#bendy's old wanted poster

[spoons-posts]

Cuphead taking a break from the House in his favorite shady alleyway.

[yanderes-galore]

59.) "Are those friends of yours? Are they your everything?" Prompt for yandere platonic Bendy who grows attached to reader who snuck into the studio with their friends (if u wanna go dark , I’m all for it ^^)

Of course! Here's what I came up with :) Using my view on Bendy for this.

Yandere! Platonic! Bendy Prompt 59

"Are those friends of yours? Are they your everything?"

Pairing: Platonic

Possible Trigger Warnings: Gender-Neutral Darling, Stalking, Violence, Murder, Blood, Jealousy, Sadism, Kidnapping, Dark themes, Delusional behavior, Mind break, Forced companionship.

Exploring abandoned places wasn't something you should've gone along with... yet it was exhilarating.

When you were in school you had found a group of friends who made a hobby out of exploring old and abandoned places. Anything from old schools to abandoned parks, it was so odd to see beloved places devoid of life. Originally you found it unnerving.

But now it was just exciting.

Today your friends had suggested exploring an abandoned animation studio. The idea was harmless enough. After all, what's dangerous about an animation studio?

You and your friends were just young adults doing stupid things. It was all for a bit of fun. You saw nothing wrong with it.

Just don't get caught, yeah?

The studio smells deeply of ink and rotting wood. There's an undeniable wet smell in the rooms as you creak through the hallways with your friends. The whole area seems so empty as you all split up to explore.

As you walk through the rotting halls of the studio, something follows you. Joey Drew Studios isn't your typical animation studio. You had no clue, unfortunately.

Not until things were too late.

Your eyes sweep over posters of various cartoon characters. A wolf, an angel, a devil... all typical stuff for the time period in your eyes. You couldn't help but feel uneasy as you linger in the studio, however.

The further you went you saw how dilapidated the building was. Ink pooled from the walls as though the building was bleeding. The footing underneath you even creaked as though it would break.

Thinking about turning tail to tell your friends it isn't safe, you turn. That is... until you heard scurrying. You jump in place, hearing a wet sound and small footsteps.

Surely wild animals would be a common sight, right? That's normal... a small raccoon or maybe a skunk- You've been to abandoned places before...

Yet when a small shiny black creature peaks from behind a wall, you just about freeze.

Your eyes narrow to try and see it better, the small creature about the size of some toddler as it inches into view. A devilish grin is on its face yet it looks at you curiously. Part of you manages to tell it looks similar to the posters you saw earlier.

"Wow! Visitors aren't a common sight here...!" The creature chirps in a curious yet mischievous tone, looking you over with a flick of its tail. "I thought I would just be left here."

"What the Hell are you!?" You find yourself losing your cool, the inky creature jumping at your harsh tone for a moment as your voice comes out in a squeal.

"I'm Bendy!" The living cartoon answers excitedly. "Bendy the Ink Demon! I'm a cartoon... technically."

"How?" You ask, keeping your distance. Adrenaline creeps into your veins yet you remain calm, still just... bewildered.

"How? I was born from the ink machine here, friend! It's been a long time since anyone was last here...." 'Bendy' answers, looking melancholic before perking up. "But you're here!"

You wanted to not believe it. You wanted to ignore the proof of a living cartoon. Yet Bendy here was undeniably real. What was this about an Ink Machine?

You know things were somewhat real when you touched Bendy's head, the ink staining your hand a deep black... and Bendy just seemed confused yet curious.

"What was that?" The ink demon tilts his head, looking at your stained hand.

"It's hard to believe something like you is real." You admit, Bendy perking up.

"Aren't I unique~?" The demon purrs. "Do you want help exploring? Are you going to stay? Can we be friends!?"

The rapid fire of questions by the demon catches you off guard. Fortunately, before you can give any answers, you hear some of your friends coming to check on you due to your scream. You go to prepare to introduce Bendy, but the demon has already scampered off like a scared cat.

How odd....

That was, unfortunately, not the only time you crossed paths with the ink demon. No, Bendy was intimidated by your little friends... but not enough to let you out of his sight. Why would he?

You were friends in his eyes.

You don't meet Bendy again until you explore deeper into the studio. The further you got in, the more you saw cardboard cutouts and odd pentagrams. If Bendy wasn't enough proof that this studio wasn't normal... this was.

"Heya, friend!" The familiar voice of Bendy echoes as he appears again. You turn to see him, the ink demon staring with childlike curiosity. You see his tail flick and wonder if he really is real.

He has to be, right?

"Hey, Bendy...." You greet, the demon's gaze never leaving yours.

"If you don't mind, friend, I have a question." Bendy hums, following his new friend's exploration.

"Like what?" You ask, looking at the creaking pipes of the building.

"Are those friends of yours?" Bendy asks like a naive child. "Those other people you came with, I mean...."

"Yes, they are." You confirm. "I explore places like this with them all the time."

Bendy ponders your answer for a moment, deep in thought. Friends... he missed when he had friends. Now all his friends are gone...

He wants new friends...

He wants to be your friend.

"... Are they your everything?" Bendy whispers, inky black eyes staring up at you. The question is odd, making you pause your search.

"Pardon...?" You ask, Bendy looking up at you innocently.

"Does having friends mean a lot to you?" Bendy repeats, envious of the connection. "Do friends make you happy...?"

"I... yes, yes they do." You answer, Bendy going quiet for a moment before grabbing your attention again.

"... Can we be friends?" Bendy asks. He has called you friend, but he says that to many others. He wants to know if you're really friends. You ponder the question, smiling softly.

As strange as he was... Bendy was quite cute.

You wondered if you were going high off the ink fumes.

"Sure." You smile, the demon perking up. "We can be friends."

Bendy makes a noise akin to a happy squeak. Friends mean a lot to you and you're a friend! Which means... he means a lot to you!

He has a new friend!

You go to continue exploring, only for Bendy to cling to your leg. The ink demon rubs his head against you like a cat, tail wagging. The sight is... adorable...

Yet you know you can't stay....

---

"You said friends mean a lot to you...." The demon whispers in a sad tone. The fear in your eyes didn't matter to him right now. "So why would you try to abandon me?"

You feel ink and blood stain your clothes as you press yourself into the wall. The demon in front of you... it didn't feel like the cute cartoon demon you met. If anything...

This was an actual demon.

"No... you wouldn't do that, would you, friend?" Bendy asks, tilting his head. The beast leans closer, the scent of blood and ink creating a toxic concoction in your nose.

"You wouldn't abandon me... those other friends of yours were trying to take you away!" Bendy chirps, still managing to sound like his old self despite his new form. "Pretty crummy friends if you ask me...."

You shut your eyes, tears rolling down your cheeks. This couldn't be real, right? No... Bendy wasn't real... and the blood isn't your friends.

A low growl comes from the beast in front of you. You yelp when he leans over, ink dripping onto your skin. You can't deny reality much longer....

"But that's okay... it's all okay!" Bendy purrs. "I got rid of them since we're friends now...!"

You feel nausea kick in when reality finally sinks in to taunt you. Within a few hours your friends were torn apart by the demon. The very same demon who held you in such high regard for saying you were friends.

You begin to think there was a reason he was left here... alone.

"You... still wanted to explore, yeah?" Bendy tilts his head. "You said you did that for fun with friends, right, friend?"

An inky claw picks you up from the ground, ignoring how you go limp at the touch. Bendy stands you up, a grin on his face. In this form it looks far from innocent.

"Let's explore then, friend!" Bendy coos, dragging you off as you fight against the sticky skin he has. "I'll lead the way, just the two of us on a little adventure!"

As Bendy drags you deep into the studio, you can only focus on the blood coating the floor and walls....

It took one fun little trip to lose all your friends, your mind and heart crack a little...

But maybe Bendy can fill such a void, not like you have much of a choice.

[simplegenius042]

Late WIP Wednesday & Last Line (Paragraph)

Tagged by: @cassietrn @josephseedismyfather @inafieldofdaisies @direwombat @socially-awkward-skeleton @adelaidedrubman @g0dspeeed

Tagging: @strangefable @jillvalentinesday @wrathfulrook @chazz-anova @deputy-morgan-malone @derelictheretic @ec-10 @minilev @josephslittledeputy @neverthesameneveranother @onehornedbeast @shallow-gravy @voidika @vampireninjabunnies-blog @strafethesesinners @ladyoriza @ladyofedens-blog @little-wolf-seed and @nightbloodbix

Here's 3 WIPs and a Last Line Paragraph (from The UnTitledverse, Far Cry The Silver Chronicles and Life, Despair & Monsters) to make up for the lack of activity (I've been a little preoccupied but I'm all good now). NOTE: I'm still ironing out these scenes, so some changes might happen in the future of publication. Anyway, enjoy!

Here's a WIP for A Blast In The Past (not Jurassic World related), a fic that's story was heavily inspired by Bendy And The Ink Machine and writing style inspired by Tamsyn Muir's Harrow The Ninth. Come meet the second main protagonist of The Perfect Storm saga... and the narrator who torments him:

You opened the wooden door to Carmine Studios, the hinges creaking from age and the times you've passed through it, revealing the hall that would seal your fate, on a false hope you would see your old friend and boss, Terrance, once again… but all you had entered was an empty caricature of the real thing. A nightmarish mockery that you'd soon find would come to life. But you didn't know that, not yet. You were more focused on the nostalgia behind your work, weren’t you? Or what once was your work.

In the hallway hung old posters of cartoons that no one cared to remember anymore. You admire it without recognizing the deception. Do you want to know the real kicker here?

It’s all a part of the show… all half-lies and half-truths, but close enough to what you already recognize that you couldn’t tell the difference until it was too late.

Was Seeker the clumsy meerkat who would follow through on any dangerous stunt, regardless of how far it puts his safety in jeopardy, all for what he loved most… a banana waffle split with streams of caramel syrup trailing up and down? No, it was more selfless than that. Nauseously so. Wasn’t it his loyalty to his friends?

Heh. Friendship… what good did that do him in the end, Bowler Hat?

You shift to the next poster, the one you’re least familiar with. Who was she again? An intelligent wisp named after her actress, Emily Margarita? Or perhaps you remember her as something more impersonal… perhaps a cunning foe? Doesn’t matter to you now. All you know is that she was a co-worker who you described as a “nice dame with a great voice, like a canary”.

But you never would have understood why most of the blokes back then howled and whistled for her, even if you knew the truth. “She was no scag,” you’d say, but you’re smart enough to know that being hitched with her would be… unpleasant. Shame you never listened to your gut.

Then there was the star of the show! The only prick you knew craved for nothing but the spotlight. Endlessly seeking validation for his actions. Only satisfied once his legacy was recognized. A pitiful shapeshifter that took many forms but loved only one… “Mario Emmett! The demon that never could be!"

A lanky black creature with an ego that was bigger than he deserved. Was he the main protagonist of your little show? Who are you to know? You’re only here to follow a repetitive script, endless by design.

You seem confused pal, scruffy face scrunched up, wrinkles becoming more apparent as your tired eyes examining the poster a bit too close... Perhaps a little reminder of why you’re here will help out with that gap in your memory. Wouldn't you agree, pal?

You search through the pockets of your plain brown overcoat, and feel the thin paper edge of a letter. The one Terrence had sent you, remember?

Carefully, you tug it out. Not that the yellow paper didn't already look worse for wear.

Despite its lack of care, surprisingly not your doing for once, you were reasonable enough to fold it neatly like a professional old-timely gentleman. No, it was… Terrence, yes, Terrence who had scrunched it with little care. “Always had a knack for getting on my nerves,” you would bitterly think. Funnily enough, that’s the part of him that was done right. What an Abercrombie!

…Is that the right slang?

You unfold the letter up, again, for what would be, unbeknownst to you, the first of many times. You read the ink scribbled over the dirty gold paper once more.

More interaction between Jennifer and Sir Enigma Malvolio. Seduction... could be better Jennifer. Granted, Malvolio's not... normal. The extent of how "unnormal" he is though is yet to be recognized:

"You shouldn't be here."

Jennifer swiftly turned around, her back to the Apex's chamber pod, its mesmerizing fluid motion forgotten as she focused on the approaching short figure of Malvolio. She noticed just how quiet his steps were, and how he neglected to bring his cane down to the container's metal floor.

"Don't you know it's rude to snoop around in stranger's properties?" he asked, his voice echoing in the trailer, despite how restrained it is from the usual bombastic and joyous attitude he put up in front of Dicko. From what she could tell, he sounded more amused than angered that she came into his workshop uninvited.

His gaze was still as dead and false as it had been like in their first meeting.

Remembering why she was there, Jennifer shifted her stature, "I'm sorry. I just couldn't help myself after tonight's fight."

Seeing that Malvolio stopped approaching, tilting his head as he waited for her to continue. Thinking she had his attention, she looked around, blue eyes wide in wonder as she gestured the workshop, "This place is amazing."

