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Chapter Text

(Batim and fgod crossover ( I love making these crossovers lmao) hope y'all enjoy!)

It was pretty funny how things change over time. Especially for a being who couldn't age..

He remembered being born in a world of black and white. The world was so great, him not having a care in the world. He loved being raised up in a world were anything is possible.. He enjoyed the pranks he casted on the towns folk, enjoyed how aggravated they would get at him.

He loved his friends.. It was such a nice time, the greatest time of his life actually.

But, as the saying goes... All good things must come to an end.

A tear in reality appeared in front of him, it leading to a dark abyss.. At first, he was confused by it, him tilting his head as curiosity filled him.

He realized too late that he should've ran as far as he could from it... Chains of a yellow color went out of it, the chains floating in the air as if controlled by something. They had latched onto his arms, his pie-cut eyes widening as they dragged him through the tear.

When he came to, he realized he was no longer in his world. He had woken up in some kind of colored room in front of a machine, black ink leaking from it. He sorta had color now, his glove a off-white brownish coloration. The chains were now invisible, although he could still feel them there. He had shivered, fear filling him.

Then a man entered the room... The man was not like those in his world. This man looked more.. Real. 3d in fact.

The man said that he was his creator, said that he finally found a way to talk to his creation.

There was a tone behind that smile that scared him...

The man called him 'Bendy', even though that wasn't what he remembered his name being.

That man caused so much pain... He forced others into the 3d world, experimented on them.. Hell, he even managed to make his employees carbon copies of the toons..

There was never another Bendy though... Not once.

The man ended up causing the studio to close down once one of the animators left...

The animator had came back of course, that inadvertently causing lots of loops to occur.  Lets just say, it kinda broke him... Alot.

He ended up crying once, having to lose his friends over and over again... Having to kill over and over again.

And the bad part is? Only him and the animator remembered. No one else did...

Eventually, he just stopped. He couldn't handle the strain of the memories anymore. So he hid in the machine, not once going out..

That was his mistake. Some.. Entity had noticed him. They then plucked him out of that 3d world and put him in a bright as fuck void with nothing in it for miles.

They said it was punishment for going against his fate... He yelled at them, saying that being stuck in a time loop for all eternity was a horrible fate to endure. Yelled for them to let him go. Yelled for them to change his fate for the better..

They listened and changed his fate.. But the only difference was that his new fate was just as bad or worse than the old one.

He was to become a destroyer of worlds, fated to destroyer worlds to keep balance. Him unable to escape...

He was forced to change his name.. They forcefully changed his appearance to match his new role. He gained new abilities, his old ones being stolen from him... They broke his mind even more....

He became an aBoMiNaTiOn, a gLiTcH.

And his name? His name was now Error....

Chapter Text

Being a destroyer has a lot of downsides. Everyone hates you. Everyone is afraid of you. You have to kill people and destroy their home. You become broken.

There's more, but it's too many to list. Essentially, it's a shitty job. 

Error huffed, glaring hatefully at the invisible chains on his wrists. He can still feel their weight, how tight they are against his bones. He can't take them off, hell he can't even touch them. Yet he knows they're there…

He hates them…. Yet, despite that, it's one of the last things he has left from his old world , funnily enough. One of the only things Fate couldn't take away. 

Fate , no matter how hard they tried, couldn't get rid of them. They were permanent essentially, unable to be messed with.

Maybe it was due to him still being in the 3d realm, or it could be due to him not being in his old world. Whatever the case , he was reluctantly glad they stayed. It showed him that he wasn't just imagining his old life.

He sighed softly, looking away to stare up at the stars around him. Outertale was always peaceful, no one bothered him here. He could just sit on this cliff for hours, stargazing in happy solitude. 

… There was moments where he would reminisce about his old life. How different it was… and how similar. 

He missed it…. But at the same time, he was glad he could go to all these new places, and learn many new things. Like slang and how different his own time period is compared to the now. 

It was shocking when he found out he was taken out of time and placed in a new one. Originally, he was from the 1960s. And now? Well, now time differs between aus. Most of them are in the 2000s to 2020s. Some are in 20XX as well.

He had to get used to a bunch… like how phones were wireless now and much more easy to carry. And computers were way faster now too.

… speaking of he needs to check his notifications.

He pulled out his phone, it having a galaxy ink splatter phone case. He turned it on and unlocked it, check through his notifs.

Alot of it was just memes on discord from Fresh. The destroyer snorted, amusement on his face as he viewed everyone's reactions.

He may not act like it, but he enjoys stuff like this. It amused him endlessly. 

