☆*:.｡. o(R0Z1E)o .｡.:*☆

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[r0z1ee]

"Inkbound (Bendystraw Fanfic)

Chapter 1: “The Velvet Hammer”

“Pass me another whiskey, Essie,” said Bendy drowsily.

“Gotcha’” replied Estelle, filling up another glass of whiskey. Bendy had already drunk 5 cups of whiskey. Estelle became visibly worried, Bendy could only handle about 5 drinks. He was about to go past his limit.

Estelle slid the glass over to Bendy, who drank it in one gulp, letting out a drunken sigh along with a little hiccup. “Another one,” Bendy raised up his finger and waved it around in the air. As if he was demanding it.

“How about a cup of water instead?” said Estelle, slightly amused by the inky drunkard. She poured him a cold glass with some ice, “Here you go, Bends.”

“Ugh~,” Bendy crossed his arms and laid down his head. He peeked his eyes out, from above and took hold of the glass, swishing and sloshing the water around in the cup. The smell of alcohol and greasy bar food filled the air.

The Velvet Hammer was a hot spot when it came to good food and strong drinks. It attracted all types of crowds, families, thugs, gangsters, goody-two shoes, you name it. And Bendy was no exception. Estelle, the bartender, had known Bendy since he first started coming to The Velvet Hammer. Besides, as a demon herself, she could relate to Bendy on a level no other toon (who wasn’t a demon) could. 

Bendy went to The Velvet Hammer everyday, always the same old thing. Until one day, things changed.

It was a normal day, Bendy performed along with Dandy at Ink ‘n’ Paint, went to The Velvet Hammer afterwards, and got wasted. Sipping whiskey and spouting tipsy nonsense. He laid his head back down on the cold countertop. “Another round,” he exclaimed, pumping both fists up in the air.

“Oh Bends, I’ll get Cups to get that for you”—she began to walk off—”Cups, hon! Bring this troublemaker a cup of water, why don’t ‘cha?” called Estelle, walking towards the second floor stairs.

“Yes, ma’am!” said Cuphead, pouring a nice glass of cold water. He walked over to Bendy, tapping him on the shoulder. “Here’s your water, sir!” 

Bendy raised his head to see the unfamiliar voice. He spoke quite quickly and had an accent Bendy had never heard before. Dressed up in a bartender suit with a little embroidered diamond sitting right over his heart.

“Huh, I don’t think I’ve seen you here before,” said Bendy, intrigued by the cupheaded, charismatic stranger.

“Yeah? Well, that’s ‘cause I just started here. Name’s Cuphead, but if ya want, call me ‘Cups’!” said Cuphead, a wide and hearty grin crossed his porcelain face. He held out his hand, inviting Bendy for a handshake.

Bendy slowly straightened up, looking Cuphead up and down. Finally, he took Cuphead’s hand and shook it. “You’re pretty cute, you know?” said Bendy, already drunk and blurting out whatever came to mind.

“You’re not too bad yourself, Mister–”

“Bendy’s the name. Bends is fine too,” he said, picking up the water and taking a big gulp.

Cuphead gave a nod and began wiping down the counter around Bendy. Bendy noticed all the scars on his arm. “Do those scars have a story?” questioned Bendy.

“Not one that’s super interesting, I’d say,” replied Cuphead, eyebrows raised and still staring down at the countertop.

“Oh please”—he slammed his hands down on the counter—”everyone’s got a good story to tell. Ya just gotta find a person who’ll listen. So, tell me,” Bendy said, taking Cuphead’s hand and pulling it closer. Looking up at him with obsidian eyes, he asked, “What’s your story?”

Cuphead wore an expression of shock but eased into a smile. “Well, it’s a pretty long story—you sure you wanna hear?” he asked, now leaning on the counter. Bendy nodded and sat back in his chair. “Yeah, it’s not like I’ve got places to be. Sides’, I wanna know more about cha’.”

Cuphead told the story of how he made a deal with the devil—and the fights he endured to earn his soul back. How he earned every one of the scars on his arms. And, as he grew older, was still a troublemaker but totally “mature” now. Bendy was entertained by the story. Estelle would walk by every few moments, listening in on their conversation. She was surprised, she had never seen Bendy so quiet, especially since he was drunk. She watched from afar and decided to let the two get to know each other.

