later when the girl shows up." Wakko suddenly growled, "Helloooooo angel!"
"Oh, yeah?" Yakko said with interest. He took a step closer to Wakko.
"And when she sings and dances. Oh, boy!" Wakko grinned mischievously and winked at Bendy. "I'd say you're lucky until she finds out about her f—,"
Suddenly an anvil with the word ACME stenciled on the side fell out of the sky and landed on Wakko, cutting him off. After everyone recovered from the aftershock, Yakko leaned over the heavy weight. "Eh, I'd say that's spoilers you can't share there."
Wakko suddenly appeared from behind it. "No kidding. That was close! TAP near ended me!" Wakko said, wiping sweat from his brow.
Bendy raised a gloved hand to his temple. He felt his headache worsen. He decided to ignore what was going on. Nothing these guys were saying made any sense. "Look, we did what you asked. Can you help us or not?"
"Ah, TAP made you ignore us, uh?" Wakko shrugged. "Your loss."
"Sure, but you'll owe us a favor," Yakko said and handed the letter over to Wakko. He opened it excitedly and pulled out joke glasses with a mustache attached. He put them on with a grin and tossed the empty envelope into the air. Bendy had to do a double take, because he was sure that the envelope hadn't held anything that was close to that shape.
"But, we just did you a favor!" Bendy said exasperated throwing an arm out.
"You did? What was that?" Yakko asked.
"We gave ya the letter!" Bendy snapped.
"What letter?" Yakko asked.
"Argh!" Bendy threw his hands up in defeat.
Boris bravely stepped forward, hoping to save the situation. If he didn't, he worried Bendy would break. "We are looking for a backpack. It was stolen from my brother earlier today. It had all our money in it."
"Well, why didn't you just say so?" Yakko waved an arm at Boris. Bendy gave a feral growl and Boris rested a hand on his shoulder. Bendy marginally relaxed under his touch and gave a huff. Boris could practically read Bendy's unsaid thoughts. Fine! You talk to these crazies. I'm done with all this baloney!
"So, can you help us find the people that stole it?" he asked.
"Nope," Wakko said.
Boris's ears drooped. "O-oh."
"WHAT!" Bendy barked.
"Well, ya see," the girl said, pointing to the gate of the studio. "Every time we leave, we're chased. It's fun, but not really a way to catch any bad guys." She suddenly winked at Bendy. "And I'm Dot by the way, the cute one."
Bendy cringed.
"But hey, if you do catch a crook from the crime ring we could point ya in the direction of the stolen goods," Yakko suggested.
"How?" Boris asked. The three shared a knowing smile, that sent a chill of terror over the brothers.
"We have our ways," Wakko said with a mischievous glint in his eyes.
"Sure, 'kay, splendid. We're leaving," Bendy said and tugged on Boris's arm. "C'mon bro."
"Before ya go." Dot suddenly popped up on his arm again, with hearts in her eyes. She leaned over and tried to wrap her arms around him. "Gimme a smoochie, Mr. Mailman."
"Ugh!" Bendy caught her shoulders and pushed her away. "No way!" She finally stopped to look at him. "And for the last time I'm not a mail man! My name's Bendy!"
She grabbed his arms and spun around so her back leaned against his chest. She pulled his hands around her shoulders so they encircled her and peeked over her shoulder to give him her half-lidded eyes and flirty smile. "Oh, Bendy huh? Why don't ya bendy over so I can see those sweet buns!"
That was the last straw for Bendy. With a simple toss, Dot found herself over the railing. She blinked and looked down.
"Beat it!" Bendy hissed.
The girl tumbled.
"Bendy!" Boris gasped in horror.
"What? She has a trampoline," he said, stuffing his hands in his pockets and casually headed to the stairs. "It's a waste of time bro. Let's go."
They saw a blur (which must have been Dot) shoot up past them as they headed down. "That was really rude bro," Boris chastised.
"She was trying to kiss me Boris."
"So, you push her off a ledge!" he barked. "When have you ever not wanted a girl to kiss you?"
"I like real keen dames, Boris, not some dumb Dora," he said. "Besides, never stick around crazy birds. Ya never know what they're planning to do to ya."
Boris rolled his eyes. "Still. You didn't have ta toss her." Bendy didn't say anything. He knew that was going too far, but they were driving him nuts.
"So where to now?" Boris asked.
"I guess go around town and see if anyone has seen my stuff." Bendy shrugged. "And after that how about we go back to that fountain? Maybe those performers will still be around." Bendy suggested.
"That works for me." Boris smiled. He liked watching the cat and fox and he was happy to go see them again. They almost reminded him of Mickey's friends on his show, Donald Duck and Goofy.