Looking to Malvolio, who she still had the engaged attention of, she gestured to him and stated coyly, "You were amazing."

To what would have to be the eighth confusing she's ever received from this man, Malvolio snorted and tsked at her. With a shake of his head, he looked to her, a smile curved on his lips as he made his reply.

"Please, I barely did a thing. She's the one who deserves the credit. It was all her," he pointed his cane behind Jennifer, to the darkened pod, where the Apex resided in the waters, "I was merely the motivation she needed to win the fight."

Looking between Malvolio and the beastie, Jennifer selectively stammered as she said, "But you did create it. And shared its mind. Don't you agree that's more than enough reason for praise?"

For whatever reason, Malvolio scoffed, looking Jennifer up and down, scrutinizing her with his gaze as he impressively twirled his cane to rest on his shoulder, now looking more like a club than a walking stick. He unnerved and frustrated her. Jennifer needed him to lower his guard, to be completely oblivious to any danger she posed.

It just ticked her off that he was clearly unconvinced with her performance, and at ease while she had to keep her nerve together, especially for Dicko's sake.

Here's a FC5 WIP for The True Sinners of Silva on a (forced) picnic with Faith and Nadi, for a "girl's day out" as Faith had insisted to Jacob (though Nadi hadn't initially been invited). Have some lore, ship teasing and the aftereffects of Silva's terrible childhood. Also TW for kidnapping, cults, manipulation and discussion of eating disorders:

Faith let out a sigh as she clung on to Silva's arm, effectively anchoring the woman where she sat. And she wasn't sure what was more concerning; the fact she didn't mind Faith being so close to her, or the familiar content smile on the herald's face.

"I'm glad the two of us can finally hang out," Faith admitted, neglecting to include Nadi's presence, "Jacob had been hogging you for so long that I was afraid I wouldn't ever get to see you again."

Silva wasn't sure how to respond to Faith's small confession so chose to reply with a contemplative hum, ignoring the warmth she felt rushing in her face. She also ignored the gnawing hunger at the sight of the food as well.

Nadi must have noticed that she wasn't eating the food as both herself and Faith had been. She looked at Silva with concerned brown eyes.

Silva was unsure why the blonde would care though; she just wasn't that hungry. Not even for the barely nipped sandwich in her hand.

"...Something wrong with the chicken, enfer?" Nadi asked, her head tilted as she scanned Silva over with her gaze. Silva glowered at the woman, rather irked that John's right-hand would bring attention to her lack of appetite, especially while the present host was a herald.

"It's nothing," she told the Frenchwoman, lowering the chicken sandwich. Nadi was unconvinced, though, and looked to Faith, head jerking to Silva.

And unfortunately, Faith lifted her head from Silva's shoulder, adjusting herself to sit up straight as she shifted her attention from Nadi to her charge. Silva risked a glance next to her and had the misfortune of getting caught into the worried gaze of Faith's green eyes.

"Do you not like the food?" Faith asked, eyes wide in panic like she committed some unspeakable crime, putting a hand on her forehead as she continued, "I should have asked you what you wanted. I'm sorry, I was so excited for this picnic with you that I didn't think you'd have any problem with the food-"

Silva saw the growing distress on the herald and swiftly responded to put a stop to it. She didn't want to find out what the repercussions were from upsetting the brother's little sister.

"No, no, it's not the food," Silva stated, garnering Faith's attention as she listened, focus as intense as the floral scent that followed the herald. Once again unprepared for the sole attention of Faith, she hurriedly tried to clear up any confusion, "The food is good. It's just me. I'm not hungry."

Even though she said she wasn't hungry, Silva could feel the pained craving for the food, but her mind just couldn't handle the idea of consuming anything for the time being.

Faith's demeanor lost the panic instantly, and the calm that came across her face left Silva stunned at the whiplash.

"Huh," Faith said, looking over to Nadi, the blonde unbothered by the herald's rapid shift in emotions, who had a knowing look as she stared at Silva with sincere pity.

"Are you sure, enfer?" Nadi questioned, a brow raised, "Jacob said you don't eat a lot at the center. The last time you ate must have been, what... three, four hours ago? Can you really say you're not hungry?"

Silva refused to answer, looking away from Nadi as the conflict of hunger and lack of appetite raged inside.

Both woman present found Silva's silence to be confirmation, and Nadi asked, "You're not starving yourself to spite us, are you?"

Silva gave Nadi an incredulous look, straightening up, "What would be the point of that? Despite how unpleasant I find your cult, it wouldn't help me to weaken myself. And besides, like you said, I do eat at the center. Which would be counterproductive if my plan was to starve myself, no matter how stupid of a plan it is to begin with."

Nadi nodded along, not incorrectly correcting her on their group status, agreeing with most of Silva's words, "I believe you. So, what's up?"

Silva had half a mind to not outright curse the sharpshooter about the obvious reason being how she was kidnapped from her home and kept captive against her will surrounded by cultists. The terror and stress of not knowing what they're capable of. Nadi would never know the terror of being unable to predict a so-called prophet's next move.

Especially when he was your own father.

Silva snapped out of her musings when Faith's hand rested on her arm. Glancing to her, the herald gave a comforting squeeze, a small encouraging smile on her face. The action made Silva's face feel no less warmer.

So instead, she glanced between Faith's waiting green eyes and Nadi's sincere stare, and exhaled a sigh, as she softly revealed, "I... just can't."

Nadi nodded slowly, "But you want to."

Silva gave a nod at Nadi's correct guess. She looked down to the sandwich in her hands. She wanted to have it, and the basket of fruits with the baked goods. She desired it badly, but she couldn't let go of the dread that came with eating and swallowing.

"But you don't because you're afraid of what could happen if you do. Like choking? Or perhaps vomiting?"

Silva didn't need to say anything to confirm that what Nadi deduced was true.

Nadi hummed, and stated, "It seems you got yourself an eating disorder, enfer. An avoidant one from what you've described."

Silva eyed John's confidant. The name sounded familiar, something Kamski would have offhandedly mentioned. Curiosity did eat away at her, as she replied, "You seem to be familiar with this disorder."

Nadi smiled, though the smile didn't reach her brown eyes. She looked down to the apple she had been biting on, "That's because I suffer from the same thing. Unlike you though, where you don't eat enough, I eat too much. I've gotten better though. John, la chérie, helped set up a diet and routine for me. Got me to memorize timing as well. He and Alexander still check up on me from time-to-time, but it's greatly appreciated."

Silva was surprised; both by Nadi's confession and the fact John of all people went out of his way to help Nadi. Silva thought him incapable of such a thing, given his holier-than-thou attitude towards her.

And finally the last paragraph for the still unnamed arranged marriage FC5 scenario. And Alexander (AKA Jacob's most trusted and loyal right hand man) is pissed. TW for cult views, a war crime and mentioned coerced/arranged/forced marriages. Also mentioned drug (Bliss) use. Snippet below:

Letting out a deep, shaky sigh, Alexander stared straight into Jacob's cold blue eyes, and said, "So you must understand my... my confusion and my shock and my fury when the Sinner herself, stumbling around the halls, high on fucking Bliss, wept in my arms as she told me exactly everything you and Joseph and John and Faith neglected to share with me or Nadi or the rest of the congregation. You told me she agreed to our negotiations. No, not our negotiations, you told me she agreed to your family's negotiations as soon as it was put forward. You told me this marriage between a suitor of her choosing, no matter how nonsensical and impractical and detrimental the wedding itself is to morale and our resources, was to bring unity between Eden's Gate and the Resistance indefinitely. So tell me Jacob. Why the lies? Why the lack of care towards the rules that Joseph says keep us grounded? Rules that I have witnessed so many of our brothers and sisters be punished for breaking, and yet now you and your siblings are exempt from it? Why have you been sending out Hunters, armed to the teeth, to track down Palmer's Militia if we're in a truce? Why do I hear of no contact with the Resistance if we're supposed to be sharing compensations and details surrounding our peace? Why had Silva told me that Joseph already chosen her suitor, and ignored her refusal of it?! And most importantly, why did she say it was YOU?!"

[deadal3x]

Seeing Double

Based loosely on this art made by @doberart! If you see this, I hope you enjoy!

Henry sighed happily, watching as his two boys played excitedly in the summer sun. they giggled and laughed as they tossed a football back and forth.

The ex-animator was pulled from his thoughts when his wife Linda walked over, placing a hand on his shoulder. “there’s a letter for you,” she said, handing it to him. “it’s from a place called Archgate studios.” Henry frowned for a moment, inspecting the letter.

He knew they had just recently acquired the rights to all the cartoons and characters from his old friend, Joey’s studio, but he didn’t know that Joey had said anything about him. carefully opening it, Henry read the letter.

Dear Mr. Stein,

you may not know me, but I feel as if I know you pretty well. My name is Audrey, and well.. I’m Joey’s daughter. There’s a lot I’d love to explain to you, but it won’t all fit in one letter. if you can, come by Archgate studios.

there’s a lot I’d like to show you.

your new pal,

Audrey Drew

Henry frowned, re-reading the letter. Glancing over to his wife, he sighed. She had stared at him, waiting patiently for an explanation. “It’s Joey’s daughter. She wants me to meet her at Archgate studios.” He explained, watching as she frowned.

“I thought moving to Pasadena, we’d get away from all that.” She said softly, looking out at their kids still shrieking with excitement in the yard. “are you going?” She asked, a hint of sadness in her tone. Henry looked at the letter, reading it again; after a moment, he looked back up at his wife, nodding.

“be safe, Henry. and come home to me.” she said, placing a kiss to his cheek. “I’ll tell the boys where you’ve gone. I love you.” Henry smiled, placing a kiss to her forehead.

“I’ll be okay, I love you too.”

-~-

When Henry arrived at Archgate studios, he was honestly expecting a more lively place. instead, it held the same sense of dread and dreariness Joey Drew Studios held before he left, all those years ago. he sighed, and walked into the studio.

“Hello?” he said into the empty reception hall. “Audrey?” he frowned, slowly turning in a circle as he inspected the many poster that decorated the walls. “Audrey?” he called again, looking around some more

“Oh, Mr. Stein!” A voice came from his right, he realized, as he turned to face it. a woman stood in front of him, short, curly black hair done up nicely. he smiled and stuck out a hand.

“you can call me Henry, no need for formalities.” he said, shaking her hand. “So, your letter mentioned Joey?” he decided to cut to the chase, not wanting to spend too much time away from his family. “you also said you had something to show me?”

“oh right.” Audrey sighed, and led Henry down further into the studio. “before I show you what’s in this room, you have to promise me,” She said, standing in front of an office door. “that you won’t tell another soul.” Henry stepped back for a moment, his expression changing to one more serious.

“I won’t tell anyone,” he said, watching as she relaxed for a moment. “What is it?” he asked, as Audrey moved to open the door.

what was on the other side shocked the old animator to his core.

“Bendy..?” he breathed, kneeling down. the small toon hid behind Audrey’s leg, looking up at her. “hey, kiddo, I won’t hurt you.” he said, finding himself offering a hand to this creature.

“He’s scared…you look like someone we know, but you aren’t him.” Audrey said, as Henry stood. “That’s the other thing.” Audrey and Henry entered the room, and Henry froze.

He was staring at himself.

except this version of him was Sepia-toned, ink stained his clothes and his face. did henry really look that old?

That Tired?

The animator lifted a hand, waving cautiously. The sepia-tone version of him waved back- in the exact same manor.

“What the-”

-~-

“Ok, so..” Henry said, sitting with Audrey, and the other Henry; a cup of coffee in hand. “Joey created a hellish world to torment this version of me, and you inherited it?” He asked, watching as they glanced at each other before nodding. “And he wanted a kid so he used the ink machine to create you?” Audrey nodded, holding up her hand.

“I’m made of ink,” she said, bending her finger back like it was nothing. “but living flesh and blood.” She explained. “Somehow, his creations are escaping into this world.” Henry- the real world one, nodded, sipping on his coffee.

“I don’t understand why this place is hellish. its a cartoon.” Henry said, “shouldn’t it be funny?” Ink Henry sighed, shaking his head sadly. “why can’t you explain it?”

“Because you’re better off not knowing the horrors I faced. the horrors Allison and Sammy and-” Ink Henry cut himself off, staring at the real world version of himself. “Do you really want to know what I went through?”

Henry nodded. the ink world version of him grabbed his arm, his eyes glowing a brilliant gold. “Then see.”

Suddenly, he was within a sepia toned world, echos of memories played on repeat within his head.

“Have you seen him? the Ink Demon?” A disfigured Alice angel laughed as Henry ran from a beast that sported Bendy’s smile. his head ached as he fell forward, suddenly a man sporting a mask that resembled Bendy’s face stood in front of him, preaching the Ink demon. “come my lord, and take this sheep!” He cried.

