"Inkbound (Bendystraw Fanfic)
Chapter 1: âThe Velvet Hammerâ
âPass me another whiskey, Essie,â said Bendy drowsily.
âGotchaââ 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. âAnother one,â Bendy raised up his finger and waved it around in the air. As if he was demanding it.
âHow about a cup of water instead?â said Estelle, slightly amused by the inky drunkard. She poured him a cold glass with some ice, âHere you go, Bends.â
âUgh~,â 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 wasnât a demon) could.Â
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 ânâ 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. âAnother round,â he exclaimed, pumping both fists up in the air.
âOh Bends, Iâll get Cups to get that for youââshe began to walk offââCups, hon! Bring this troublemaker a cup of water, why donât âcha?â called Estelle, walking towards the second floor stairs.
âYes, maâam!â said Cuphead, pouring a nice glass of cold water. He walked over to Bendy, tapping him on the shoulder. âHereâs your water, sir!âÂ
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.
âHuh, I donât think Iâve seen you here before,â said Bendy, intrigued by the cupheaded, charismatic stranger.
âYeah? Well, thatâs âcause I just started here. Nameâs Cuphead, but if ya want, call me âCupsâ!â 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 Cupheadâs hand and shook it. âYouâre pretty cute, you know?â said Bendy, already drunk and blurting out whatever came to mind.
âYouâre not too bad yourself, Misterââ
âBendyâs the name. Bends is fine too,â 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. âDo those scars have a story?â questioned Bendy.
âNot one thatâs super interesting, Iâd say,â replied Cuphead, eyebrows raised and still staring down at the countertop.
âOh pleaseââhe slammed his hands down on the counterââeveryoneâs got a good story to tell. Ya just gotta find a person whoâll listen. So, tell me,â Bendy said, taking Cupheadâs hand and pulling it closer. Looking up at him with obsidian eyes, he asked, âWhatâs your story?â
Cuphead wore an expression of shock but eased into a smile. âWell, itâs a pretty long storyâyou sure you wanna hear?â he asked, now leaning on the counter. Bendy nodded and sat back in his chair. âYeah, itâs not like Iâve got places to be. Sidesâ, I wanna know more about chaâ.â
Cuphead told the story of how he made a deal with the devilâand 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 âmatureâ 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.
âSo, yeah. Pretty much how my brother and I ended up âround here,â Cuphead said, finishing off his story.
âNow that was interesting. I donât think you and I have the same definition of interesting because that had me on the edge of my seat!â exclaimed Bendy. âHow long have you been living here for?â
âNot too long, my brother and I tend to move. Just trying to find a place to settle down, ya know?â
âI get it, tons of people of all kinds come âround here. They come and go, some donât stay long, while others decide to live their days out in this dump of a town. Iâve lived here my whole life, along with my brother.â
âYouâve got a brother too?â asked Cuphead.
âCourse I do,â âBendy held his thumb to his chest, and puffed proudlyââheâs a great kid. Nameâs Boris, heâs shy but he sticks to his morals. Real nice, youâdâ well, maybe, youâre a bit much for him.â Bendy admitted.
âWhaddya mean by that,â asked Cuphead, raising an eyebrow.Â
âNothing rude, itâs just that after talking to ya. You seem to have a pretty big personality, and wellâmy brother isnât exactly the loud and proud type.â
âHey! Neither is my brother! Maybe Mugman could befriend Boris; thatâd be nice right?â added Cuphead, whose face lit up at the thought. âSpeaking of Mugsy, heâs standing right over there!â
Cuphead pointed to the tall, porcelain cup who stood at the table, holding a pen and paper for jotting down orders. âSee âim? Heâs the one with the sweet striped straw and embroidered club on his chest. Itâs like mine! âCuphead pointed to the red diamond on his chestââExcept mine's a red diamond.â
Bendy followed the direction Cupheadâs 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.
âYou two really do look alike!â Bendy exclaimed, pleasantly surprised by the similarities between the two.Â
âHere Iâll call âim overâ âCuphead cupped his hands around his mouth and shoutedââHey Mugsy! Come over here a secâ!â The bar went silent. Mugman slowly turned towards Cuphead, who was waving his hand in the air like an âidiotâ (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.
