#chocowriting

(TW: BODY DYSMORPHIA)

(I haven't wrote in a while so bear with me and my headcanon ramblings, please enjoy and feel free to comment your thoughts!)

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Bendy’s eyes peeled open to the sound of a faint alarm, groggily met with his boring surroundings. His eyes drifted gently to his phone screen, which was wedged behind a Max plush sitting right by his pillow. He moved the raggedy rabbit aside and squint at his screen, rubbing his eyes in annoyance.

8:45

Monday, Feb 10th.

Bendy blinked, semi awake now. He put his phone back next to Max and just laid back to stare at the ceiling, the existential dread kicking in. He covered his eyes and let out an exhausted grunt, hoping to stay a while longer in his solitude until his brothers dragged him out. Perhaps he could just call in sick and sulk in bed for most of it…maybe.

He was lucky he worked at a club. He didn’t have to think about work for another few hours…but that wasn’t the only thing he was hung up about.

The demon buried his face deep in his pillow, planning to get back to ignoring the world. He knew he couldn’t pretend to sleep once he was awake but he could try, at least for today. He hoped it would be long before his thoughts ate him alive-

BOOM. His door flung open, his brother eager to start the day, because of course he was, “Bendyyy!” The demon let out a weak groan.

Boris barged in with his signature dopey smile and lovable self, though as infectious as it was, it could never rub off on him. Bendy felt himself get tackle hugged by his bro, silently wishing to be put out of his misery, but he admit the hug was nice. “Come on, wake up! Whitexx got us a pie!”

Bendy let out a bit of a chuckle, not surprised, “H..How?”

“He said Cherri made it for us. It’s homemade so it’s gonna be great, come on!” Boris attempted to drag him out but Bendy tapped his arm, signalling him to stop. The wolf allowed him to sit up himself, the demon rubbing his face tiredly which got a nervous smile from Boris. “Ya need a minute?”

“Yes…a lot actually,” Bendy yawned. He was glad his brother was understanding, it let him get away with things usually...for better or worse. Boris was just happy to see him awake. The demon still had his qualms about the timing of his twin’s endeavors, though, “I-Isn’t it a bit early for sweets? I mean…is breakfast happening or are we just gonna eat pie?”

“Oh I already made some french toast and eggs earlier, Whitexx just surprised me with a pie while I was making 'em!” Boris smiled, his tail wagging at the thought of a full course dish.

Bendy smiled weakly, giving him a pat. “Of course…”

Boris beamed and backed off for now, giving his brother his much wanted space, “Anyway, come meet us when you’re ready…though if ya take forever Whitexx is gonna come himself and ya know how he gets. Don’t be ta long!” The wolf ruffled between his brother’s horns and left with a pep in his step out the door, leaving the room as he left it. The demon could only let out a defeated sigh, knowing Boris wasn’t bluffing with his warning.

Despite this, it took a while before Bendy rolled out of bed, his tail flicking restlessly as he stretched, kicking the floor a bit with his hoof. He picked up his phone and queued a playlist, knowing he’d need the background noise as he got ready to fully face the day. The first song that played was a bit of a shock, as he hadn’t heard it since last year. The discordant intro cluing him to the memories immediately.

The demon went into the bathroom and looked at himself in the mirror, attempting to fix his tousled fur whilst he scoffed at his eye bags. The guitar kicked in while he stuck out his forked tongue, before singing along to the first words of the song.

“You…stood beside…me when I…was out of my mind…”

He opened the mirror cabinet, grabbed some medicine and slammed it shut in tandem with the next line, “I…broke the glass…and you were there…to sweep it aside…”

He took his pills and mumbled the next line, tapping his fingers on the rim of the sink as he got into the song, “and if you leabe mee…rest assured it dwould kill meee…”

Bendy got done with whatever he was doing in the bathroom, going to his computer setup to check on some stuff while the song still played, casually chanting along to the music while his computer booted up with a hum. His tail wagged to the beat as he waited, going to see if there was a game he could play before having to go socialize.

“I’ll be unclean…I’ll be obscene, you’ll be the rest…”

His train of thought was interrupted when he got a chirp from his phone, tensing as he glanced at the screen. It was a single message.

Whitexx: I’m coming in.

“Shit-” Bendy thought he’d have more time but lo and behold, his twin entered the room just liked Boris warned him. He looked at him from his chair, flush as the chorus of the song rang loud and clear:

Like an oleander

Light, white leaves

Of an oleander

White, like me

Whitexx was not surprised. Bendy just turned off the song, sheepishly trying to save face, “W..Whassup?”

His twin sighed, cutting to the chase, “You coming to eat?”

Bendy fiddled with his thumbs, “Yea…was planning to. I just needed some time to myself.”

Whitexx nods, his brows creased, “Mhm…”

Bendy could see it on his face, giving his best fake smile. He knew it was going to take a lot to assure his twin everything was fine, moreso than Boris at least. “I’m bein' honest! Ya can go chill with Bor out at the table. I’ll be out once I’ve had…some time to myself.”