Henry wanted to scream, but he couldn’t. he sat up suddenly, a perfect Boris in front of him. for a moment he felt calm- but that was ripped from him as he watched that perfect dog get ripped from him- a disfigured and ruined beast that held Boris’s face attacking him. Henry felt guilty, watching as his old pal died. thousands of names whispered throughout the studio as he marched on, an Alice wielding a sword walking with a Boris that sported a mechanical arm by his sides. The scenery changed and he was facing a large terrifying beast, his smile and teeth threatening as Henry dived- placing a reel of film into a protector. Suddenly the protector stood, its inky arms grabbing Henry. the animator screamed, flailing to get the new monster off of him. he fell from the arms of the creature, into Joey’s apartment.

He ran for the door, only to open it and reenter the studio- to repeat the cycle again. Henry could hear screaming, and he quickly realized it was himself. he threw things across the main studio floor, anger and fear bubbling up inside him.

“Am I real?!” he shouted to no one in particular. “Am I really Henry Stein?! Where’s my wife?! Joey WHERE IS SHE?!”

The yelling stopped as he entered a room, staring into a mirror. golden tears fell from his eyes, as realization filled his senses. He’s not really Henry. he has no Linda to return home to. he’s stuck here, suffering, dying over and over and over and over-

“HENRY!” Audrey shouted, grabbing the animator. he was on the floor, yelling in pain. he gasped, forcing himself up. he stared at his twin, eyes full of tears.

“You..” he gasped, his head aching with pain. “all of that?”

“all of that. on repeat.” Henry nodded, noticing how his counterparts eyes faded back to normal. “We can’t let people like Alice or the ink demon out. Audrey was able to stop the-” he sighed, looking serious. “leak- for lack of a better word; for now but we think you can help.”

Henry nodded, finally understanding what his other self was explaining. “I have one request. I have to tell Linda.” Audrey shook her head, eyes widen with fear.

“No! you promised!”

“Audrey, I can’t help you and be with her at the same time,” He said calmly. “Not with the two boys that is.” He heard ink henry gasp, his expression softening.

“two boys?” Henry smiled and pulled out his wallet, showing off a picture of the two teenagers.

“Benjamin and Michael. absolute rascals but I love em so much.” he said, a sense of pride rising in his chest. “now, can I tell Linda?”

“alright alright. but we have to get started soon; I don’t know how long my patch will hold.”

[trashboatprince]

Normally, I tend to keep quiet here on theories, but sometimes I like to indulge in them. The Henry is a perfect Bendy one is a mixed bag, but I can’t deny I've played around with the concept in the past. (I used to have an au for it, but someone stole my ideas and I left the au alone because it upset me to work on it.)

And since the theory is making the rounds again, I decided to write up an idea that's been rolling about in my skull for a while, well before the release of the new trailer, and now is a good chance to write up the idea.

Warning: mild anxiety attack

Please note that this is all headcanon based, since the game hasn’t been released yet, haha. Also, there’s some art included! 

On with the fic!

--

“It’s amazing how much stuff is down here.” Audrey commented to the little devil that walked alongside her. “I mean, it’s one thing to find art supplies and some equipment, but a whole little community? A car?”

She laughed a bit in disbelief, and Bendy couldn’t help but to laugh with her, his laughter whistles and wheezes, it was all he could do, he wasn’t allowed a voice.

No, he didn’t have one.

Bendy never talked in the cartoons, hence the lack of a voice. 

Yes? Yes.

He grinned, whistling a jaunty tune as the two of them continued to walk the halls, on a mission that Bendy hadn’t paid too much attention to. Audrey listened, she’ll know what to do, he’ll help however he can. 

“Oh! I recognize this!” 

Bendy stopped, blinking, and looked up at something that caught Audrey’s attention on a wall. 

Like many of the hallways, there were posters and framed items, drawings, writings, and scattered sheets of paper peppering the wooden boards. This one was no different, though whatever was framed seemed to have the human’s attention. Bendy made a questioning sound and she looked down.

“Ah, well, in my office, in the-the real world, I have this framed animation cell! It’s an original, I don’t think it was ever actually in a cartoon, a special cell as a gift from Mr. Drew.”

Any time Bendy heard Joey’s name, he felt a twinge in his chest, he hated it.

“The cell’s always been in my office, for as long as I can remember. It’s like a little bit of motivation, you know?” She was smiling at whatever was behind the glass, the lights of the hall reflecting off of it, making it hard for Bendy to get a clear look. He didn’t like being short, made it hard to see some stuff.

“I wonder what it’s doing here.” Audrey frowned. “I bet Wilson brought it down here to taunt me or something.” She sighed and Bendy squeaked, reaching for the frame. “Oh, do you want to look?”

He nodded and she removed it from the wall. “Now, be careful, this was a gift to Mr. Drew from an old friend of his.”

Bendy nodded again and carefully took the frame from her, grinning as he finally got a look at what she had been staring at.

Oh.

It was an animation cell, there was no denying that, including a background to go along with it. The cell contained Boris, Alice, and Bendy himself, looking so happy as the trio walked down a path together.

There was writing down in the corner of the inner frame, protecting the cell and background.

The writing was clear, familiar.

Congratulations on your success! 

Your Best Pal,

H-

Hen-

Henry S-

Wait, he knew this name. Knows this name.

Why does-

Who am I now?

“Bendy?”

He could hear Audrey’s voice calling from somewhere far away, muffled by what sounded like rushing water ink in his head.

Alright Joey, I’m here...

A hand was on the frame, gently taking it from his own and he looked up, confused, alarmed. “Bendy, are you alright? Your eye is...”

Blinking, he touched at the side of his face, his fingertips came back coated in runny ink. 

Why did she call me Bendy?

What’s going-

He blinked again, rubbing at his leaking eye. Huh, Bendy frowned, confused as to what just happened. He looked up at Audrey, smiling at her, why was she looking concerned? 

“Right... should we get moving?” She asked, giving him an awkward smile.

He squeaked, his grin wide. He must have spaced out or something, he didn’t remember anything of what just happened. She put a framed image on the wall and took his hand, the two of them continuing down the hall. 

--

It’s not a trashboatprince au without Henry and/or Bendy having a weird eye.

[tinycoffeekoala]

(Do not judge strictly. This story was born in my head at the moment when I was playing BATDS I will be very glad of your opinion.)

"PLUSH HAPPINESS"

Once, there was a wolf in an ancient and abandoned studio. He lived in a very dangerous world. Survived on what he could find.

Traveling through the floors of the building and finding supplies for his survival, he was wary of the Ink Demon that was tracking his every move. This wolf's name is Boris and he is fighting with all his might for harsh survival and confrontation with the disgusting creatures he has met for each of his outings.

But the main fear for him was a twisted angel named Alice Angel, who tried to lure Boris into his certain demise. But he managed to escape.

Occasionally, he notices her dismembering the corpses of his clones. She does all this in order to become beautiful again.

To her, our Boris was the most "perfect" she had ever seen.

But the wolf didn 't give up and continued to hide from the mad angel. The wolf trials.

One day Boris, as usual, made another round of the studio floor. He often checked the small iron cabinets for useful supplies, he always came across: music records, scraps of posters and much more. But this time his find was not ordinary. Opening the locker door and examining it, Boris saw a plush toy. He had never found such a thing.

This was the property of heavenly toys.

It was a plush Bendy. Boris immediately took him with him and ran to the elevator.

Once in his safehouse, which was very safe and not criminal for any ink monster, Boris put all the collected things in a chest labeled "supplies". The fact is that the Ink Demon was Boris's best friend, whom he misses very much. He realized that his friend had gone berserk from imprisonment and now he was attacking everyone. Plush Bendy was just as cute as the usual Bendy whom Boris had known for a long time since the beginning of their friendship in the cartoon world.

After postponing some planned business in his safehouse, Boris took a plush Bendy and went to the table, after looking at the toy for a while, Boris hugged her. The moment he found it in the locker, he was damn happy to find it. Now our friendly wolf wanted to spend the whole day with a new plush friend.

He treated him like he was alive! He spooned him bacon soups, he read him books about good boys. He was very happy spending this amazing time with plush Bendy. He even danced with him to the music of a gramophone, he held a toy above his head, plush legs occasionally touched the tops of the wolf's ears. His favorite record "Swinging In Hellfire Follies" was playing there. Taking a short break from dancing, he put on "Thinking Of You", it was his other favorite tune.

This day was extremely fun for Boris, but it was also a little difficult, which is why Boris decided to take a nap on the hammock in his room. But before that, he took out an old camera from his chest under the hammock. He also found it in one of the lockers.

Returning back to the kitchen, he took a picture of himself and plush Bendy together. It was a very good photo.

Returning to his room, he continued to look at the photo.

Already lying on the hammock, Boris also took his friend with him, with whom he was very pleased to sleep. From this joy to the toy, he even slightly forgot about the demon who was always there.

But at this moment, he was trying not to think about it. He was thinking about what adventures would happen to him if he took his plush Bendy with him on an outing?

He would not let him go for a minute and always kept him with him.

Cuddling the plush Bendy to himself, our silent wolf cub fell asleep.

Waking up to strange sounds, Boris noticed that his soft plush friend was missing, which made him worry that he would not be able to find him. He started searching the room for its presence, he assumed that the toy just fell to the floor from the hammock. But she wasn't anywhere.

After leaving the room, he headed towards the sounds that were booming in the kitchen. Once there, Boris saw that the source of the noise was the Ink Demon himself, who had entered his safehouse and was ready to tear it apart. How was this possible? How did he even get here? But that wasn't what scared Boris anymore, he was scared that he saw the Ink Demon holding a plush Bendy in his hand. Boris immediately wanted to return it. He wasn't afraid to approach the demon.

In turn, the demon was not going to return the toy, he just raised his hand up so that the toy hung over both of them. Boris tried very hard to get a toy, he was upset that his plush friend was in the clutches of a monster.

Did the main evil of the studio invade the wolf's safehouse just to steal a toy?

At some point, the demon was tired of watching the wolf's pathetic attempts to get the toy back. He pushed Boris away from him and headed for the ink portal in the wall that appeared at that moment.

The portal is gone, including the demon.

It was a real grief for Boris, who lost his plushie friend, he was so upset about it that he even stopped leaving the shelter for a sortie in search of necessary supplies for survival.

Bitterly, he often started listening to another record "A Safe Place" it was not positive, but listening to it, Boris always felt sad.

But soon he returned to his formation and continued his story of dark survival. From that time on, he started checking every locker clean in order to find his friend. But he was nowhere to be found.

[mikamikacookie]

Here's some little poster thingy that I wanted to share about :

- This is a cutout and a (possibly) reference sheet of the boy, since I am suddenly motivated to draw again.. ^^

-Ele the demon was supposedly Bendy little brother in his own debut episode but was removed in 1938 and he became his own person.

-He was suggested by a young unknown Asian who wanted to have a clone like the little devil darlin’ himself to give a little more humor to the cartoons and lighten up their tones.

-I couldn’t think of a better plot in “Garden Galore!” but I’ll make up a summary of it later when I am finished drawing the poster.

-Ele is also debuted in solo shows during 1938, one year after his original debut, shows such as “Double, double, toil the trouble.” and “Younger brother Ele.” are the examples of his solo shows. But his popularity was short-lived due to the studio experiencing several issues regarding finances and so on.

-You probably knew about some of his likes and dislikes in one of my not-so-old posts regarding his headcanons, if you don’t, then you can check them out here.

(Black and white version!)

(A little warning though, do NOT repost without the artist's permission!)