That is exactly what the boys did for the rest of the day. They went to-and-fro asking and describing Bendy's bag and the contents found therein to anyone and everyone that would listen. They were careful not to say how much money was stashed in it. Bendy hoped the crook hadn't found the secret pocket he had the cash hidden in, but he wasn't very optimistic. The people ranged from kind to uncaring to snide to downright rude. Bendy did note that even though they did get some suspicious looks and sneers, it wasn't the condescending looks he was used to. That was the one refreshing thing he enjoyed.
Exhausted and downhearted, the two found their way back to the fountain. They collapsed on a bench they had occupied that morning and rested their sore feet and paws. It seemed Sammy and Finley were just finishing their work for the day. The hat was brimming with coins and bills. Bendy smiled. He was glad they could get a satisfying meal. Boris shuffled through his pack.
"I know we have to be sparse, but can I eat another can Bendy?" Bendy glanced over to the weary wolf. He looked hot and beat. Bendy chewed his lip measuring the pros and cons. "Or even half a can? We can split it. You need to eat too," he said.
"I'm fine, Boris," was his automatic response. Boris frowned, knowing that was Bendy's first reaction. The demon had to be just as hungry as him.
"Hey, you two." The brothers looked up to see Finley. His hat was back on his head and a cheery grin on his face. "Need ta eat? We're about to go grab a bite too."
"Thanks, but we can't," Bendy said. "We're broke."
The fox nodded. He figured as much with the sad way the two dragged themselves to the bench a few minutes ago. "Yeah, no worries. We got you covered."
"We couldn't do that to you," Boris said quickly. "you guys earned that cash today."
"And you had yours stolen today. Look pal, you two seem like decent folks to me. I gotta feeling that if this situation was reversed you'd be doing the same thing for us," the fox said.
"Stop yapping excuses and come eat with us."
Boris looked to Bendy for permission. Bendy chuckled and shrugged. The stubborn fox was going to get his way. "Alright, you win. We'll bite."
Finley grinned. "Fantastic." Sammy nodded hesitantly beside him. The four found a nice little sandwich shop and after placing their orders, took seats at an outside table. "So, what brings you to Warnerburg?"
"We were just heading through. We're trying to get to Toon Town," Boris said without thinking. He felt a light kick under the table from Bendy. Oops.
Finley let out a whistle. "That's not exactly a day's walk from here." Bendy made a noise of agreement. "I'd love to see Toon Town. We could get our big break there."
"That's what you said about here, Fin," Sammy pointed out.
Finley chuckled. "Well, they don't know talent when they see it, obviously."
"Oh?" Boris asked.
"Yeah, those fat cats hired some upcoming bunny with a carrot catch phrase. Something about a doctor?" Finley rolled his eyes. "It'll never catch on. But Toon Town, that's where ya go to be star." He grinned.
Boris turned his head in curiosity. "You want to be famous, Finley?"
"Ab-so-lute-ly!" he said. "The jazz, the cash, the travel! And don't forget all those people cheering and happy 'cause of us!" the fox noticed his friend staring forlornly at the table. "It'll happen, Sammy."
Sammy started for a moment and flushed before nodding. "Right, Finley."
The brothers shared an amused look.
"So, why are you headed to Toon Town?" Finley asked.
"Isn't that rude to ask?" Sammy asked, he took the tip of his tail in his hands and fiddled with it nervously. He didn't look up from his hands.
Finley shrugged. "I wanna know and we're feeding them," he said like it made all the sense in the world.
Sammy's face twisted in confusion.
"We're just traveling. We heard it was a pretty swingin' place. Can't go anywhere with no cash though," Bendy deflected. Sammy raised an eyebrow and glanced up at the devil, before dropping his eyes again.
"So, what about you Sammy? Do you wanna be famous?" Boris asked with a gentle tone. Sammy shifted nervously in his chair with everyone's attention focused on him.
"I want to write a book," he muttered quietly.
Bendy perked up. "Oh, yeah? You'll have to send me a copy when you get it published." Sammy flushed and looked at Bendy with a mix of surprise and alarm. "What do you want to write about?"
"Oh, um, ah, well," the cat cleared his throat, then began to explain his ideas. It didn't take long for Bendy and Sammy to become completely absorbed in their conversation on novels and story themes. The cat even dropped his tail and only glanced away periodically. He slowly began to relax. The other two watched amused.
"So, do you know Mickey Mouse?" Boris suddenly asked Finley. Finley tore his eyes away from the scene of his friend warming up to someone else (He was so proud).
