#there is no plot

[hotgirlwithacitation]: ok but she did laugh. she did the head tilt and the arm graze. she TOUCHED HIS ARM.

[proseb4hoes]: You think they trauma-bonded during committee meetings?

[bookedandbusy]: Absolutely. Probably over faculty budget cuts and unresolved PTSD.

[proseb4hoes]: God, I wish that were me😩

New Message from @tenurethirst: BREAKING: Someone in Professor Riley's Tuesday 9AM asked him what he thinks of literature 🫢

[hotgirlwithacitation]: WHAT DID HE SAY

[anonstudent4ever]: "I don't have the patience for fiction. I prefer the truth. But... some people make poetry worth tolerating." 🫢🫢🫢

[chaoticneutral]: HANG ON HANG ON BACK UP!!! BACK UP!!!!! SOME 👏 PEOPLE 👏 MAKE 👏 POETRY 👏 WORTH 👏 TOLERATING 👏

[bookedandbusy]: he meant her. HE MEANT HER. professor y/n, literature dept, first of her name 🗣️🗣️🗣️

[tenurethirst]: Do y'all think he's annotating her poetry like "p. 47 - is this about me?" i'm going to combust💔💔

[anonstudent4ever]: "p. 31 - unclear metaphor. ask her later. alone." 🙊

[hotgirlwithacitation]: i bet she writes vague lines like "a man who speaks in silence, who walks like guilt, who smells like ash" and riley's in his apartment like: fuck

[bookedandbusy]: they're literally literary soulmatesss 👏👏 she gives lectures about metaphors for grief and he is the metaphor for grief

[mutualdestruction]: that's why they work. she's the novel he never thought he'd read. he's the war she keeps writing poems about.

[spiteandprejudice]: Bro.. that was so poetic what the fuck 🥶

[whoiselena44]: do y'all think she calls him "Simon" when no one's around 🥺

[Jeremyonice]: Obviously dude 😵‍💫

[notyourvalentine]: no. she calls him "riley" like it's a challenge n he calls her "professor" like it's a sin 👀

[proseb4hoes]: imagine he says "say it again" and she's like "Simon" and he's like "no. 'sir.'" ok bye logging out now

[bookedandbusy]: y'all have FICS saved in your drafts don't you?!??

Many people try and stop being an absolute jackass when they find themselves being pinned to the ground in the back of a random pastry shop down town, being served not sweet cheese pie with a thick chocolate fudge on top, but something much, much more... peppery. Why do I say most? Well that is because Bendy was not really in the category previously mentioned; quite the contrary, he would always double down on his little street fights regardless if he had or hadn’t the upper hand. 

Oh and tonight was not very different from those fights either. It started off differently, yes; no man tripped accidentally over his tail, no gall looked a bit too much over his buttocks which happened more times than he’d love to say when he used to perform with Dancifer, and most importantly, no one picked up on his little brother. Oh, the things Bendy would do for his little big good wolf could make a convicted felon ask for mercy, the words he’s shot at them would make the toughest of sailors blush and scurry away.  

He was a demon after all. 

But the night evening hadn’t seemed to start off in such a bad mood, not at all. The group was actually splitting in ToonTown and trying to find some grub to eat, or some place to rest before having to face off Mickey and the STARS in a fast forwarded direct trial for bringing two hazardous searchers in the bounds of the city and costing many civilian and STAR lives. He and Mugman were left alone to go and hunt down some very good discounts near the city’s more comertial avenues.    

“I know this bakery downtown. It’s got good stuff and the lady there has end-of-the-day discounts.” The taller man said, shoving his hands in his pockets as the chilly, early spring air made him regret ever going outside instead of searching for a roof with Shelly and Pebble. “She might still have some good stuff there if we take a detour there.” 

After the whole train incident thing, after seeing his brother physically mending with the train, Mugman was oddly nice to Bendy. Too nice, for someone who hated the demon’s guts. Bendy pushed it off as the collector trying not to pick a fight with him every damn second, especially now that they were both tired and battered. Mugman was almost drained out of his soul juice and Bendy was still tense and tired a week after repairing a whole fucking train and ending up decommissioning a fucking sentient robot. 

Neither were in the mood for more than being bitter with each other while faking kindness. But we all know who this story will end. 

Mugman was always seen as the mature one out of the twins, even if he was the “younger one”. Even Elder Kettle hadn’t understood why he was so calm and collected as a child, almost mature in the way he behaved with other children in the forests of Inkwell, but that calm was the same calm before a horrible storm that yet to take place. “Miss Nolli owes you for last time. She wouldn’t mind helping you. Or Don P might-” “Shut up! You’re not real!” He mentally yelled at the grotesque image of his brother’s corpse being an asshole as per usual. 

Yes, the cats owning the bakery shop id have a great sense of moral debt and they were very much morally indebted to the collectors since a very unfortunate mission that ended up costing the live of their grandfather. They cannot repay it more than offering some supplies for the boys and making sure they were under the radar during operations. But this was no operation: this was a group of people desperately trying to prove they were not at fault for the calamity and trying to keep it together, Neither worked. 