[hamakochan375kj]

I think I love Alice Angel even more than before lol

Ok guys so, some of ya’ll don’t know this others do, but Alice is my whole time fav character of the saga since her reveal back in september of 2017, she was the first ever fictional character that I had a crush on when I was only 14 years old, I even cosplayed as her in 2018, but, back  in chapter 2 when Alice was revealed in her poster “Sent from Above” I wasn’t really interested in her character at all, I was meh with her, but OH BOY WAS I REALLY WRONG, when I saw her in chapter 3, I was instantly interested in her, and I fell for her, for me she was really cool, pretty (yes for she’s pretty so shut up XD), and hot ngl lol, I wish I had a photo of me cosplaying her, but unfortunately I don’t have it on the computer :’(, but, just so you guys know, there’s a photo of my 14 year old self dressed up as Alice lol. I love her so much, but now that BATDR came out two weeks ago, wow the game’s two weeks old already dang, it made me love her EVEN MORE than before :D. LONG LIVE ALICE! Also the letter that Allison wrote for her, is really wholesome, speceally when she writes “We’re like sisters” :’). Allison loved her and saw good in Alice after everything she did in BATIM...but the DAMM cycle had to continue and well, Alice suffered the same fate she suffered in BATIM...but if there’s a third Bendy game (it would be really cool honestly, but the post credit scene, in BATDR, hints that we’re gonna have a third game ;) ] I want Alice to come back, but I want her to have a happy ending and maybe have a redemption arc, imagine having Alice as an ally, an enemy shows up and BANG! She shoots it with her Tommy Gun >:D, pls, tell me that this wouldn’t be cool as hell to see? Cause I think that it would be ^u^. Anyways this is the end of my post, and of my rant about Alice Angel, thanks for reading, and see you all, in another post :3

[jase-is-ace]

Back into the Pit

Chapter 5: Quest for snacks

~~~

Bendy woke up to an empty nest, again. He looked down to see he had been…tucked in?

Oh, Twist probably left to hunt. She always gets up earlier. Well, at least she’s okay with him sleeping in her nest now. The demoness used to be very uptight about her personal space.

Bendy, wanting to get as much out of today as he could, sprung up and began to tidy up.

He started by cleaning up the empty bacon soup cans and throwing them in the garbage bin.

Then he moved on to the drawings he wasn’t very fond of. Unfinished doodles of the things he’s seen around the studio. He stumbled across a broom and attempted to sweep the floor. He wiped down the counters and tables with a wet rag.

He was quite the efficient little boy.

He went over to his drawing corner and sat at his little drawing table. Bendy would draw the very best artwork to decorate the den. Maybe whoever else comes across the den after they leave would appreciate the drawings as well.

Bendy smiled at the idea of a searcher admiring his work. Such a silly thought.

After a few drawings he hung them up next to the old posters.

Bendy liked those posters. Twist looked so happy in them, not tired. The little demon felt his smile drop a little. How Bendy wished he could help her be a little less tired.

Ah! He could go out and gather supplies by himself! That could work! She’ll be so proud!

So, it was decided. He brought some slugs and one of his dolls for emotional support.

He crawled out of the den and made his way down the long maze-like corridors of the studio. Making sure to put little marks like Twist had taught him, to not get lost.

The toon had managed to find a staircase that led to the upper levels. Bendy made his way up the creaking steps.

“Careful” he reminded himself. “Don’t want to get chased again.”

Bendy wasn’t sure what else to get, other than some bendy bars for himself since they had a successful hunt last week.

The little devil looked for a vending machine everywhere, maybe they were higher up?

Bendy returned to the staircase to venture further up.

The cartoon ascended the flight of stairs. Searching for a few more minutes before he FINALLY found a vending machine!

Depositing a few slugs into the machine, he opened the bottom hatch to retrieve his treats.

He grabbed them all, struggling to balance them and his doll, but he managed.

Excited to get back to the den he scurried off.

Upon his return, the hatch leading into the den flew open. Twist was there, seeming just as surprised as him.

They stared at one another for a good minute. Bendy noticed she was tense.

Finally, she sighed, all tension leaving her body.

Twist frowned at him, gesturing for him to get back inside. Bendy’s previous energy dwindled, and his smile dropped.

Once they were back inside, Twist took the treats from her companion and placed them on the table before facing him once again, arms crossed. Bendy was now worried.

Did he do something wrong? Was she going to hurt him now?

Twist exhaled again before gesturing with her hands, “You can’t leave here on your own.”

“Why?”

Twist paused. Then she signed.

“I do not want you to get lost or chased again.”

Bendy frowned.

“I didn’t get lost though, I put marks to help find my way back.” He signed. “Am I in trouble? Did I do bad?” he was scared she would be crossed, he never wanted to make her mad.

Twist took a deep breath, “Listen, I just don’t want you to get hurt. You might be seen as a threat and I can’t lose you right now, understand?”

This caught the toon off guard. She was worried about him?

“I’m sorry.” He signed quickly. Twist smiled, “It’s okay, I was just a little freaked out when I couldn’t find you that’s all.”

She paused, then signed again, “How about this: You can leave as long as you don’t go too far and as long as you leave a note before you go okay?”

Bendy hopped up and down excitedly and gave Twist a thumbs up.

“Wanna eat the bars I got?” he asked.

“Sure.”

~~~

Chapter 4 / Chapter 6

[beezonia]

Just had a very nice new au idea pop up in my head

Basically it’s sorta like the toontown au but mixed with bendy and the ink machine

Claire is the sort of Alice Angel in this (she gets to be a villain because I think she deserves that for once)

Clark and Brenda are sorta like borris and the other Alice

Hersh is somewhat similar to Henry but is not at the same time

Luke is sorta baby bendy

————

Basically Hershel stumbles upon this old studio (a studio where he used to work before his career shot off)

It’s extremely run down and most of the drawings are either destroyed or like barely surviving

But one, the one of his favourite toons he and his friend Randall created

Claire the angel.

She was everything a toon should be, a little zany but with a heart of gold her goal was to make everyone smile when they watched her on tv.

Until Randall decided to put her back in the drawers and never once did anyone hear about Claire the angel again.

No one never found out why Randall changed his mind, maybe it was the money and fame.

Until now, there in the studio he meets his old friends Clark and Brenda (somewhat half toons) who tell him that Claire had gone on a rampage after he had left dragging a half toonish Randall to the basement where she now resides

Along with an army of ink monsters who will kill on sight

There he notices that most of the posters of his toons are pretty much destroyed or just singed and have been replaced by Claire’s posters

She’s become obsessed with her looks and being number one and has now become what Brenda and Clark call the ink demon

A shell of the toon they once knew and loved.

It’s up to them and other lost toons to destroy her power or succumb to the ink themselves.

——————-

I guess you could say this is like a mix of a Epic mickey/bendy and the ink machine au style thing

Idk I just think it would be neat honestly!

Also if you want a song for this au search up gospel of dismay by Oro3o!

[saudimains]

Bendy and the ink machine alice angel shirt

#BENDY AND THE INK MACHINE ALICE ANGEL SHIRT SKIN#

" Oh! You've been waiting for me?" Stuart smiles as his face feminizes and his lips puffer up, gaining black lipstick and his pupils became more Pac-man like and were growing bigger and bigger. " Been gone too long and this place could use a female touch." Stuart's brown hair began to darken into a black as it grew longer reaching his large hips. " I love you all but sometimes, but you boys are way too much." Stuart taps his foot shaking his rising hips as he sang. His glasses seemed to hover over his head as they glew before Stuart began to sang. He removes the glasses off his face before tossing them up. He opens it as he taps his feet, his red and white sneakers becoming black heels with gold rings on them as music came on. He stands up and sees a notebook with the title " Angel of the Stage Lyrics" on it. Stuart notices a microphone in front of him as a strange urge came to him.

#BENDY AND THE INK MACHINE ALICE ANGEL SHIRT SKIN#

His rough skin began to soften as his acne pops, his arms and legs began to slim as his feet and hands became dainty and cute. He laughs a little, hallucinating as his skin began to become a greyish-pale. The fumes from the ink seemed to be making him hallucinate, as it seems like his hands were wearing white cartoonish gloves and one of his fingers gone which gave him only four fingers for each hands. He stumbles around for a bit reaching the recording room before collapsing. The fumes from the ink made Stuart a bit dizzy, making him stumble. This only caused some of the ink to get on his clothes and other hand. "Ugh, what is this ink made from, Sharpies?" Stuart jokingly says as he continued to wipe the ink. " Bendy in: Sent from Above, ft.ing Alice Angel" That was what it read as Stuart tears it down to wipe off the ink.īut strangely, as he did the ink didn't come off his hand. He stands back up and walked over to a poster. The ink felt cold, as if it had been just made or something. " This is probably a stupid idea." He thought as he sticks his hand in the ink. He kneels down to examine the black substance leaking out of the machine's nozzle. Was he really in Bendy and the Ink Machine he wonders as he approached the machine. He begins to think it was as he saw a giant machine. " Strange.This looks like the workshop from Bendy and the Ink Machine." He thinks whilst walking around. "Where in the hell am I?" Stuart mutters as he looked around. The 19 year old ex-college student woke up in a strange area that looked so familiar. "W.What's happening.?" He manages to say before passing out. Suddenly, Stuart felt woozy as the computer shuts off. "Could this be real.?"He thought to himself as he clicks on it. "Chapter three?!" He yells as he points the computer's arrow on the button. The "Select Chapter" buttons had been updated, and he gasps at what he saw. That was when he noticed something was different. His computer started up the game as he waited patiently. "Might as well play it again." He says clicking on the game's icon. The game currently had two chapters, but Stuart didn't mind as he mostly liked the second chapter. One game he liked the most was a game called "Bendy and the Ink Machine", an episodic horror game released on Gamejolt. So in the meanwhile, he played some games on his Ds and computer. His friends from college had all achieved the jobs they wanted, while he didn't get the dream job he wanted which was animator. It was a long and boring day in the home of Stuart.Įvery since he completed college, his life had been completely boring.

[yes-i-have-thoughts]

DAY 2: PRIZE

TRADE OFFER I get: your Boris (to stay beautiful) You get: Nothing. Die.

[sillyheadcannons]

I GAVE YOU A COSMIC BROWNIE , MY SON AND YOU BETRAY ME LIKE THIS, BENDY?

Admin Lei while playing BATIM 

[witcherslittledove]

Home is Where the Heart Is

A Joey/Henry lockdown fic - AO3

Rated: T

Words: 7k ish

CW: RPF, covid, far too much pining?

_______

“I’m sorry, Joey,” Madeleine sighed again, pressing her head into the crook of Joey’s neck, her hair tickling his cheek.

It was pulled back into a messy bun, flyaway strands surrounding her face in a halo, and as the sun shone from behind her, she looked like some kind of angel. Joey wondered, not for the first time, how he’d even been so lucky to have Madeleine as a friend. She truly was a wonder, his favourite person and light of his life. Everyone should have a friend like Madeleine Hyland.

He laughed and pressed a kiss to her temple as he pulled back from her embrace. “Nah, it’s alright, Madeleine. Your parents need you, much more important than little old me.”

“Oh fuck that, you bastard, stop fishing for compliments,” she laughed, swatting him on the arm.

“Aww,” he pouted, “Oi!”

She’d hit his arm again, barely a tap but he pretended it hurt, rubbing his arm and pouting even harder at his friend.

“Come off it, Joey. You’re staying with Henry for the rest of lockdown, that’s hardly a trial,” she teased, poking him in the chest.

Ah yes.

Henry.

The bane of Joey’s existence, mostly because of the fucking ginormous crush he had on his co-star. He hadn’t known Henry had been signed on for Geralt until his audition, really he hadn’t known much at all, just that he’d be auditioning for a bard and that he should probably take his lute to the audition. A spur of the moment decision that had turned his life upside down. He’d gone from a nobody to... well, not exactly famous but people had started to recognise him, much to his despair.

And then there was Henry.

He’d been admiring Henry from a distance for a few years now, watching him in the Tudors had sort of been Joey’s bisexual awakening, and then he’d suddenly been thrust into the most bizarre experience of having to work fairly closely with the man.

Joey would never forget the feeling of Henry throwing him over his shoulder as if he wasn’t almost the same size as Henry.

Fuck, that had been hot.

And now, Joey had to cohabit with said crush for an indeterminate amount of time, preferably without making a fool of himself.

He was doomed.

Of course, he could have said no when Henry had offered his place when Joey was grumbling about being alone during lockdown after Madeleine's parents got sick, but no… Henry had stared at him with such shining hope in his eyes that Joey never stood a chance.

Joey just needed to keep reminding himself that Henry was straight. He was practically the poster boy for heteronormative; classically gorgeous, action star, gymrat, lover of sports and building fucking computers.

Okay, maybe Joey was generalising a tad, but it was a form of self-defence.

Christ, the mere thought that Henry could be interested in men… interested in him.

It was too much.

So here he was, saying goodbye to his best friend whilst waiting for his biggest crush to pick him up. Madeleine bundled into her car with the last of her bags, and Joey was left waiting on the pavement. In all honesty, he would have preferred to drive to Henry’s place himself or at least get the tube, something where he felt like he was actively doing something. The waiting was killing him, making his thoughts run out of control. Maybe he shouldn’t have packed his guitar. He could have at least been tuning it, or plucking out some meaningless melody, anything to keep his hands busy and his mind distracted.

When the black car pulled up, Joey let out a sigh of relief before realising that it was very much frying pan, fire. Luckily, before he could really start to panic, the back door opened and Joey was almost bowled off his feet by a large bundle of fur that Henry claimed was a dog and not, in fact, a bear.

“Kal!” Joey greeted warmly, burying his fingers into Kal’s neverending fur, and letting the dog lick all over his face.

“He’s missed you,” Henry called in lieu of a greeting.

He was wearing a grey henley that looked like it was two sizes too small and his dark blue jeans seemed to strain against his quads. Henry’s arms were crossed in front of his chest and he looked down at Joey with a blinding Hollywood smile that made Joey’s heart flutter. Dark curls seemed to have finally recovered from the weeks stuck under Geralt’s wig and they fell in front of his so very blue eyes.