“For how long though?” Whitexx asks, going over to survey over his shoulder what he was doing, “Seems like you have your mind set on playing games.”

Bendy tensed, trying not to get defensive, because then his brother would win. He huffed and leaned back in his chair while facing him, “For just a moment, I wanna catch up on some things.”

“You’re not hungry?” Whitexx questioned, concerned.

Bendy shrugged. He couldn’t care less. “No…not really.”

Whitexx hummed, his expression unreadable. Bendy hated when he pulled that off. Not only did it pull one over anyone against him in poker but it made it hell to guess what his next move was. The demon expected him to pull something off, some kind of trick to get him to play ball…something to get him away from his usual habits.

“Well, alright. I guess I’ll leave you to it…” Whitexx stated plainly, about to head out. Bendy was taken aback, for his brother seemed sincere. He narrowed his eyes, but didn’t want to push his luck so he went back to scouring his games.

“Though…I just wish you’d be honest with me.”

Bendy stopped scrolling through his library, tense. He didn’t have to look back to see his brother’s discontent. The demon huffed, there it was…

Whitexx just stood there, waiting for something, noting his brother stopped what he was doing. The white devil stayed quiet for a moment, about to leave the room when Bendy piped up again, “Why the hell do you do that…”

“Mm? Do what?” Whitexx looked over his shoulder, feigning ever knowing what he meant.

“That!” Bendy spun back around to face him, irritated, “Ya…ugh…ya read me like an open book. Stop it!” He faced away again, going back to pretending he didn’t care. Whitexx however didn’t let up, going back to invading his space. His twin just buried his head in his arms, hating it.

“…do you want me to bring your food here instead?” Whitexx asked innocently, meaning the gesture.

Bendy looked up slightly, disbelieved, “Wh..no! I said I’ll be out…I just…don’t…” The demon grunt and buried his head again, “Please I wanna be left alone…”

“You always do…” Whitexx frowned, truly knowing his brother couldn’t help it. He’s always had an issue with company, even if it was good for him. Especially now of all days…

Whitexx let them sit in silence for a bit, not wanting to completely ruffle him up. He wasn’t trying to get him to hide any further than he would, he just wanted him to improve. Bendy's been doing so well this past year…but he had his moments still. The white devil leaned against his brother’s office chair, looking around at the nearly empty room. He noted again the little amount of furniture his brother had: a bed and a plush, a night desk, and his computer setup with just two posters in front of it. Minimalist as it was, that wasn’t really the reason he kept it seldom. Whitexx pursed his lips, saddened.

Bendy felt a hand on his back, his shoulders tensing before relaxing as his brother repeated the motion. He hid his face still, knowing he couldn’t face him when the lecture inevitably came.

Whitexx surprised him again with just a hug and Bendy lifted his head to see. His twin rarely gave them to him of all people, knowing he wasn’t particularly fond of them. He only begrudgingly allowed it from Boris or their boss, so it was quite a feat, which made the demon wonder where he was going with it.

“You know people care about you, Ben…” Whitexx uttered.

Bendy paused, eyes slanting as he processed the statement, “I…I know.”

“…do you?” Whitexx retorted, upset.

Bendy just leaned into his brother, quiet. Whitexx ruffled his fur a bit, feeling his brother begin to shake so he held tighter, his tail flicking gently while Bendy’s curled in on himself. It lasted for a decent moment. When Whitexx let his brother go, Bendy looked teary eyed, quickly wiping away any evidence. His brother could only hold his face up high to get a better look at him. He still had messed up fur and those pesky eye bags, his eyes sullen and tired per usual. But…

Whitexx gave him a warm smile, “Heh…ya look better than last year, I’ll say.”

“Yea well…you’re good at that,” Bendy huffed, trying to keep from sniffling.

Whitexx chuckled, “Someone’s gotta get ya up in the mornin', and if it ain't me its Boris. Ya know we both care about cha’ right?"

Bendy paused before nodding, “…yea.”

“Mm…” Whitexx smiled, helping to wipe his tears, “and we want you ta be happy…” Bendy could only sniffle, trying not to get too choked up about his words, Whitexx helping him before giving him another hug, which his brother now fully accepted.

“...alright. Speaking of Bor…let’s go eat with him shall we? Or do you need time still?” Whitexx asked, not wanting to push him too much, imagining the emotional toll this must be causing.

Bendy finished cleaning his face, heaving as he stood up, “No…I’m good. Yer right, I should eat first…”

Whitexx smiled weakly, ruffling between his brother’s horns. Bendy blushed, it seemed to be everyone’s favorite spot to mess with. He allowed it though, he didn’t hate it anyway.

However his brother decided to ruin it, grinning, “Heh, I wonder how you’d react if Cuphead did this.” Bendy stared at him, his eye twitching.

Boris was just about finishing up his breakfast when he heard laughter and erupting anger as the two twins came running out. Bendy chased Whitexx towards the table with a flushed gray face, completely pissed, “QUIT FUCKIN’ TEASING ME!”