People around them, on the streets avoided them. News of their wrongdoings, news of them being criminals awaiting trial... that damned mouse and his Toodles managed to make them known for the wrong things only. It must not be the first time for Bendy, as he already was head of the papers and plastered on the walls with a bounty on his head in the day he stole the map from Felix. “Yeah sure, let’s go there, pal-” 

“I’m not your pal... you are lucky you are the only fucker who can see the map, or else so help me Devil-” 

Mugman sighed heavily, rubbing his temples, “I swear I can feel another crack forming from you and your stupid map.” But Bendy didn’t really care for the self pity party Mugman was having at the moment, and instead decided to pick up the pace towards... where? “Demon, you’re walking in the wrong direction.” 

“I have a name, mug-face”  “Well I don’t care if you have a name or not. Not move along!” 

That was rude... but who could blame him? His brother was displaced somewhere in the middle grounds of the astral plane and this bane of existence while being tied by a deal to this, this caricature of a demon that cannot even walk straight. But, the deal goes both ways.  

Mugman roughly yanked on the chain around his wrist, dragging Bendy over to him. “You might think you are in charge here, demon. But you aren’t. You’re cocky. Too cocky. You ought to learn your place ‘for I shoot your stupid tail off your pompous ass.” Well, well, well, this mug is more like a knife than anyone would think beforehand. This is what everyone who actually knows mugman would tell you Mugman behaves like. Rough, unfiltered, more tactical than his brother and that tactility is often mistaken as being soft. He shoots, but he knows when to. He is insane, but he knows when to let himself show that insanity. And most importantly, he knows when to walk demons on a leash in ToonTown, demons who think they know better than to shut up and look pretty for him. 

And maybe he’s just sick of people thinking they can hold anything to him, use him. They somehow get to Cannolli’s Bakery, the place looking almost like thieves ran it down. “Miss Nellie? Are you here?” But nothing. There was no one there. The whole place looked voided, the cash register was broken into, the shelves were smashed, fur clusters on the floor; they were searched by the STARS. Someone knew of their past affiliations… And Mugman knew whose fault it was; if it weren’t for him, his brother would still be alive, hey would have retrieved the map, the Cat family would not have been involved in the matter- 

“You did this! You demon-”  “Mugman, calm down-” 

There was nothing worse in this world than tell a man who’s angry to ‘calm down’. As I said before, Bendy knew not how to not get his ass handed to him daily, he had a loose mouth that said the wrong things even when he tried to genuinely be nice to people. Like now…. “Mugman, please, let’s talk about this, maybe hey were robbed-” that was no robbery. Mickey knew that the collectors worked for Don P; and Don P was unfortunately married to Nollie. Same Cannolli who made sure she ‘forgot’ to charge them and their grandpa for certain sweets the two begged the old man getting, or when they came alone for bread and soft biscuits- 

She was family. And mugman was sick loosing family because of a demon. Not again, not now. 

Next thing Bendy knew was that they were outside again, in the back of te small shop, the poor former dancer pressed against the concrete wall, small buds of it cutting and scrapping his flesh slightly as the collector shook him violently. “Can’t you see what you’re doing?! Because of you and your stupid kind I’m losing my family! Everyone is losing their loved ones” his fist tightened hard, so hard that his nails were digging and chipping at the already worn glaze on his palm. “I hate you-” he punched the demon straight in the face, the loud crack when they made contact sending a jolt of adrenaline through both of them. 

“M-mugman-”  “Shut up! All you are is a jinx-” 

And another punch, and a roundabout kick that threw Bendy off balance ad made. Him stumble to the ground. His tail was flicking as he desperately darted is eyes around for an escape round. The man was crazy! He almost emptied his own soul and killed himself trying to ‘avange’ his undead brother.he really couldn’t get in a fight with him at the moment he wasn’t going to win, not when he knew he’d— 

“Why do you say that? Is that what your precious grandpa told you on his deathbed?!” 

That was low. Too low. Even the homeless thugs that lived under the Grand Bridge of ToonTown knew not to say anything of the sort about family. Especially the dead; they respected that. Bendy was not one of those thugs though, he was one petty son of a bitch that laced the tiniest bit of self preservation skills anyone would need in a street fight. 

“What did you say-”  “Are you deaf or something, Mugsey~” 

Bendy grabbed the chain and pulled down, making it so that Mugman fell on top of him. With a tired uff, the collector braced himself on his elbows, looking directly at the demon, whore tail trailed dangerously to his waist, wrapping itself around it horribly tight. “Listen, toots. Ya have another crash out like this and we’re gonna have a problem. You made a deal, you are nothing but my dog. Got it?” 

He punctuated his words with another tug on the chain that was now around the taller man’s neck; Bendy was back in control. “And I never liked it when my dogs bark at me~” He leaned up and caught Mugman’s lips in a roug possessive kiss before he gave himself a little impulse and rolled themselves over so he was now on top, straddling the mug’s hips. “Now what was that about having me. Darling?” 

“N-nothing…” Mugman’s hands moved purely on instinct and grabbed his hips tightly. “Nothing at all, love~” 

—— 

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