He was bloody gorgeous, and it wasn’t fucking fair.

So Joey did the only logical thing, and started to coo at Kal instead. “I’ve missed him too,” he trilled happily into the dog’s fur, scratching Kal behind his ears. “Such a good boy! The bestest, cutest doggo.”

“He’s not the only one who’s missed you, you know,” Henry groused, although when Joey looked up, he was still smiling so Joey didn’t feel too bad for paying far more attention to Kal than the gorgeous specimen of a man that is Henry Cavill.

“Aww, you sap,” he chuckled. “Well, I still haven’t forgiven you for those cruel and terrible words you cursed me with the last time we met.”

It wasn’t the last time they’d met. They’d had a few scenes after the argument in episode six. Scheduling had meant that it wasn’t filmed entirely in order, and then there had been reshoots and post-production parties, premieres and the table reads for season two, but it was a sort of in-joke. Joey liked to tease Henry about the argument, they’d both lurked enough online to know that ‘the mountain’ was a big fucking deal to the fans of their characters.

Henry rolled his eyes and opened his arms out for a hug which Joey eagerly returned, inhaling the soft musky cologne that Henry wore and enjoying the strongs arms that wrapped around him. He loved hugs, but most of Joey’s male friends would do that god awful hug and pat thing, then pull away too soon. Henry had never been like that and it was delightful, even if it really didn’t help the not so little crush that Joey had on the man.

It was cliche but it really did feel like coming home.

Fuck.

He was utterly screwed… and not even in the fun way.

The drive to Henry’s place was quiet, Joey spent most of the time watching the streets of London roll past as they weaved through bendy roads that webbed across the city. The traffic was weirdly non-existent, a side effect of a global pandemic, and he couldn’t help but be reminded of the ghost towns from films and books.

It was truly haunting, spooky in just the right way. Horror and the Wild had very much had woodland magic vibes, but driving through the dead streets of London, Joey wondered what happened to the fae when a city sprung up near their home. Did they adapt like the wildlife did? Urban spirits that lurked in the shadows, in the alleys, behind the bins and cobbled streets at the back of theatres.

Most theatres were supposed to be haunted, Joey had always wondered just who the spirits were that glided through the aisles when the shows went dark.

Henry didn’t feel the need to fill the silence which Joey was grateful for. On set, with Jaskier on his fingertips, Joey was happy to joke about and laugh and banter, but he was nervous about the move to Henry’s and the silence gave him time to get lost in his own imagination, a reality that wasn’t quite the one they knew.

He was almost disappointed when the car pulled to a stop in front of a rather grand house. It was part of a terrace but that was unsurprising, most places in London were, but it was much nicer than the shitty little flat that Joey shared with Madeleine.

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.

They were poles apart. Even being friends was unrealistic. How the hell was Joey supposed to even pretend they were in the same league? It was fine. Everything was going to be fine. Joey just had to be a perfect house guest, no clumsy mistakes, no setting fire to any ovens, and no slipping in the shower and messing up his ankle.

He’d just have to spend all his time with Kal lest Henry find out just how much of a walking disaster he could be.

Henry had only offered because he was a caregiver, selfless and kind in everything he did. He would have done the same to anyone else if they’d mentioned spending lockdown alone. Joey was just the lucky one.

Or unlucky.

He hadn’t quite decided yet.

Yes, he would just have to spend his days with Kal and his guitar, stay out of Henry’s way and then everything would be fine.

Right?

___

Joey’s plan went according to plan for almost an entire week. He mostly kept to his room and occasionally the living room. Henry wanted to show Joey some films he liked and it would have been rude to say no, so Joey curled up with Kal on the floor to keep some space between them. That way he wouldn’t be tempted to snuggle up against Henry’s chest the same way he did with Madeleine, only it wouldn’t be the same because Madeleine was his best friend and Henry was… well… Henry.

It was such a mess.

And he was probably being an arse.

They’d gotten along so well on set in between takes, but now, without Jaskier there as a crutch, Joey’s anxiety was getting the better of him, and all because of a stupid crush. This would all be a lot easier if Joey were straight; no awkward crushes, no pining for a man he couldn’t have, no… whatever this was?

He could flirt and tease and banter just like he would with any of his friends because it was harmless.

If only.

No.

He had to do better. The reason Henry had invited him to stay was so neither of them would be alone, and despite all his cuddles with Kal, Joey was really starting to feel touch starved. He’d never gone so long without human touch.

The problem was that Henry was just so fucking sweet. He was so bloody understanding that it made Joey just yearn even harder. There was never any pressure to hang out, just gentle suggestions, and the most amazing home-cooked meals that Henry said could be heated up another time if Joey wasn’t hungry. The wine Henry picked out to go with the meal was heavenly, and fuck, the man could cook.

He felt like he was being seduced; wooed with the most gorgeous culinary delights that were truly to die for.

What was a poor bisexual to do?

So every evening Joey would sit across from Henry at the table, trying to joke and laugh just as they had before, but even to his own ears it felt flat. Madeleine’s voice in his head reminded him that that was probably his anxiety speaking but, of course, he ignored it. They ate their food and then Joey would either retreat to his room with his beloved guitar or Henry would suggest a film.

Until Henry decided enough was enough.

Joey was lured from his room with the sweet delicious smell of pizza, and when he came down the stairs he found Henry already on the couch, two boxes of pizza and a couple of beers already opened and ready to go.

There was no sitting on the floor, not with pizza and a Kal. Joey wouldn’t get to taste the greasy wonders of his takeaway if he sat on the floor, and the pizza box was already being guarded by Henry on the couch.

He had to break his rule.

Fuck.

“Kitchen table not good enough?” he teased with a quirk of his lips.

Henry scoffed. “Who eats pizza at the table?”

It was a fair point and sighed, resigning himself to an evening pressed up against his friend when his cuddle instincts got too much. Maybe it wouldn’t be a bad thing, maybe it would help get him out of his head and into the moment… maybe he should just let Jaskier out of the box and pretend that all was fine?

No.

He could do this. Just… be himself?

“Before I open this box, there is one very important question I have to ask,” he said far too seriously, barely able to hide a smile as he scooped the pizza box into his lap and sat down next to Henry, keeping a safe distance between them.

“There’s no pineapple.”

“Oh thank fuck for that,” Joey laughed and opened the box. It was a standard pepperoni pizza, not his go to, but it was a safe option and one that was always yummy regardless of the restaurant. “Garlic dip?” he asked with a cock of his head.

“Damn, I hoped you wouldn’t like it,” Henry grumbled and pulled a small green topped tub from inside his own box.

“You!” Joey said in mock outrage, “keeping the beloved dip from me. It’s like the mountain all over again.”

“It’s not like the mountain,” Henry grumbled. “I didn’t make the script, you can’t keep blaming me for that.”

Joey’s heart sank as he wondered if he’d taken the joke too far, but when he met Henry’s gaze he saw the man was smiling despite his grousing. “I can,” he insisted.

“Hmm,” Henry replied in his most Geralt-y voice.

And with an internal sigh of relief, everything seemed to be okay. Yes, Joey was pulling some of his energy from his beloved character, but so was Henry, and it seemed to smooth out the edges of his anxiety. The beer helped and everything seemed a lot more relaxed with the takeaway pizza and the film already starting to play on the TV.

“I’m sorry,” Henry whispered after the pizza was finished and the credits had started to roll.

Joey’s head was resting on his friend’s shoulder but he’d managed to keep himself from koala hugging… so far. The vulnerability caught his attention though, and he sat up wearily to peer at Henry.

“For what?”

“I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable by inviting you here.”

Joey wanted to swear, to stomp around the room and tear the place upside down. He’d fucked up. He knew he’d fucked up, his damn anxiety keeping him from being the person he wanted to be, the person he knew he could be if his head just shut up! He didn’t do any of that though. Instead, he slumped back down to lean against Henry and took a deep breath.

“You didn’t make me uncomfortable.”

“I didn’t?”

“No. I’m just- it’s hard for me, being somewhere new,” not a lie, not entirely the truth, “and I didn’t want to encroach on your space. This is your home, and I- umm- I didn’t want to get in the way.”

Henry laughed, running a hand through his hair, pushing the curls back off his face, and Joey was entranced for a moment, wanting to reach out and feel the soft hair between his fingers for himself. It was a miracle that he managed to keep his hands in his own lap.

“Joey, this is our home, for now at least,” Henry said with such conviction and warmth that Joey made a sort of strangled noise in the back of his throat.

“Our home?”

“We have no idea how long this nightmare is going to last. It could be months, Joey. I want you to feel like you can relax here,” Henry insisted, wrapping his arm around Joey’s shoulder and pulling him into a sideways hug.

“Right- yeah, no, I know,” Joey mumbled, trying and failing not to blush.

Now that Henry wasn’t really having to watch what he ate and stay dehydrated for dear old Geralt, he was big.

And Joey was weak.

It was like all his wet dreams were becoming a reality, one by one.

He was just monkey-braining over the fact that Henry was one big, large, strong man that wanted to take care of him. It was pathetic. Joey wasn’t exactly small himself, and he could, should the role require it, hold up pretty well in a sword fight with Henry and not look entirely ridiculous.

“And I know Kal is very cute,” Henry teased, nodding to the dog who was sprawled on the carpet in front of them, “but if you ever need a hug, he’s not your only option.”

Joey definitely didn’t squeak this time. Instead, he finally let himself snuggle up to Henry the way he’d been wanting to all evening, every evening since he’d arrived. “Like this?” he teased.

Henry chuckled, and just squeezed his arms tighter around Joey, “Exactly.”

“I’m sorry,” Joey mumbled. “I was being an arse.”

“No, it’s not your fault.”

Joey scoffed.

“I should have been clearer on day one,” Henry sighed, “although seeing as you live here now, maybe you should cook?”

Joey laughed nervously, burying his face into Henry’s jumper. “Neither of us want that,” he muttered. “Trust me.”

“I’ll help?” Henry suggested, which of course brought forth a dozen images of cooking together, dancing in the kitchen to whatever songs fell past Joey’s lips, lazy early morning kisses as they waited for the coffee.

He swallowed, blinking away the fantasies. “How about you cook, and I’ll help?”

“Lazy,” Henry said with a chuckle but just pulled Joey closer.

“Only trying to keep you safe, darling.”

Darling.

Fuck.

“I mean, Henry, sorry, slip of the tongue. I mean- fuck. I call Madeleine darling all the time?”

“Joey, it's okay,” Henry reassured him.

“Okay.”

“Okay.”

With a sigh, Joey untangled himself from Henry’s arms and gathered up the pizza boxes and empty beer cans. Booping Kal on the nose as he went past, he busied himself with clearing up. It wasn’t much and didn’t take long, so sooner than he would have liked he poked his head back around the door.

Henry was sitting on the floor, rough-housing Kal, chuckling as the dog kept licking at his face. The sight made Joey smile softly, and he almost didn’t want to leave, but he was getting tired and he really didn’t want to slip up again. He couldn’t blame every mistake on Madeleine. It wouldn’t be fair to her.

“I’m going to bed,” he mumbled, scratching the back of his hair. “See you tomorrow, Henry.”

_______

After that, things started to get easier. Joey would flop down onto the sofa next to Henry in the evenings regardless of what they were doing. Sometimes he’d lie with his head in Henry’s lap whilst they both read a book, other times he’d pluck at his guitar and laugh over stupid limericks that he could make up about his co-star. True to his word, Henry made Joey start helping with mealtimes, although he soon regretted that decision but refused to back down. The food still tasted good but the presentation was lacking. They spent an afternoon trying to bake bread together… Joey’s did not turn out so well and Henry’s attempt was thankfully less than perfect but still edible. The little flaws made Joey feel a little less inferior, and made Henry seem all the more human.

Kal still got a lot of Joey’s attention. How could he not? He was just so fluffy and adorable, plus Joey loved the little pout that Henry did whenever Kal got more hugs than he did. Joey could pretend that his friend was jealous, and that just helped him sleep a little easier at night.

Cuddling on the couch had become their usual routine, and it settled something deep inside of Joey that had been becoming restless. Mornings were spent watching Henry workout. Joey joined in occasionally but usually he would just cheer Henry on from the sidelines sipping his cup of tea. It was a sight to behold, and Joey thanked the lord that the gyms were currently closed otherwise he would never have been allowed to enjoy the view.

Henry’s arse was truly spectacular.

Despite his morning workouts, Henry had definitely gained a rather lovely layer of fat over his previously tightly toned muscles. He looked stronger. He looked cuddlier. Joey’s crush was only getting worse by the day, wanting to run his hands over the broad muscles of Henry’s back, thighs, arms… wherever he was allowed, but he just settled for the cuddling each day.

Joey tried not to think about the fat building over his own stomach and filling out his cheeks, barely noticeable unless you’d had a lifetime of his mother breathing down his neck about his weight. He was cuddlier too, that’s what he told himself whenever the familiar buzz of anxiety started to build up.