Whitexx could only cackle, Boris giving him an unimpressed glance which shut him up quickly. The wolf perked up when he saw his brother, which tempered the demon a little, “Mornin Ben, getcher toast while it’s still warm!”

Bendy let the steam surrounding him clear, taking a deep breath before going to serve himself a plate, leering at Whitexx as he joined him, “We’ll talk later…”

“Likewise…” The white demon chuckled, getting elbowed by his twin, “Ah-!”

“Deserved…” Bendy went to sit, Boris telling them to please stop fighting.

“It’s not a fight…just teasing,” Whitexx shrugged, rubbing his now sore side before seating himself opposite to them. Boris humphed and finished his food, Bendy glaring at Whitexx while eating his.

“Anyway, I hope ya had a decent morning, bro! Ya were in there for a bit,” Boris smiled nervously, not wanting to pry too much. Bendy was glad he didn’t, though he feared he might have overheard them.

The demon shrugged in response, “Eh, Whitexx just came in to coax me out I guess.”

“And it worked,” Whitexx added, grinning. Bendy narrowed his eyes at him, before rolling them, “Yea yea…”

“Well good thing, I didn’t want yer food ta get cold. Also…” Boris bent over to his side, reaching for a box to set on the table in front of him, “You’d miss us seein’ ya open yer gift!”

Bendy blanked, staring at the box, “…gift?” He studied the parcel, it looked like a typical package with a label and everything, though the details were crossed out. Boris looked embarrassed at how it lacked any presentability, “I was gonna wrap it, but it arrived late, eheh..”

Bendy immediately felt guilty, “Ah shit…I didn’t- Ya didn’t tell me we were gettin’ gifts this year…” He leaned his head on his palm, thinking now he had to think of what to give his brothers back.

“Oh bro ya don’t have ta! This was given by everyone, for you! Well for us three but y’know, you’d probably use it more,” Boris smiled. Whitexx gave a nod.

“Huh,” Bendy cocked a brow and went to open the flaps of the package to reveal…another package. This time though it had some interesting warnings on the side…and one that looked familiar. He tensed and opened the flap to reveal what it really was and his eyes widened. “I..Is that?”

“Yeaap. Highest storage model too…thank Betty for the suggestion,” Whitexx smiled. Bendy was speechless, pulling it out of the box and opening the case to see if it was real and it was. He’d only seen this at Betty’s…he didn’t know he’d have one of his own.

“Now ya can play yer computer games with us on the go if yer feeling low. Do ya like it?” Boris beamed, his tail wagging as he saw the look on his face.

Bendy had tears in his eyes, thinking back to Whitexx’ words. He sniffled again, quickly going to wipe his face to no avail, “A-Ah…w-well now I gotta get yall somethin…”

Whitexx smiled as he and Boris hugged him, “It’s ok bro. Happy birthday. Ya deserve it.”

Bendy smiled this time, overcome with emotions, “Y-Yeah…happy birthday to ya too, guys.” He allowed them to hold him, feeling warmth, his tail wagging. And for a moment, he let himself be happy on his birthday…not feeling like such a burden.

Happy 8th Anniversary to BaTIM!

Song used.

*coUGH*

Before they knew it, however, they were knocked off their feet by the demon performing a sweep with his leg, landing squarely on their backs. Disgruntled, they tried to get up to continue the fight, but as they did they finally got a look at the fiend’s face.

They gasped, for it was familiar. In fact, he looked just like Betty, except with baggier eyes and a glower that chilled them to the bone.

These are old og characters that I've had for a bit:

Betty is one of my favs and for this au she's no different than how she is regularly, mute but spunky and ready to kickass.

G I struggled to design for him since his og character design is literally Ink Bendy, but I was able to find a nice way to interpret it here! He's blind but he manages well with Betty's help.

It was a simple question. There was only two answers that you could possibly give: Yes, or no. But yet, you couldn't give her an answer. "I don't know"

She looked at you straight in the eye, nodded and looked down. You knew there were tears in her eyes, but you didn't want to make it more awkward by trying to comfort her. How could you comfort her anyways? She chuckled and you looked at her in surprise. And while there were definitely tears streaming down her cheeks, there was a smile upon her lips.

"I knew you were going to say that"

You looked down, feeling ashamed, you weren't even sure of what. You simply kept your eyes on the floor in front of you, you didn't pick them not even when you felt her leaving your side and walking away. After all, what could you say now? It was a simple question, but the answer just seemed so complicated. How did you know when you loved someone? What did love felt like? Just what was love?

You looked away from the ground and turned towards the direction she had gone. You could still see her back, if you really wanted to you could run and catch up to her and stop her and tell you loved her and kissed her and make it all better. But deep down, you knew you couldn't do that. It would all be a lie, or maybe not but either way you would be stopping her for the fear of loneliness rather than for the fear of losing her. Did you love her?

There were only two simply answers for this: yes or no. But you stood there, asking yourself this as the night came upon you. Until it was dark and cold and everyone was long gone. It was until then that you took a deep breath and walked away. The answer on your mind, even though it seemed all wrong.