MOTM: The Lost Brother AU!
The city remained silent in the young night; the streets were lonely, with very few toonsโalmost none. The cold of the night prompted the citizens to return to their homes and rest, though the lights were not turned off in every house. The moon shone faintly behind the clouds; a wolf stared at the sky from the window with tired eyes and a wretched look. The nostalgia in his room was a black hole consuming himโฆ
Five. Five were the nights he had been dreaming of the same thing; five, the number of times he cried that night; five, the times someone in that house had visited to ask how he was; five, the times he had refused help; five, the years that had passed since he last saw his brother. His eyes sparkled under the moonlight, glistening at the memory of the one he had loved all his life and lost without warning. It was too late, no one would come up to check on him, so he felt free to drown in his melancholy, his sad and miserable melancholy. What would Bendy think if he saw him like this? How pathetic and whiny the dog had becomeโmore than he already wasโ; he could not stop his tears at that cruel thought. He longed for his brother: the comfort, the smile, that brotherly love that guided him forward; the one that was no longer there.
He stood up, weary, and his heavy footsteps led him out of the room toward the kitchen with the little energy he had. He poured himself a glass of water to swallow the lump in his throat and try to go back to sleep. The noises in the house were not something that truly upset him, as they were common, although hearing his things fall and hearing viscous sounds was something that had him puzzled. He decided not to think much about that; his mind had already worked too hard. He just walked back to his room with the desire to lie down, turn off his brain, dream of something that would help him carry on the next day, and avoid thinking so much aboutโฆ
"Bendyโฆ?" The wolf's voice came out trembling, in shock.
On the ceiling of his room, a recognizable figure seemed to be hanging, stuck to the wall; it stared at him and Boris mirrored its gaze. The glass fell from his hands, shattering into pieces. Before he could say anything else, that ink being began to flee, exiting through the window. The wolf didn't take long to react, following it until he stopped in front of the frame, leaning out his head to try and see the one he swore was his brother again. It had to be him; he finally had him there againโฆ but he was gone just as he arrived.
A groan of pain pulled Boris from his trance; he turned toward the door, seeing the two cups and the fossil right there, worried and expectant. He looked down, noticing the fresh cut on Cuphead's foot; that groan must have been his, he had stepped on glassโฆ His glass! He had let the glass fall. He left the window to approach the group, embarrassed by the commotion and the incident he was responsible for.
"Hey, buddy, you okay? Another rough nightโฆ?" the cup said with that characteristic smile.
"Another dream about Bendy? Want some company?" the fossil added with sweetness, her proposal being the same one that had helped him the night before.
Everyone was worried, though somewhat used to it; the cups took care of him now more out of habit than obligation, and Shelly was simply very sweet to everyone. They had been hearing the canine's dreams and delusions about his brother for a long time, calling out to him or swearing he saw him, confusing people or shadows with that little devil, although Boris himself realized his error instantly.
"I saw Bendy, he was hereโฆ" the wolf muttered, expecting them not to believe him.
When he tried to lift the injured cup to sit him on his bed, he felt pats on his back; they tried to be comforting, but at that moment they were just confirmation of their lack of faith. He knelt to check on Cuphead, pulling out a shard of glass that had barely managed to embed itself and bandaging the wound. As he did so, he received nothing but repeated consolations; he barely realized how repetitive they were, but that didn't make them any less valuable, although at that moment it felt frustrating to be right. He lifted his head, looking at the other with a serious expression and a firm tone.
"I saw him, Cuphead. I'm not crazyโฆ not this time."
"Well, maybeโฆ but he's not here now and it's too late to try to find him; you'd better rest now," Cuphead maintained that calm tone and gave gentle strokes on the wolf's shoulder.
"I don't intend to let my brother wander aloneโฆ he looked scaredโฆ lostโฆ" the wolf released, worried and somewhat anxious.
"Boris, dear, think about it betterโฆ if you rest, we can all go together tomorrow; we can't just carry Cups with that foot," said the fossil, getting a "HEY!" in response from the red cup.
"I'll go alone; he's my brother, after all. You don't have to follow me if you don't want to," the wolf held his ground; he was stubborn, even getting ready to leave.
"Boris, pleaseโฆ" the fossil tried to stop him, although Mugman tightened up, approaching the wolf with firmness.
"Boris, Bendy is dead," the mug stated without any fear.
His brother and the fossil kept their gaze on them, worried by Mugman's words. Boris's reaction didn't take long to appear: his tail tucked between his legs and his mouth slightly showing his fangs in a grimace while he growled. The tension between the two was palpable; a crushing war of stares that only broke at Mugman's heavy sigh, as he walked away, shoving his hands into his pant pockets.
"Listen, I know it's hard, but it's better if you learn to let him go; you're just hurting yourself nowโฆ Rest, Boris," another one who just gave a few pats on his shoulder.
Mugman approached his brother, helping him up to go back to sleep. Cuphead gave a wink toward the canine, a signal enough to understand that he could trust him; at least it managed to lower his frustration, but only a little. He looked down, waiting to be left alone, until he felt the fossil's arms wrap around himโa hug so sweet that he felt true peace for a few minutes; his arms wrapped around her, responding to the gesture.
"I believe you, Boris; I'll go with you and help you understand everything, but take care of yourself, okay? Restโฆ" she expressed with that sweetness everyone recognized.
The canine's tail moved softly from side to side; he squeezed his grip with sweetness and hid his face in the girl's shoulder. Soft sobs sounded as her caresses provided comfort.
"It's not necessary; I'm happy to help."
Without further ado, the lady carefully pulled away from the hug to then walk calmly to the bedroom door.
"I'll clean this up; lie down, it's lateโฆ"
The wolf nodded, and the fossil managed to leave calmer, trusting that the wolf was being honest. Once alone, he turned his gaze back to the window; he walked back to the edge, leaning his head out and returning his view to the moon, then to the ink stains on the wall. Were they always there? They were inside his room too; no one noticed them because of the commotion. He felt curious, confused, puzzled, but above all, hopeful.
"Five yearsโฆ I lost you five years ago, and then you came back only to leave againโฆ I missed you so muchโฆ"
@myth-of-the-machine by @nortsauce and @flygutzz !
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