And anyway, Henry didn’t seem to mind.

Kal certainly didn’t. The beast of a dog had started to share the sofa with them in the evenings, squishing between them for maximum cuddle potential until eventually he got bored and retreated back to the floor.

It was really starting to feel like home. There were signs of Joey around the house, sheet music left on the TV cabinet, a set of spare lute strings in the kitchen, the bastard instrument tucked away in the corner of the living room until Joey could bring himself to pick it up. Two sets of keys now hung up by the front door so they could both take turns walking Kal without having to worry about getting locked out if the other was busy. A fluffy worn blanket was now strewn over the big armchair where Joey liked to sit during the day. Even the fridge now stocked Joey’s favourite rosé wine.

All in all, Joey wasn’t hating lockdown. It was frustrating but he enjoyed being inside anyway, and well, the company was pretty great.

The two of them were curled up on the sofa watching the Great British Bake Off on netflix, gin and tonics flowing a little too freely, and Joey felt like he was on top of the world. He had the best cuddler in all of England, nay, the world, a big fluffy puppy to boot and some bloody brilliant booze in hand.

The best thing was that Henry’s hoody had shifted up at some point during the evening, and Joey couldn’t take his eyes off the soft but defined muscles that were often hidden under Henry’s clothes. The dark hair that dipped beneath the exposed band of Henry’s boxers was tantalizing, and Joey longed to reach out and touch…

Only he was drunk enough that his inside thoughts had his hand moving before he could realise, landing on Henry’s stomach.

He froze and stared up at his friend with wide eyes.

“Oops,” he slurred.

“That’s my stomach,” Henry pointed out.

And still Joey didn’t remove his hand, relishing the bare skin beneath his fingertips, but he knew he needed an excuse, so he did the only logical thing and launched his attack. Henry was stronger than him, but Joey had the element of surprise as he tickled his friend, fingers dancing across the exposed skin as Henry desperately tried to shove Joey away. They were both laughing, too busy pushing and pulling at each other, that neither of them quite registered that at some point in the tussle, Joey had straddled Henry’s waist in an attempt to keep him pinned down.

Until suddenly their lips were barely a breath apart.

Oh.

“Hi,” Joey mumbled, smiling coyly down at Henry, the longer strands of his fringe falling into his eyes.

“Hi.”

It wouldn’t take much to lean down and kiss him, maybe Henry would even reach up first. There was no denying the sudden pull between them, and god, Joey wanted it. He’d wanted it for so long now.

So close.

The warmth of Henry’s breath brushing against his lips.

Eyes closed.

Hearts racing.

A soft whisper of a moan.

And then a bark rang out in the room, startling Joey and shattering the moment. He cursed as he fell to the floor, the world spinning from the gin and giddy burst of adrenaline. Kal jumped up into Henry’s lap, barking and whining excitedly at his owner, checking that he was okay following Joey’s tyrannical tickle attack.

Joey felt like an ice bucket had been dumped over his head, feeling far too sober, far too fast.

He’d almost kissed Henry.

He’d almost kissed Henry.

Fuck!

“Right,” he slurred as he pushed his hands back through his hair- too long, needed a haircut. “Bedtime, sleep. Yup.”

“Joey?”

“See you in the morning?” he mumbled, although glancing at the clock, he wondered if that was a little optimistic. “Tomorrow,” he amended.

“Tomorrow,” Henry agreed, looking a little disappointed.

Joey refused to think about it. He wouldn’t start to hope. It would hurt too much if this all went wrong.

______

They didn’t talk about it.

Or rather, Joey, didn’t talk about it.

Henry tried to bring it up the next morning but Joey just laughed it off before his heart could get torn to pieces. He didn’t need confirmation that his crush was a no go. He already knew, but he really didn’t need to hear the words. Not to mention his hangover was an utter bitch and all he wanted to do was crawl back into bed and feel sorry for himself, which is exactly what he did.

After a few days, or was it weeks, months, years? Time seemed to stop existing, all Joey knew was his clothes seemed to be tighter than before and he was in desperate need of a haircut, but after a lockdown-eque period of time, all was forgotten. They fell back into their usual routine, and Joey’s crush continued to simmer just below the surface, unnoticed by Henry.

He’d started to facetime Madeleine most evenings just before bed now that the novelty of living with a bloody filmstar had worn off. He missed her terribly and she seemed to be going crazy at her parent’s house. There was a twinge of guilt stabbing in his chest when he realised he’d all but forgotten about her the first few weeks of lockdown, but it was nice to catch up with her again.

Henry was brilliant, but he was no Madeleine Hyland. He wasn’t Joey’s best friend.

And sometimes Joey just needed to vent about Henry’s stranger habits. Like seriously, why wass there that weird sponsored water just stationed around the house? And what was with the weirdly staged selfies on instagram. It made Joey feel a whole lot better about his own lack of media presence. He’d rather be a mystery online than this boomer energy than Henry had going on.

Venting to Madeleine helped too, he got less frustrated about the shit hole that was life during a pandemic. A little less angry, a little less depressed, and a little less pathetic with his pining over Henry, although Madeleine would probably disagree.

She was probably right.

The sudden cold turn in the weather hadn’t helped. It wasn’t too bad but Joey had mostly brought summer clothes with him because he honestly hadn’t thought he’d be staying more than a couple of weeks. Thankfully he’d thrown in a couple of onesies for comfort reasons so he spent most his days dressed like a tiger and hoping that Henry would find it endearing. The best part was his onesies were a bit looser and fit him more comfortably than his normal clothes. A lockdown diet was brilliant, but not exactly what he’d had in mind when he’d gone shopping all those years ago.

What he hadn’t expected, was for Henry to rock up to dinner wearing the stupid bunny onesie that Joey had left in his room.

“There,” Henry greeted him with a broad smile, “Now we match.”

It wasn’t fair. Joey wanted to kiss him so badly. The white onesie was a little short on Henry, pulling up just above his ankles, and it still managed to stretch at his shoulders, but it was so fucking adorable and Joey could pin point the exact moment his crush tumbled over the edge into love.

It was the crinkles at the corner of Henry’s eyes as he smiled, the slight tilt of his head, the sparkle in his ocean blue eyes.

Except they weren’t just blue. No, there were specks of golden brown in one eye, that were just captivating. Joey felt like he could so easily get lost in Henry. Every time he looked at the man he found something new and exciting.

“Darling, you look adorable!” he cooed, before he could get too distracted by the fluttering of his own heart. “Very cuddly.”

Henry chuckled and opened his arms wide, allowing Joey to barrel into them. “That was the idea.”

“So, what’s for dinner?” he asked, hoping that Henry would have forgotten that-

“It’s your turn to cook.”

“Bugger,” Joey whined. “Cheesy pasta?”

“You made that last time,” Henry teased.

“I’m very good at carbonara!” Joey countered.

“Melted cheese on pasta isn’t carbonara.”

Joey scoffed. “Eh, close enough.”

“Fine, make your cheesy pasta.”

“Carbonara,” Joey said with a wink. “I’ll add bacon this time.”

The pasta was overcooked and the bacon was a little chewy, but it was dinner, and afterwards Henry made them both extravagant hot chocolates made from actual chocolate rather than powder shit that Joey used. It was covered in whipped cream and marshmallows and had a healthy amount of Baileys to top it off. They curled up on their usual spot on the sofa, buried under blankets and held the warm mugs close to their chests.

If it had been snowing, then Joey would have thought he’d walked into a Christmas film, all it needed was a fireplace and some fairy lights. It was cosy and warm, and a little bit romantic, or it would be if Henry was interested in men and Joey was his type.

No, he couldn’t think like that.

They were friends, good friends, good friends that liked to cuddle and almost kiss if the dog hadn’t interrupted.

It was fine.

Everything was fine.

He took a long gulp of his hot chocolate to stave off his anxiety, not noticing when his nose dived straight into the whipped cream until he looked up to find Henry staring at him with a fond expression. Warmth flooded through Joey’s chest as he returned the smile, feeling high on love and sugar.

“Hi,” he breathed, sounding as love sick as he felt.

Henry’s smile brightened, filling the whole room with light and Joey could have sworn he could hear the swell of violins in the soundtrack of his life.

“Hi,” Henry replied easily as if he hadn’t stolen Joey’s breath, heart and soul. “You- umm, cream, here!”

Henry tapped his own nose.

“Oh cock!” Joey hurried to wipe his nose, almost spilling his hot chocolate in the process, “Fuck! Bugger, shit balls!”

Henry, the bastard, just laughed, his arms reaching out to steady the mug and stop Joey from falling to the ground. “I think you made it worse.”

Joey snorted “I got that, yup, thanks.”

This time he could feel the sticky sweet cream clinging to his cheek, the subtle taste of vanilla on his lips. He pouted up at Henry, gazing through his eyelashes in a way that he hoped could be played off as friendly, but also maybe a little bit seductive. His tongue flicked out to lick his lips and he barely resisted the urge to wink.

Maybe there had been more Bailey’s in his drink than he realised.

Instead, he just wiped his face and snuggled back up to Henry, pulling the blanket up to his chin. They settled on watching Always Sunny, so Joey didn’t really have to concentrate. He let the tension drain from his body as he listened to the familiar TV show and then closed his eyes. Warm, happy and wrapped up in the arms of the man he loved-

Joey fell asleep.

He didn’t notice the way Henry was staring down at him as if he hung the fucking moon and stars, or the inner turmoil his friend was plague with as Henry resisted leaning down to kiss Joey in his sleep.

No, Joey was blissfully ignorant, sleeping better than he had in weeks.

________

The rest of lockdown went by in a blur. Their routine started to seem normal and any doubts Joey had about spending so much time with Henry faded away. They bantered easily like they had on set, laughing and giggling over whatever stupid thing one of them had said. Henry would spend hours playing his video games whilst Joey zoomed Madeleine to work on their new album together. When the regulations relaxed they started to walk Kal together, enjoying the quiet summer days and fresh air. The cuddling never really stopped, and some mornings Joey would wake up still curled up against Henry’s chest, their limbs tangled from the night before.

Those were Joey’s favourite mornings. He’d be stiff all day from sleeping on the couch but he could pretend, for just a few moments, that things were more than they were.

The pining never went away but it was truly the sweetest torture that he’d ever had to endure. The domestic bliss being barely a step away from everything he craved.

And when the time came for Joey to return to his flat with Madeleine, he felt like shit. He didn’t want to go. He wanted to stay in the strange fantasy world he had with Henry, eating too much food and drinking too much wine, cuddling and watching crappy Netflix shows.

Which was why he was sat, staring at a messy pile of clothes on his bed, clothes he’d not worn in weeks. Over the chair were his onesies and a collection of jumpers and hoodies that he’d stolen from Henry over the last few months and weeks. Kal stared up at him from the floor, tail thumping against the carpet.

Joey sighed and ran his hand through his hair, trying desperately to ignore the ache in his chest that was growing more painful with everything second that passed. “I don’t know, Kal. I should be happy about going home.”

Kal didn’t respond, his tail still wagging away just like it always did whenever Joey paid attention to him.

“I miss Madeleine, of course I do, but living with Henry has been great. And you, I love you, big fluffy puppy!” He cooed with a big smile as Kal barked happily and jumped up onto the bed. Joey laughed as he tried to keep his face away from the attack, wrapping his arms around Kal’s neck and pressing his nose into the fur.

“If I tell him how I feel that’s just going to make season two really really awkward, but I just feel like I’m missing a chance, you know?”

If Kal knew, he either didn’t care or just enjoyed watching Joey suffer. There was no reply and Kal just rested his head in Joey’s lap.

“Yeah, right,” he muttered, still running his fingers through Kal’s fur. “You’re no use.”

Kal snorted at that and Joey rolled his eyes.

“But I love you anyway, yes I do!”

“Ready to go?” Henry asked from the door.

“Shit!” Joey yelped. “How long have you been standing there?!”

Henry chuckled, striding into the room and perching on the bed opposite Joey. He reached out to scratch Kal on the head with a dazzling smile. Joey felt his cheeks warm up and he buried his face in Kal’s fur to hide the blush. So many months and he still couldn’t stop his heart from racing whenever Henry smiled. He was pathetic.

And he was running out of time.

He knew it was a bad idea, even entertaining the thought of dating a co-star, but he’d regret it if he didn’t give it a shot. I mean he could always blame the mixed signals if it went wrong. They’d nearly kissed twice and Joey didn’t even cuddle Madeleine as much as he’d cuddled Henry. They were probably the only people that were less touch-starved during the lockdown than before.

So Joey was going to tell him.

Just three words.

He could do that.

Fuck!

He couldn’t do that.

“Joey?” Henry said, reaching out to squeeze Joey’s shoulder.