“So, yeah. Pretty much how my brother and I ended up ‘round here,” Cuphead said, finishing off his story.

“Now that was interesting. I don’t think you and I have the same definition of interesting because that had me on the edge of my seat!” exclaimed Bendy. “How long have you been living here for?”

“Not too long, my brother and I tend to move. Just trying to find a place to settle down, ya know?”

“I get it, tons of people of all kinds come ‘round here. They come and go, some don’t stay long, while others decide to live their days out in this dump of a town. I’ve lived here my whole life, along with my brother.”

“You’ve got a brother too?” asked Cuphead.

“Course I do,” —Bendy held his thumb to his chest, and puffed proudly—”he’s a great kid. Name’s Boris, he’s shy but he sticks to his morals. Real nice, you’d— well, maybe, you’re a bit much for him.” Bendy admitted.

“Whaddya mean by that,” asked Cuphead, raising an eyebrow. 

“Nothing rude, it’s just that after talking to ya. You seem to have a pretty big personality, and well—my brother isn’t exactly the loud and proud type.”

“Hey! Neither is my brother! Maybe Mugman could befriend Boris; that’d be nice right?” added Cuphead, whose face lit up at the thought. “Speaking of Mugsy, he’s standing right over there!”

Cuphead pointed to the tall, porcelain cup who stood at the table, holding a pen and paper for jotting down orders. “See ‘im? He’s the one with the sweet striped straw and embroidered club on his chest. It’s like mine! —Cuphead pointed to the red diamond on his chest—”Except mine's a red diamond.”

Bendy followed the direction Cuphead’s finger was pointed. Past the bustling crowds of people, he spotted a blue-nosed mug that stood out to him. A blue striped straw, a round blue nose, and quite tall. You could tell the two were brothers. Difference is, Cuphead had big eyes and a small red nose, along with a bent, red-striped straw.

“You two really do look alike!” Bendy exclaimed, pleasantly surprised by the similarities between the two. 

“Here I’ll call ‘im over” —Cuphead cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted—”Hey Mugsy! Come over here a sec’!” The bar went silent. Mugman slowly turned towards Cuphead, who was waving his hand in the air like an “idiot” (as Mugman tends to call him). Mugman became bright red and smoke began to rise from his head as he walked toward the bar. Everyone stared at Mugman as he walked, each step pounding louder than the last.

“Cuphead, you dolt!” said Mugman in an aggressive whisper. “You could’ve just waited until I walked over or somethin’! Now everyone’s staring at us!”

“Eh, I ain’t too worried about it, ‘sides, who cares what they think anyway?”

Bendy tried to contain his laughter as the two went tit for tat. Now that he had a closer look at the two, he was able to better see just what made them different. Mugman had the same heavy accent as Cups. The bickering Cups caught the attention of Ember Faye, more formally known as “The Heat Miser". She was the owner of The Velvet Hammer and a notorious mafia boss. Except, only very few knew about this, and not many lived to tell the tale.

She walked down the stairs, Estelle alongside her. She came up to the cups, “Causing trouble on your first day, I see?”

The cups quickly straightened up. “No, of course not ma’am!,” they said in unison. “Heh, just making sure the counters are clean! S-see! Look, you can practically see your reflection," said Cuphead nervously as he wiped the counters frantically. 

“Ye-yeah! I’ll just go put this order in. Excuse me!” Mugman dashed off, trying to escape the situation.

Bendy chuckled at the boys, they were quite a duo. But what really caught his attention was Miss Faye. She was a fire demon, her hair was made up of dancing flames and her skin was tan and smooth. She had quite the figure, it reminded Bendy of Jessica Rabbit almost. Instead of a dress, she wore a suit with a few buttons opened around the chest. 

“Please excuse those two,” she said in a velvety voice. 

Bendy waved his hands, “It's a perfectly fine miss! You run a fine joint, so no need to worry. I’m always satisfied with my time here.” He smiled at Estelle who had a grateful look on her face.

“Anyways, that’s the daily report for today. Everything's running smoothly,” said Estelle to Miss Faye.

“Close up after midnight,” —she ran finger under Estelle’s chin—”See me at my office once you’re done.”