A portal opened, gaining the destroyer's attention. He hid his phone quickly, his head turning towards the direction. He almost had to fully turn the full 180, which would've hurt… He misses not having a neck. Things were so much easier without one. 

He heterochromic gaze met another Heterochromic gaze and he groaned in annoyance, him turning away with a frown," WhAt tHe HeLl Do yOu wAnT?" 

Ink spoke cheerfully, undeterred by the glitch's annoyance towards him," I just wanted to say hi! Heard from Outer that you were here and I wanted to hang out!" 

Of course Outer knew he was here… At least the space themed skeleton left him to his own devices.. 

He grumbled, but made no move to leave. Ink apparently took that as a sign that he was welcome and happily moved to sit next to the slightly taller. 

It was surprisingly silent from then on, Ink seemingly content with just sitting there stargazing.

The ex-toon knew something was up. Ink could never sit still, and the creator hates silence. What was going on with him?

Error sent Ink a look, deciding to voice his inquiries,"... You aren't here just to hang out , are you? I know you, and sitting still along with silence isn't exactly your thing. What's bothering you?"

Ink jumped, staring wide-eyed at the destroyer as if he was a deer in headlights. Ink was startled by the observation apparently.

The shorter skeleton stuttered, trying and failing to lie to him," Wh-what? Pshhh , what are you talking about! Can't I hang out with m-my best friend???"

Best friend.

Ink's wording bugged him. Ink hasn't called him his 'best friend' in years. That spot was currently belonging to Dream. Error narrowed his eyes," Ink, I'm not stupid. Something is clearly up with you. What are you not telling me?"

Ink stared, his eyelights becoming white pinpricks. Most would be unnerved by this, but Error wasn't most people. He could tell when Ink was pissed or extremely scared even if both of those involved the white pinpricks…

It was sadly the latter. Meaning something happened either to or around the creator. 

The destroyer poked Ink's chest, very pointedly giving him a look while trying to ignore the pricking sensation that the touch gave him on his finger," Tell me…. From the looks of it, whatever happened was serious."

Ink drooped then, a exasperated sigh leaving him. He slouched, looking away as he spoke quietly,".... The council… they… they want you gone."

Gone? What they hell did he mean by gone ?

Error's brows knitted together in confusion, his head slightly tilted," Gone..?"

Ink nodded, bringing his knees to his chest," Yeah.. Gone… They want to get rid of you… said you destroyed too much of the multiverse…. They… they want to kill you, Error." Tears started pooling in the creator's eyesockets, him holding back the sob that wanted to escape. He buried his head in his knees, his body starting to shake," I dunno what to do… " 

Error stared at his old friend, mixed emotions stirring in him. The council wanted to kill him.. 

On one hand, he's surprised it took them this long to want to. He's destroyed a lot of aus over the years, someone was bound to get sick of it eventually. 

On the other, it made his soul twist with an unknown anger. Anger that they specifically told Ink that. They knew how Ink saw Error, how close the two are. Even though Ink hasn't called him his best friend in a while, that didn't mean they still weren't friends. They cared about one another. Everyone knew that.

And yet… They told the creator that they wanted Error gone for good. They knew that saying that would upset the protector. It made the ex toon want to rip them apart . 

"... Who… who exactly told you this," Error said slowly, barely concealing his rage. 

Ink hugged his knees closer, his voice a soft mumble," .. Dream did… He.. He was there during the meeting.. He felt like I deserved to know, seeing as we're friends and all. I wasn't allowed to go to the meeting…"

Understanding filled the destroyer, as well as realization. 

Dream, even though he tended to not see eye to eye with guardian at times, was a good person. The council forbade ink from going to the meeting due to him being Error's friend probably, but that didn't stop Dream…

The glitch didn't know whether if he should pat the Guardian on the back or punch him. He might do both, seeing as he is still pissed about someone upsetting the shorter skeleton. But, Dream had good intentions from what he could tell, so he didn't feel completely inclined to full on punch him…

He took a deep breath to steel his nerves, him sitting up straighter," Ink… I need to know everything you know about what happened during that meeting. Can you do that for me?"

Ink slowly lifted his head, his light blue eyelights looking at the destroyer. He sniffled, nodding,"... O-ok….."

The council planned to ambush him in Outertale. 

Error felt an inhuman growl leave his throat, him glaring angrily at his void's ceiling. Of course they chose one of his favorite resting spots. The irony of the place being where they planned his downfall didn't escape him.

Ink was at Blue's place currently, Error pretty much forcing him to go there after Ink explained everything he knew.  Ink protested of course, but Error brought up the fact that the next few days were going to be dangerous for the creator to stick around. He didn't want to see Ink get caught up in the middle of this and get hurt..