Joey blinked. Had Henry been talking to him? He’d asked a question so that would make sense. God, his anxiety had gone through the roof, it was like that first day all over again.

“Need to pack,” he mumbled, gesturing at his clothes.

Henry let out a long and heavy sigh, sounding just as thrilled about the idea as Joey did. “I suppose you do, yeah. When is Madeleine due over?”

Joey hummed, glancing at his watch. “Ten minutes ago. Lockdown traffic must be a thing of the past.”

“Pity.”

“Yeah.”

“Yeah,” Henry sighed.

Neither of them moved, both staring glumly at Kal who was happily nestled between them. It was strange but Joey had almost begun to think of Kal as his, theirs. Their home, their life, their dog. He would miss Kal very much.

He would miss Henry even more.

“Do you have a start date yet?” Joey asked, the restrictions were lifting and there were talks about getting back to work again, but it was all up in the air.

Henry shook his head. “Should be getting a call from my agent some time this week. I need to make sure my other projects can work around the schedule.”

Joey smirked, “Or my dear witcher will have a new face next time we meet,” he teased.

Henry scoffed. “Not a chance, you’re stuck with me, bard.”

“You still owe me an apology,” Joey shot back, not quite realising how close they’d gotten during their mock argument.

He swallowed and licked his lips, one hand reaching up to scratch the stubble on his cheek. His face was burning right up to the tips of his ears, his heart thumping in his chest. There was a spark of electricity crackling between them, the scent of coffee lingering on Henry’s breath.

“I’ll make it up to you,” Henry promised, voice hoarse and low, making heat spread through Joey’s body and the world around them seemed to disappear.

“Oh yeah?”

“Yeah,” Henry breathed, the words shaky.

Joey longed to reach out and brush his fingertips along the strong line of Henry’s jaw, to feel the scratch of stubble beneath his skin. He longed to tangle his hands in the dark mess of curls, to see if they were really as soft as they looked. It felt as if there was a magnetic force pulling them closer, a string tying their souls together, binding them as one. Joey couldn’t ignore even if he wanted to, and he was over that. He couldn’t live inside his head any longer, not when there was a chance.

Hope.

Deadly, poisoning his very soul, until he could think of nothing except Henry’s lips on his, hands roaming bodies, pulling at hair, unable to resist the promised pleasures of sin. Tongues tangling. Hearts singing. One breath shared between two. Heat. Lust. Love.

Just Henry.

His love.

Joey closed his eyes and pressed his forehead against Henry’s, their lips barely ghosting over each other, you really couldn’t call it a kiss; not yet. One more breath, a millimetre to close the gap.

A horn honked from outside and they pulled apart before they could cross the bridge, past the point of no return.

Joey let out a slightly manic laugh and ran his hands through his hair, whilst Henry went back to stroking Kal as he cleared his throat.

“Bollocks, I still haven’t packed.”

“I’ll invite Madeleine in for some tea,” Henry chuckled, stretching as he stood up.

Kal barked happily and jumped down, wagging his tail as he sniffed at Henry’s socks.

And Joey was left alone once more.

“Fuck!” he groaned, covering his face as he flopped back onto his pillows.

By the time he finished packing, Madeleine and Henry were laughing away in the kitchen like old friends.

Like Joey and Henry had so many times.

He wasn’t special. Henry was just that guy.

Hope.

Dangerous and lethal, stabbing into the heart and tearing the soul apart.

“Ready,” Joey mumbled, holding up his suitcase and guitar. “Might take a couple of trips, I have another bag upstairs and the damn lute.”

“Not sure I ever heard you play the lute?” Henry teased.

“Yeah well,” Joey grumbled and turned away from the kitchen before he could start crying.

He really really didn’t want to cry in front of Henry. What was a little heartbreak between friends? At least he could channel that into Jaskier whenever they finally got back onto set. God, he was a fucking mess.

“I’ll help you,” Henry volunteered because of course he would. He probably just wanted Joey gone sooner.

The poor bloke probably couldn’t wait to have his own space back without Joey’s inedible attempts at cooking, non-stop music and chatter, lazy slobbish evenings in front of the TV.

He wasn’t going to cry.

He wasn’t.

Fuck!

Joey sniffed and stumbled out the door, his hands gripping his suitcase so tight he thought he might break the handle. Back home with Madeleine, to his life, and his bed, and nights spent drinking too much wine and lurking on social media.

He’d just about managed to throw his suitcase into the boot when he heard a loud bark behind him, followed by Henry grunting. Joey was almost knocked off his feet as Kal bundled into him, circling around as he jumped up, winding the lead around Joey’s body and pulling a poor Henry with him.

Not that Joey was particularly complaining about having Henry pressed up against him, but did it have to be when he was crying?

Henry cursed, struggling to keep hold of the lead. Their faces were close and they had to wrap their arms around each other to keep steady. Joey laughed through his tears, reminded of a similar moment from one of his favourite Disney films.

Only Kal was a lot bigger than a Dalmatian.

“I don’t think he wants you to leave?” Henry said, smiling sheepishly.

Joey smiled back despite his broken heart. “Doesn’t look like it.”

“I- I don’t want you to leave either,” Henry whispered so quietly that Joey wasn’t sure whether he’d heard it at all. “I- umm, I like having you here… with me.”

“Oh,” Joey replied stupidly.

“Fuck, I- Joey… Can- can I kiss you?”

The world turned upside down. Joey's heart stopped and everything started to spin. He tried to process the words but nothing seemed to make sense. There was no fucking way that Henry had said that, that he wanted to- wanted to…

Fuck!

“Oh,” he repeated, blinking at Henry as he licked his lips. “I mean. Fuck. No, I mean… Christ. Yes. Please. Yes.”

Henry chuckled and cupped his cheek, pressing their lips together in the most tender of kisses, taking Joey’s breath away right there on the pavement. Joey just giggled when they parted and then swooped back in for another kiss, and another-

And he never wanted to stop.

He didn’t need to breathe, he just needed this; Henry’s lips on his.

Henry had other ideas though, pulling away with a blinding smile.

“Stay with me?”

Joey nodded and threw his arms around Henry’s neck. “God, yes.”

And then they kissed some more. They had months of lockdown to catch up on, after all.

[kabira]

09 | scientific inspiration

pairing — spider-man!vernon x ofc

featuring — joshua, yeji (itzy), felix (skz), yangyang (nct)

word count — 3.6k

genres — spider-man au, marvel au, fluff, action, angst, humor

warnings — none.

note — so here it is, the big Science Dump that will form the basis for one of the major arcs of the story. now, i don’t pretend to know too much of what i’m talking about, but hopefully all the hours of scrolling through obscure genetics articles will hold up. hell, they probably won’t, but this is superhero fiction about a sixteen-year-old man-spider vigilante, so please excuse it !!! a lot of this is borrowed from the ultimate spider-man comics lore by brian michael bendis.

Vernon was still thinking about Luce’s offer when he got to work later that day.

Normally, he would have tried to keep his head clear during his work, but since all he had to do that day was log data entries, it didn’t really matter. Doc hadn’t come back to the lab yet, so it was just him and the janitor, but from the open holograph display on his table, Vernon figured he’d be back pretty soon. Despite the state of his office, the doctor didn’t like messes, especially not in his workplace.

He hadn’t expected Luce to even consider inviting the others, even though she had been friendly with them. Movie night was something that belonged to just the four—three—of them, something sacred and untouched by outsiders. The thing that had surprised him even more was his own willingness. For someone who had been so acutely ticked off by their unannounced arrival, he sure had warmed up to his new teammates quickly.

Vernon was only a few entries in when Dr. Connors entered the lab, holding a cup of steaming coffee from the cafeteria. He smiled at Vernon when he came in, not bothering to glance at the screen to check what he was doing before making his way over to the work table. One of the things Vernon liked the most about this place was that despite being nothing more than a research assistant, he was still allowed to help out in more impactful ways than simply entering and saving data.

“You’re here early,” Dr. Connors said, setting down the Styrofoam cup on his table. He looked tired, Vernon noticed, probably why he had bought that cafeteria coffee despite it being a thick, dark color and tasting like tar. There were dark circles under his blue eyes, and his usually neatly combed brown hair was slightly disheveled.

“I came here directly after school was over,” Vernon said. “Figured I’d save a lot more time that way, and I don’t really have much left to do.”

“Hm?” The scientist faced the holographic model, hitting a few keys on the pad below it. His movements were listless, but his shoulders were still tense. Reminds me of seniors before finals, Vernon thought. It wasn’t exhaustion like he had assumed, but stress. “Then perhaps you’d like to help me out here.”

“Really?” Vernon tried to keep the excitement out of his voice, but failed. Probably for the better, because it sparked a small smile on Dr. Connors’s face. “What are you working on right now?”

He didn’t get an answer for a long moment. Vernon spun in his chair and pulled himself to his feet, ignoring the remains of exhaustion weighing his body down as he made his way over to the doctor’s table.

“It’s something your father and I were working on before…before this project was abandoned, almost a decade ago,” Dr. Connors said. He was looking at the display with a different kind of intensity in his eyes, like it was something to be defeated rather than discovered. “When I lost your father, I gave up all hope of ever getting back to it, but after all my recent failures, I think I need to revisit my roots.”

Vernon pursed his lips at failures, but said nothing. The hologram looked like a DNA strand—a double helix blown to the size of a poster tube. It shone with a dull blue light, lighting up Dr. Connor’s features, illuminating the creases around his mouth and eyes that Vernon wasn’t sure had been there before. Standing next to him made his own tiredness feel like a minor inconvenience.

“This was your father’s brainchild, after all,” the man said, still staring at the display. “A completely independent protoplasmic model based on the body’s own genetic edifice built to fortify the weaker structure of a sick body.”

“A protoplasmic model?” Vernon’s eyes widened. “I thought it was supposed to be controlled AI, like nanobots or something.”

“Imagine that, except a sentient being with the ability to detect and eradicate weaknesses in the body on its own, without any direction,” Dr. Connors said. “Something to cure everything—the right combinations of proteins able to use the body’s own natural resources to fight any infection, overcoming the problem of grafting and able to treat everything from neural atrophy to genetic diseases to cancer, contained in a small tubule.” His eyes shone. “The perfect cure.”

The perfect cure. Vernon glanced back at the holographic model, now seeing the inconsistencies in its structure when compared to normal human DNA. The idea was intoxicating and exhilarating, made even more amazing by the fact that it had been proposed by his father. It made his chest ache with longing, thinking of the possibilities of fulfillment if his father had been alive still—not just for the experiment, but for Vernon himself.

“He was way ahead of his time, Richard Parker—in that sense, you are a lot like him,” Dr. Connors murmured in a low, wistful voice, as if speaking to himself. “It had become almost impossible for us to receive any support or funding for our project, because of how wildly imaginative it was. We were ridiculed, discredited, called mad for our ideas before we finally got the deal with Oscorp. We had worked on the cure for so long, and just a couple of days before the deal’s signing, your father called me one night, sounding excited about a fresh prospect.” He shook his head. “But then…”

He didn’t need to complete his sentence. Vernon caught the drift of it, and turned away to hide the pained expression brought onto his face by the flood of emotions. He didn’t know if he felt good about being so close to his father’s work, or bad about being so far away from his father himself. Even the mere presence of his old colleague, still alive while he wasn’t, seemed to taunt Vernon.

Snap out of it, he told himself firmly. His father’s death hadn’t been Dr. Connors’s fault—he knew that, but still had to avoid even thinking of that idea, because once the seeds had been planted in his brain, Vernon knew he wouldn’t be able to work with Dr. Connors in harmony. Plus, watching him talk about the work he and his dad had done together, no one could say that the scientist didn’t care about his former partner.

“What did he discover?” Vernon prompted.

Dr. Connors’s eyes turned sad. “I never did get to find out,” he said. “Just two days after the call, he was finally going to come back to the state to share his discoveries with me, so we could compare notes and build on what was lacking. The first step to phase two, he called it.” His jaw tightened. “And just when we thought something was going to go right for once…”

Vernon hung his head. Maybe knowing his father had been on the verge of a breakthrough should have made him feel better about his achievements, but he only thing that Vernon could think about was what all the world had lost when he had lost his dad. A revolution in medicine. A father. He was almost a little uneasy thinking about which kind of loss affected him more. The world could have been a much better place, but all Vernon wanted was his dad back.

“I’ve been unfair to you, Vernon,” Dr. Connors said, breaking him out of his reverie. He straightened while keeping his eyes fixed on the DNA hologram, then faced Vernon with a sad look. “You should have had someone to help you come to terms with your father’s death, someone who could have told you about his great ideas and even greater work. I shouldn’t have left you alone to deal with everything, but I simply couldn’t bring myself to…”

His voice had lowered with every syllable until he trailed off, making Vernon think that his voice had finally become too small for anyone to hear. Vernon swallowed, unable to think of anything to say. He was usually good at talking to people, even heart-to-hearts, but when the subject touched his obscure past, words failed him.