Finley grinned. "You mean the Mouse Circus? Of course! That guy's a genius." The food arrived and it didn't take long for the four to eat. The sun sank from the sky and the growing darkness was dotted by only the most stubborn of stars. The street lights flickered to life, signaling the end of the day.
"Do you have a place to stay?" Sammy asked. Bendy glanced at Boris who smiled. Bendy sighed and shook his head.
"Not really, but last time we just laid down my pack was stolen," Bendy admitted. Finley and Sammy didn't seem surprised by this.
"Well, if you don't mind an alley, you can stick with us," Finley offered.
"Okay!" Boris answered without a second thought. Bendy just nodded with a neutral expression.
It took Finley some time to scope out a good area. He finally found an alley with empty cardboard boxes, a few trashcans, and a couple of crates. By the time Finley had picked the spot it was late. "You two ever sleep outside?" Finley chuckled. "Ya know, besides the other day?"
Boris nodded, patting down some stacked cardboard and setting his pack as a pillow. He pulled out a few of the blankets and gave them out. "We used to be in an alley in the outskirts of our town, before we got work."
"Ah," Finley said, hoisting himself on one of the crates. He waved away the blanket Sammy had from Boris. "Nah, you use it Sammy." Sammy looked down at it, hunching his shoulders silently, touched by all the kindness. Bendy leaned against a stucco wall. He wasn't ready to sleep like this again.
"Hey, we blabbed about our dreams, but what do you two want from life?" Finley suddenly asked. Even though he was laying down, he didn't sound tired at all. Sammy curled up under Finley's crate, his tail sticking out from under the blanket as he curled around himself.
"Fin, that's asking too much. That could be real private," Sammy murmured and lifted his head to make eye contact with the fox.
The fox peeked over the edge of the crate to gaze down. "Is it? I wouldn't know, I wear my dreams on my sleeve."
"Finley, no," the cat complained.
"Ya' know they keep me warm and fuzzy at night." The fox smirked.
"Fin, save it for the morning." Sammy turned over to face away from the fox.
"Wow, Sammy you're amazing at the cold shoulder," Finley said. The cat groaned and pulled the blanket over his head. Finley chuckled. Bendy heard a moan and glanced to Boris to see him annoyed too.
"What's the matter bro?" Bendy smirked.
"Bendy." Boris's tone held a warning.
"Cold? Afraid you'll have dreamless sleep? Don't worry, I'll wrap you up like a dream burrito. All sorts of warm and fuzzy," Bendy said. Finley snorted with laughter.
Boris looked at him, completely unamused. "You are terrible." Bendy shrugged with a chuckle.
"Maybe, but he thought it was funny." Bendy pointed to the fox. "No need to be so cold either. I think I see frost on your shoulders." The wolf rolled his eyes.
"Yeah." Finley sighed with a content smile. "But, hey, Sammy had a point. I didn't mean to pry."
"Oh, no! that's fine. I don't mind sharing." Boris' smile and warm demeaner were back in an instant. "I either want to keep being a mechanic or maybe become an inventor. Oh! Or I want to play in a band. All of those sound like fun. If I do the band schtick, I bet I could travel a lot too!" Boris gushed. Bendy smirked. "Maybe I'd even get to meet Mickey Mouse."
"Hey, why not all those things? And when you meet the mouse get, me an autograph, 'kay?" Finley said cheerfully. "What about you, slick?" he turned his head to look at Bendy.
"Me?" he raised a brow and the fox nodded. "Well, to be honest I just wanna see my bro happy and be able to afford a roof and food." He shrugged.
"Ah, c'mon." Finley propped his head up on his hand. "You gotta have a dream, right? You don't gotta share, but at least chase after something."
"Well." Bendy drew out the word in thought. He hadn't ever thought about dreams or goals beyond taking care of himself and Boris. "I guess I would be happy dancing with beautiful dames and traveling to see the world," he said. He could practically feel Boris rolling his eyes. His mind went to Felix's books and the protagonist's grand adventures that Bendy liked so much. He chuckled. "I guess a good adventure sounds like fun too."
"An adventure, huh?" Finley said thoughtfully. Bendy shrugged lightly.
"What kinda adventure?" Sammy suddenly asked. He pulled his head out from under the blanket to look at Bendy with curious, wide eyes. Bendy blinked and thought about it for a moment.
"The kind where you return as a hero," Bendy said. "Something grand."
"The crowd is cheering your name," Finley said in a dreamy tone.
"Yeah," Bendy agreed, turning his gaze to the narrow strip of sky that peeked above their alley.
"You've made a ton of friends and have a hundred tales to tell," Finley continued, laying down and also looking up. The city lights blocked out most of the stars, but a few stubbornly gleamed through. The moon was gone, making the night seem that much darker. "Everything seems beautiful and peaceful after all the excitement."