âCuphead, you dolt!â said Mugman in an aggressive whisper. âYou couldâve just waited until I walked over or somethinâ! Now everyoneâs staring at us!â
âEh, I ainât too worried about it, âsides, who cares what they think anyway?â
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 âThe 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, âCausing trouble on your first day, I see?â
The cups quickly straightened up. âNo, of course not maâam!,â they said in unison. âHeh, 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.Â
âYe-yeah! Iâll just go put this order in. Excuse me!â 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.Â
âPlease excuse those two,â she said in a velvety voice.Â
Bendy waved his hands, âIt's a perfectly fine miss! You run a fine joint, so no need to worry. Iâm always satisfied with my time here.â He smiled at Estelle who had a grateful look on her face.
âAnyways, thatâs the daily report for today. Everything's running smoothly,â said Estelle to Miss Faye.
âClose up after midnight,â âshe ran finger under Estelleâs chinââSee me at my office once youâre done.â
Estelle blushed as her eyes wandered frantically. She skittered back to her spot behind the bar, âYes maâam,â she said, flustered.
Miss Faye, waved goodbye and walked back up to her office on the second floor where the club was.Â
âWhat was that?â Bendy and Cuphead, who in unison, questioned teasingly, a sly smirk on her face.Â
âNânothing! Sheâs just my boss.â Both Bendy and Cuphead gave her a âyeah, sure,â kind of look.
Estelle walked off to serve another customer, trying to get out of the situation as quickly as possible. âThey seem happy,â commented Cuphead, who was smiling, but it wasnât his usual peppy smile. More bittersweet, as if reminiscing.
âHave you ever been in a relationship? Iâd be surprised if a hottie like you hasnât at least been courted,â said Bendy. He let out a little hiccup; he was already drunk!
âI mean Iâve gotten compliments and stuff, but Iâve never been in a relationship. How about you?â
âYeah, I was with my dance partner, Dandy, for a while but it didnât work out well.â âBendy quieted into a whisperââa little tooâobsessiveâŚâ âhe began to speak normally againââHad a girlfriend a while back too.âÂ
âSo, youâve got experience, ey? Any advice?â
âMake sure your first relationship isnât your last. Find someone who loves you for you,â he said, laying his head down and letting out another hiccup.
Cuphead took that advice to heart, âThanks Bends.â But there was no answer. âBends?â âhe tapped him on the shoulderââBendy?â He nudged him more, but then he heard a snore⌠âPhew! Heâs just asleep⌠Wait! Heâs asleep? What am I gonna do?â 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, âFell 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.â âCuphead began to walk offââOh, wait! Heâs a light sleeper, so be sure not to be too loud.â
âThanks, Stells,â said Cuphead. Before they left, she patted Bendyâs head and waved them a hearty goodbye.
âOkay, to the right, black house with white windows⌠Got it,â he said under his breath.Â
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 couldnât help but find it funny. He tried to contain the laughter, letting out little giggles. He took a deep breath, âDonât laugh, donât laugh, donât laugh!â
He continued on. Bendy, half asleep, mumbled, âWhereâre we goinâ?â
âIâm taking you home, Bends,â said Cuphead
âOn the first night? Youâre bold, arenât cha,â Bendy teased playfully.
Cuphead got a bit embarrassed by the forward comment, even blushing a bit. He tried to dodge the question, âLook, weâre here!âÂ
âMhm~â Bendy grumbled. Cuphead knocked on the door, âHello? Is Boris here?â âno answerââIâve got your brother!â Suddenly, footsteps came pounding towards the door, progressively getting louder. The door swung open and Boris stood there, âIs he okay? Where is he?â
âYeah, take a breath, pup. Heâs right here,â Cuphead turned around and Boris picked up Bendy, who was sleeping soundly.
Boris glanced up at Cuphead, âThanks a lot for bringing him home. I know he can beâa lot.â
Cuphead smiled and rubbed the back of his head, âEy! Donât mention it.â
Bendy snored loudly, Boris sighed deeply, âStay here a sec?â Boris walked into the house laying down Bendy on the couch and covering him with a blanket. He came back to the door, âYep, thatâs my brotherâanything we can do to thank you?â
âNah, just come visit The Velvet Hammer again! Weâd love to have youse two,â crowed Cuphead.
âIâm not that big on alcohol, but I could get something to eat,â replied Boris.
âThatâs perfect! See ya soon,â Cuphead exclaimed while running off, looking behind him and waving Boris goodbye.
âO-oh, bye!â Boris shouted back, waving him goodbye. âThe Velvet Hammer, huh? I guess I could go.â
CHAPTER END inspired by @flygutzz, @nortsauce, @myth-of-the-machine !!!!