“I understand,” he said, the first words that came to his blank mind. He tried for a reassuring smile, unsure of what the result actually looked like. “You shouldn’t blame yourself for it. And anyway, I am here now.”

Dr. Connors smiled a little. “That, you are,” he said. “I feel like I’ve been doing your genius intellect a great injustice by assigning you all these menial tasks.”

“Hey, someone’s gotta do the menial tasks, right?” He smiled back. “My experience with research is next to nothing compared to that of the other people in this lab, so I’m fine with where I am. And not all the tasks are exactly menial.”

“Still.” The man sighed. “Since it was your father’s genius that came up with this idea, it feels only right to have you develop it further—or at least play a role in its creation.”

“I’m here whenever you need me,” Vernon said, glad about the lightening of the atmosphere. He wasn’t sure how much more of that weight he could have taken. He cocked his head, studying the listed proteins. “What made you want to work on this ‘cure’ again after so long?”

“A lot of different reasons,” the scientist said. “I think I had been avoiding this project for so long because I couldn’t bear to continue it without Richard by my side, but meeting you, his son, and having you take up a position in my lab felt like a sign.” He gave the boy a sideways smile. “And from a scientific viewpoint—before this, I’d been working on a different kind of cure, a serum with a principle based in cross-species genetics. It was supposed to be give a person the ability to regenerate lost limbs like a lizard, but the premature human trials went off the rails.”

Vernon nodded, keeping his mouth clamped shut. “I see,” he said, not wanting to bring up the Lizard incident unless he was sure Dr. Connors was ready to address it.

“However, after someone helped…fix the problem by making an anti-serum, the new formula for it gave me an idea,” the man continued. “Scientific inspiration, I guess you could call it. There’s a lot to be done, but I still have the anti-serum here in the lab, and have been studying it for over a month now.”

The gears had already begun turning in Vernon’s head. He had been the one to create the anti-serum as Spider-Man, and no one knew the methodology better than the original creator. Most of it had stemmed from the original Lizard formula, and with a bit of recalibration and measured reversal, the formula had worked. That makes me wonder…

“Hey, doc,” he murmured, brow pinched into a thoughtful frown, “if you had a sample of perfectly bonded human and non-human cell structure, do you think you would be able to mimic it and engineer a matching structure for the cure?”

The man frowned. “How do you mean?”

“I mean…” Vernon hesitated. Because of the OZ formula transferred into his blood by the spider bite, his DNA was perfectly bonded to spider DNA, which gave him what they called in post-human-speak a ‘healing factor’. It wasn’t as effective as Wolverine’s, but it was still something—and it was based on the same principle as the cure. Like the OZ formula helped his body develop a natural cure for anything he could be hit by—be it a paper cut or a head wound—by using its own resources.

The only difference was that it heightened his facilities by combining human abilities with spider abilities, which gave him things like his spider sense. However, if Vernon could use his own blood to develop a kind of skeletal structure for the cure. If it did work, it would only work on enhanced spider/human DNA, but at least then he’d have a start. The possibilities after that were endless.

“If there already existed a perfect sample of blood which had an in-built system like the cure,” Vernon said, trying not to give away too many details.

“Like mutant DNA?” Dr. Connors asked. “They have a completely different genetic structure in place, though, Vernon. They have the X-Gene. Their nucleotide sequence itself is mutated.”

“No, not like that,” Vernon said. “Like human DNA, just…enhanced. Bonded with something like the cure, just not—not living.”

Dr. Connors raised his eyebrows. “Well, having a perfect sample would reduce the needed brainwork to a tenth,” he said. “But you couldn’t acquire a sample like that, because, well, it exists only in theory.”

“Right,” Vernon muttered, but already the beginnings of a smile had started to curve his lips. “Only in theory.”

Vernon’s mind was buzzing with so much excitement from his idea for the cure that even web-slinging hadn’t been able to distract him from it.

He and the rest of the S.H.I.E.L.D. team had spent the evening scouring the city for any signs of something that could substantiate Vernon’s theory, but had come up with nothing except a few petty criminals, who had been easily stopped. The other three had left early, telling him to use their new communication devices (which looked an awful lot like kitschy wrist bands, except for the fact that they could turn invisible) if anything came up.

Nothing did.

It was nine p.m. and Vernon had still not changed out of his Spidey suit, spending the free hour to swing around the city and try and clear his head. Too much had happened in one day, and his mood was seesawing between elation at his new project and trepidation because of the dreaded return of movie night. Funny that a high school hangout was a source of more nervousness for him than trying to imitate his own radioactive blood sample to finish his dad’s decades old design.

When I put it like that, it sounds even more absurd, he thought, scrolling through the usual evening homework-help texts on his phone as he waited in line to buy eggs and a carton of milk at the not-so-local grocery store. Even Spider-Man had to obey queues when he was out doing chores for Aunt May.

He paid for the eggs and milk without the tattooed cashier giving him a second glance, and stepped out into the street with the bags. Aunt May wouldn’t be back until ten; he had about an hour to kill until curfew, but he wanted to get home early to talk to her about movie night (yet another reaction to dread) and hopefully study his spidery OZ-bonded radioactive blood under the lens of his old microscope that Uncle Ben had gotten him over a year ago.

“Yo, Spidey!”

Vernon looked up to see a chubby, tanned guy in his late twenties beaming at him like an old friend as he jogged up to meet him. “Hey, I remember you,” he said, pointing at the guy. “You’re uhhh…” He squinted at him, trying to remember when he’d last seen him. “That pizza delivery guy who almost got abducted by aliens!”

“That’s me! Paulo!” the guy exclaimed, his wide smile widening even more upon being recognized. “You saved me from those killer robot aliens last month, remember? And I promised you free pizza in case you ever needed it,” he added. “How’s it going?”

“As usual.” He raised the bag containing the groceries he’d just bought.

“Running errands when you get a break from crime-fighting, eh?” Paulo asked, giving his thick dark curls a shake. His smile refused to dim even a bit, like someone had switched on a light bulb with a permanent power source. “Keeps the superheroes humble.”

“Tell that to Captain America.” Vernon checked the comm device on his wrist, almost groaning out loud when he saw it was almost half past nine already. “Great. Uh, Paulo, I’ll have to catch you later. It’s late, and I gotta get back well before curfew in case there are delays on the way.”

“Of course! Go do your Spider-Man thing.” Paulo lifted his hands, mimicking the thwip-thwip gesture of shooting webs, and grinned. “See you later, Spidey!” he called out from behind him as Vernon swung himself up to a lamppost before launching himself into the air. “Remember the offer with the free pizzas still stands!”

“I will!” Vernon yelled back as he swung away. And he wasn’t just saying that, either—free pizzas were free pizzas.

He had to change in an alleyway again, but thankfully this time it didn’t have an open dumpster or smell like someone had thrown out a decayed cheese slab in the trash. By the time he got back home, Aunt May was already back, as indicated by the lights in the kitchen. Just perfect, he thought miserably, as he unlocked the front door with his spare key and trudged into the hallway.

“Vernon! You’re back early,” a voice yelled from the kitchen when she heard the door shut behind him. A woman with short silver hair, clad in a comfortable t-shirt and yoga pants came out into the living room as he entered it, wiping her hands with a hand towel. “Did you get the milk and eggs like I asked you to?” Aunt May asked.

For an older lady, she sure has great hearing. “Yep,” he said, swinging his bag off his shoulders and unzipping it, internally praying he hadn’t squashed the milk carton from all his swinging like last time. Thankfully, they were undamaged. “Did you come back from yoga classes early?”

“Oh, Denise pulled a muscle in her back, poor thing,” May said. “I offered to bring her back home, but she refused to let me ice it for her, saying she’d get Mac to do it instead.” She disappeared into the kitchen once again, coming out without the hand towel this time. “Put the groceries in the fridge, won’t you?”

For an older lady, Aunt May also had a lot of things going for her. Yoga classes on Monday-alternating weekdays, squash sessions over the weekend, classes for baking and music and whatnot—she might even have been busier than Vernon himself.

“Will do,” he said, obeying. His mind was still swimming with all the older thoughts, but now that he was standing right in front of Aunt May, the worry about movie night had pushed itself to the forefront, demanding all of his nervous attention.

He stood at the fridge even after closing the door, chewing his lip and wondering how to bring it up. Words really had failed him today. “Aunt May?” he ventured, unable to keep the hint of nerves from his voice. “I wanted to talk to you about something.”

“What is it, honey?” she asked, poking her head out of the kitchen. Around her waist was an apron that said Don’t Kiss the Cook. “Vernon?”

He kissed his teeth, teetering back and forth on the balls of his feet. “It’s about movie night.”

She stilled. “What about movie night?”

Maybe I shouldn’t have said anything, Vernon thought, pursing his lips. Aunt May hadn’t exactly been close with the Osborns, but he knew she had cared about Harry in her own way, the same way she cared about any neglected kid that Vernon brought home like an abandoned cat. She gave them as much comfort as she could, tried to give them the family they never really had, even if she knew she couldn’t completely replace them. It had happened before: Harry, and Luce—and now, Vernon thought with a little sigh, maybe even the team.

“Luce asked me to ask you if you were okay with us doing movie night this weekend,” he said slowly. “And there are these new kids, and she told me to ask them too, but if you’re busy we can always—”

“Vernon!” Aunt May smiled widely, coming out of the kitchen to rest her hands on his shoulders and give them a big squeeze. “Of course I’m okay with it! Oh, you don’t know how I wished you kids would do one of those again, I’m sure that’s what Harry would have wanted too.” She gave him a motherly smile, one that was soft and sad at the same time. “I’ll leave the house to you kids that day.”

“Oh, no, Aunt May, that’s not necessary—” he started, but she cut him off with a wave of her hand.

“Don’t be so formal with me, kiddo,” she said. “I know movie night means a lot to you, and if you have new friends coming over, I’m sure you don’t want a chaperone around.” She raised her eyebrows. “Although I would like to meet them before I go out.”

Vernon sighed, but there was a tiny smile on his face. “God, you’re the best.”

“And don’t you forget it.” She winked. “Besides, even an old woman like me needs to go out with her friends every once in a while, too. This might just turn out to be a good break for both of us.”

He nodded, feeling a welling of emotion in his chest that wouldn’t go down no matter how much he tried to push it away. One less thing to worry about, he thought half-heartedly, trying not to think about how Aunt May’s agreement meant movie night was on, which had the potential to be an even more worrying prospect. “I hope so.”

[lucky-dreamfisher]

This isn't lore related but I have this conspiracy theory that the chapter 5 that was relased wasn't really the one that was planned from the start like all of the other chapters

I think that the original chapter 5 was sopused to tie the story up and end with Henry freeing everyone and maybe reveal joey as the ink demon then that would be it, but then the meatly and Mike mood weren't satisfied with this and wanted to have more games and novels, so they reworked chapter 5 last minute so that it wouldn't be the end

Like just look at how rushed and buggy this chapter is compared to all of the other ones, chapter 5 even started it's development before chapter's 4 release but that doesn't show at all, And chapter 5 was even delayed from October 12th to the 26th

And the reveal of the loop and the end reel and Joey not bieng the ink demon all just come out of nowhere and weren't foreshadowed or hinted at all

What do you think about this lol

I agree that chapter 5 suffers from rushed development (and I’m pretty sure Bendy wasn’t revealed to be Joey Drew in the end because too many people have seen it coming, and the devs wanted to surprise us), but the problems didn’t start with chapter 5.

The development of BATIM had issues from the beginning. The team has admitted on multiple occasions that chapter 1 was just a test and was never intended to become a full game. They released chapter 2, because of the massive success of chapter 1, and only around chapter 3 did they sit down and actually think about the full story (there’s an old vlog video by Mike, where he talks about this).

You can see that in a lot of places: such as how all of the hints early in the game pointed towards Wally having created the ink machine, and then in chapter 3 suddenly Thomas appeared and a new audio log was retroactively added to chapter 1 to make him seem more involved with the ink machine. Or the huge tonal shift between chapters 1-2, and chapters 3-5, that a friend pointed out to me: the theme in the first chapters is occultism and spirituality, then in chapter 3 the theme changes to dark science.

Originally, Bendy wasn’t even supposed to be the main villain for every chapter, each chapter was supposed to feature a different monster. Alice Angel also wasn’t supposed to be a major character in the game, but people loved the poster with her and theorized about her, so they decided to give her a bigger role in the game.

Mike and Meatly used to take a lot of pride in how quickly they could churn out new chapters. And that’s not a good strategy, because obviously the chapters that are rushed by developers are going to feel rushed to the players. That’s why I’m not one of the people complaining over BATDR not coming out in 2020. Sure, I’m disappointed I can’t play it today, but if it’s going to result in a more cohesive plot and themes, then it’s worth the delay.