Bendy hummed, feeling his eyes grow heavy.
"Sounds pretty snazzy to me. You'll have to remember us little guys after you become a hero. Introduce me to some of your lady friends." Finley winked and snapped his tongue. Bendy was about to retort with a joke when he felt his stomach give a painful lurch. His heart dropped as he felt his throat close and pain spear through his chest. Bendy only grunted as he wrapped his arms around his middle. He was vaguely aware of Boris saying something about his flirting. The pain spiked to what it had been the last time; an inferno lighting in his ribs. Bendy bit his lip to stay quiet. Why now? He could barely hear what the fox said to Boris. It was getting too hot, he couldn't stand it. He was burning from the inside out. His lungs spasmed and he couldn't stop the cough that forced its way up his throat. It was too hot. He couldn't breathe. It was too tight. He fumbled and managed to wrench his vest and shirt off.
"Bendy?" Boris suddenly appeared next to him. When had he moved? The pain was too much. He felt tears wet his face. The cool night air helped the heat, but only just. One of his hands covered his mouth. He coughed again. It hurt to breathe, to move, and coughing hurt too. He hunched over coughing. His body shaking. "Bendy!" Boris' gloved hand gently and hesitantly rested on his back. It was cool against his skin. He bit the palm of his hand to stop a scream of pain. It hurt. It hurt. It hurt! His lungs wouldn't stop and the pain only becoming worse. He couldn't focus on anything except the pain and Boris' presence. "You're going to be okay, Bendy." Someone asked something Bendy missed. "No, but there's a canister in my bag." Just when it seemed he would pass out the pain began to ebb away. Bendy almost sobbed in relief. The taste of bile stung his taste buds. He felt so exhausted that his locked and shacking muscles nearly gave out. He dropped the hand over his mouth and leaned back. He was surprised to find he was leaning against Boris instead of the wall. He limply looked up at the worried wolf. "Bendy, are you okay?" Bendy blinked. It took him a moment, but he managed to nod.
"Found it!" Finley raised a canister triumphantly. His nose and upper body were still halfway in Boris' backpack. He shot up and out and quickly handed it to Boris.
"Thanks." Boris unscrewed the lid. "Wanna drink Bendy?"
"Yeah." Bendy croaked weakly. His mouth tasted horrible and acidic. He raised his hand to take the canister and froze. He stared at his gloved hand. He stared at the speckles of black there. Inky darkness on the hand that covered his mouth. Numbness iced his limbs.
"Bendy? What's wrong?" The wolf looked over Bendy's shoulder and followed his brother's line of sight. "Oh," he breathed out behind Bendy. "That's what." Boris' already distressed look shifted to horror. He tried to stop it, but a tiny whimper escaped him. That snapped Bendy out of whatever trance he was in. He clenched the hand and used the other one to grab the canister before taking a few large gulps.
"Um," Finley said awkwardly. "Feels like we're missing something here."
Bendy looked over to see the cat and fox standing back, gazing at him in concern. Sammy's hands where clenched together, ringing themselves and the holey gloves he wore, tightly. He looked like he was on the verge of some kinda panic attack. "A-are you okay?" he asked his voice barely above a whisper. Bendy nodded. "Wh-what happened?"
Bendy took a deep breath of the cool night air, grateful for the feeling, and released it with a sigh. "It's called ink illness." He voice was just a little scratchy. He felt Boris tense under him. Bendy didn't acknowledge it. Neither of them could deny it now. He was surprised he'd even had a shred of hope that it was something else. He hadn't known hope was there until it was crushed by the evidence in his hand. "It's kinda serious."
The fox and cat shared a look. "Is it like a flu 'r something?" Finley asked putting his hands behind his back. Bendy shook his head. He felt so tired, so raw, after all that pain.
"It doesn't spread like that and I don't think there's a cure for it," Bendy said. He realized he was admitting a lot, that this information could get these two in trouble, but what was the use of being quiet about it? According to Wilson it would hit the whole world. Bendy sure as hell wasn't going to hide it.
"Does it spread?" Sammy asked his wide eyes getting slightly larger.
"I don't think it's that kinda disease. We would have already heard about it if it was, right? Cities panicking and all that jazz," Bendy muttered. "Nah, it seems to just crop up in some folks, but it's not like I really know anything." Bendy suddenly growled in frustration. Boris twitched, startled by Bendy, and Sammy jumped, his fur puffing out. "I don't know anything! I didn't ask for an explanation! I should have listened more!" Bendy cursed. That bird had tried to tell him.