Estelle blushed as her eyes wandered frantically. She skittered back to her spot behind the bar, “Yes ma’am,” she said, flustered.

Miss Faye, waved goodbye and walked back up to her office on the second floor where the club was. 

“What was that?” Bendy and Cuphead, who in unison, questioned teasingly, a sly smirk on her face. 

“N–nothing! She’s just my boss.” Both Bendy and Cuphead gave her a “yeah, sure,” kind of look.

Estelle walked off to serve another customer, trying to get out of the situation as quickly as possible. “They seem happy,” commented Cuphead, who was smiling, but it wasn’t his usual peppy smile. More bittersweet, as if reminiscing.

“Have you ever been in a relationship? I’d be surprised if a hottie like you hasn’t at least been courted,” said Bendy. He let out a little hiccup; he was already drunk!

“I mean I’ve gotten compliments and stuff, but I’ve never been in a relationship. How about you?”

“Yeah, I was with my dance partner, Dandy, for a while but it didn’t work out well.” —Bendy quieted into a whisper—”a little too—obsessive…” —he began to speak normally again—”Had a girlfriend a while back too.” 

“So, you’ve got experience, ey? Any advice?’

“Make sure your first relationship isn’t your last. Find someone who loves you for you,” he said, laying his head down and letting out another hiccup.

Cuphead took that advice to heart, “Thanks Bends.” But there was no answer. “Bends?” —he tapped him on the shoulder—”Bendy?” He nudged him more, but then he heard a snore… “Phew! He’s just asleep… Wait! He’s asleep? What am I gonna do?” Then he had an idea. He picked up Bendy, placing him on his back and trying his best to wrap the coat around him. Estelle watched from afar, the sweet sight had caught her eye. Bendy laid his head on his shoulder as he rode on Cuphead's back.

Estelle walked over to help out, “Fell asleep again I see. He lives on the next block to the right, the little black house with the white windows. His brother should be home.” —Cuphead began to walk off—”Oh, wait! He’s a light sleeper, so be sure not to be too loud.”

“Thanks, Stells,” said Cuphead. Before they left, she patted Bendy’s head and waved them a hearty goodbye.

“Okay, to the right, black house with white windows… Got it,” he said under his breath. 

Snore~!

The loud snore startled Cuphead, when he realized it was Bendy, he tried to contain his laughter. Such a loud sound from such a little man, he couldn’t help but find it funny. He tried to contain the laughter, letting out little giggles. He took a deep breath, “Don’t laugh, don’t laugh, don’t laugh!”

He continued on. Bendy, half asleep, mumbled, “Where’re we goin’?”

“I’m taking you home, Bends,” said Cuphead

“On the first night? You’re bold, aren’t cha,” Bendy teased playfully.

Cuphead got a bit embarrassed by the forward comment, even blushing a bit. He tried to dodge the question, “Look, we’re here!” 

“Mhm~” Bendy grumbled. Cuphead knocked on the door, “Hello? Is Boris here?” —no answer—”I’ve got your brother!” Suddenly, footsteps came pounding towards the door, progressively getting louder. The door swung open and Boris stood there, “Is he okay? Where is he?”

“Yeah, take a breath, pup. He’s right here,” Cuphead turned around and Boris picked up Bendy, who was sleeping soundly.

Boris glanced up at Cuphead, “Thanks a lot for bringing him home. I know he can be—a lot.”

Cuphead smiled and rubbed the back of his head, “Ey! Don’t mention it.”

Bendy snored loudly, Boris sighed deeply, “Stay here a sec?” Boris walked into the house laying down Bendy on the couch and covering him with a blanket. He came back to the door, “Yep, that’s my brother—anything we can do to thank you?”

“Nah, just come visit The Velvet Hammer again! We’d love to have youse two,” crowed Cuphead.

“I’m not that big on alcohol, but I could get something to eat,” replied Boris.

“That’s perfect! See ya soon,” Cuphead exclaimed while running off, looking behind him and waving Boris goodbye.

“O-oh, bye!” Boris shouted back, waving him goodbye. “The Velvet Hammer, huh? I guess I could go.”

CHAPTER END inspired by @flygutzz, @nortsauce, @myth-of-the-machine !!!!