"It's alright Bendy. We'll get answers," Boris said in a soothing tone. "We'll also get a cure," he said it with so much certainty that it took Bendy aback. Where did he get that much hope?
"Yeah, bro," he muttered. "Sorry." Boris was the best brother.
"Don't be." Boris smiled. "It's been a tough few days." Bendy snorted a laugh. Understatement of the year.
Finley brought a hand up to his chin in thought. "That's the real reason you guys are headed to Toon Town," he stated it instead of asking. "Well, then there's only one thing we can do." He turned to look at Sammy with a smile, hands resting on his hips. "Right, Sam?"
Sammy blinked and looked between the fennec fox and the two on the ground and nodded. "Right, Fin."
"So, we're gonna help you two out a bit." Finley grinned. "We're gonna find that cash and get you to Toon Town." Both boys looked surprised at the fox.
"You don't—," Boris tried to say.
"But, Finley, that money might already be gone." Sammy shared the thought that just occurred to him, accidentally cutting Boris off.
Finley hummed for a second before snapping his fingers. "Then we'll just raise the money for the tickets."
"Sounds good to me," Sammy agreed.
"Wait, wait, you can't do that!" Bendy protested loudly. "What about you guys?"
"What about us?" Finely tilted his head.
"You need food, and to save up for a place, and heck, what about your dreams, huh?" Bendy waved his arm out in a frustrated gesture.
"Woah now, there is no worry about my dreams. Dreams come true pal. It could be tomorrow or the day after, but I have enough time to help a guy out," Finley said. "Half the fun is just getting there after all." Bendy shook his head. It didn't make sense. He didn't think he would do this if the roles were reversed here. He would be focused on Boris' and his own survival.
"But, what about food?" Boris asked.
"No worries, we'll get by." Finley waved away his concerns. "You just find your stuff."
"So, um." Sammy fiddled with the tip of his tail. Looking at it rather than Bendy he asked. "What exactly is ink illness?" He seemed to shrink on himself. "Sorry. You didn't explain it before."
The devil glanced back at Boris. The wolf didn't meet his eye. Bendy fought off a grimace before focusing on the entertainers. "Alright, so it's a sickness that comes and goes in attacks of pain, coughing, weakness, and ah...." Bendy trailed off. He swallowed and took another deep breath. "And coughing up ink or something like it. The fella that told us about it, he said the people who have it eventually, uh, melt into a puddle of this ink." Bendy opened his hand and showed the spots to the two.
The other two stared, glanced at each other, and then stared again. "Oh," Sammy murmured with wide eyes and ears pinned to his skull. He looked stricken and a little fluffed up with stress.
"Yeah," Bendy said, lowering his hand.
"Someone look at that yet?" Finley asked with his huge ears down cast too. Bendy shook his head.
"Well then!" Finley grinned, suddenly flipping his ears back up. "We gotta guy that'll check on ya! He's a grand push over. A swell doc."
Bendy opened his mouth, but Finley kept going. "And don't worry about paying. The guy won't wanna cent."
"Maybe you should see a doctor," Boris suggested in a strained light tone. "It couldn't hurt." Bendy looked over his shoulder to see Boris' most sincere and sad puppy eyes. Bendy was nearly floored by the gaze.
"Okay," he found himself saying without hesitation. By the stars, he would say anything to make that look disappear. Boris smiled. Bendy straightened up and grabbed his shirt and vest from the ground.
"Are you okay now?" Boris asked.
"Yeah, besides being tired, I'm fine," Bendy said pulling the shirt over his head and shrugging the vest on.
"Well then, I think that's the bell for bedtime," Finley said, retreating to his crate. Sammy followed, close to his heels. The cat gazed, unseeing, in the middle space in thought.
"Go on bro," Bendy said, gesturing to the cardboard Boris had been curled up on.
Boris shook his head. "I'm good. You can go though."
Bendy rolled his eyes. "You're the morning bird." Boris smiled and shrugged. The demon sighed and took a spot on the cardboard. "Don't stay up too long," Bendy muttered before curling up. Boris stayed against the wall for a while longer, watching them all sleep. The wolf took deep breaths, trying to calm his racing thoughts. He wanted to deny or panic or scream. Who knew a couple spots on a glove could mess him up so bad? It looked so painful. He didn't know what to do. Bendy seemed just as lost. They had to find Oddswell. He had to have something that could help Bendy. They had to get that ink machine, but he didn't even know where to begin with that.
He looked up at the stars. He wondered if they knew where the machine was. Maybe they knew what was going on with everyone down here. He wondered if the stars were able to talk if they would share what was going on in Sillyvision, if they could tell him how to save his brother and stop this horrible sickness.