Blue would keep Ink safe, and make sure the council wouldn't go after him next. 

You see, there's one rule amongst the aus, that being you don't mess with the originals. If they are keeping an outcode in their au, it's best to leave them alone. Otherwise you might just lose your head if you're not careful. 

He sighed, lowering one of the many items he held up in the many strings that decorated the void's ceiling. 

It was a puppet.. Well, it was more like a doll but he called them puppets. This one happened to be an old one, so old that it was starting to lose its coloration.

It was a small Boris puppet he made a few months after becoming the destroyer. He was tired that day, him needing a break from destroying for a whole month without rest.

He decided to experiment, wanting to see if he could get a hobby out of all this or not. Making the doll was.. Surprisingly natural to him. It was as if it was second nature, like he's done it a hundred times. But it was the first time he ever made one.. It brought a smile to his face, excitement filling him at successfully making something.

He studied it, a small hum leaving him as a sad smile formed on his face," Bud, you look like you need some touch ups…" 

He gently touched the fabric that made the doll, his magic sparking as he focused. Color started to bleed back onto the doll, as if years of wear was getting reversed. In a way, it was.

He grinned when the Boris doll looked brand new, as if he just made it. He pat the doll's head," There ya go, all better now…" He then sighed, setting the doll beside him as he stared up at the void's ceiling once more. 

…. What the hell is he supposed to do? He can't just walk willy nilly into the ambush while obviously knowing it was going to happen. And he didn't want to bother any of his friends…

Nightmare and his gang are already dealing with some bullshit, so he didn't want to put more on them. 

Ugh, he has to do this alone.. Which means he's stuck. 

He can't enter Outertale again, not until he knows how to go about this. 

… Fresh might know what to do. 

Now normally, Error wouldn't go to Fresh at all. Fresh isn't really the type of person who helps during situations like this. Hell, he isn't even close to the parasite, they are just discord buddies. 

…. But this isn't a normal situation. In fact, it was an unknown situation that he didn't know what to do about. 

He took in a deep breath as he sat up, him pulling out his phone. He unlocked the phone, his finger quickly tapping the app. He then went to his private messages with Fresh.

AzureIsANicEColor: Yo fresh, I need some advice.

RadicalSkeleBoi: Watchu need? Ya know I don't do advice much, broski. 

AzureIsANicEColor: I know. But there's a situation that I don't know how to go about. The council are planning on ambushing me in Outertale, Ink told me what he heard from Dream. Outertale is one of my go to spots, ya know? Can't go back while knowing they're going to ambush me there, but I also don't want to have to leave one of my favorite safe spots just because I'm gonna be ambushed. What should I do?

It took a bit for Fresh to respond, but Error was a patient type of person. He can't rush this, that's for sure. 

RadicalSkeleBoi: Honestly, I say tell as many of your friends about this as possible. In case something happens, ya know? And then prepare yourself for an ambush if ya plan on visiting Outertale. Is yer go to spot hidden?

AzureIsANicEColor: Yeah. Only Ink and Outer know where it is. No one else has been able to figure it out so far. 

RadicalSkeleBoi: Good. Make sure Outer doesn't spill where it is. And then see if ya can make it even more hidden, maybe somethin to protect the area, like a barrier. 

AzureIsANicEColor: that sounds good…. Thanks Fresh. 

RadicalSkeleBoi: No problemo , bro! Good luck.

AzureIsANicEColor: Hopefully 

He exited the app, him sitting up with a grin. Man, he should get advice from the parasite more often. That helped way more than he thought it would.

He has to hurry though, make sure the council hasn't already gotten to Outer yet. 

He stood, using his strings to lift the Boris doll into the air once more before making a portal in front of him.

Error yelped, ducking the blast from the gasterblaster nearby. He hissed, dodging the many attacks that surrounded him.

Ok, this was a terrible idea. The council had gotten to Outer faster than Error expected. Like… way faster. They ambushed the destroyer the moment the glitch exited the portal. 

Another bad thing? Their attacks were coordinated, them pushing him back towards the void of all places.

That showed him two things. One, they didn't want his blood to be actually on their hands. Two, their 'execution' for him was death by void/death by being ripped apart molecule by molecule. 

He was losing ground… If he didn't do something soon, He'll be falling into the void. This was a bad situation…

Fuck, he needed backup. But… he didn't want his friends to get hurt too. 

He growled, it pure static as he kept dodging. 

Eventually, he couldn't keep dodging. He was slow now, only barely being able to dodge the blasts..

It was all for not, a blast hitting him straight in the chest and flinging him backwards into the void.

He yelled out, eyes wide in surprise. The last thing he saw before his vision faded was stars..

Chapter Text

When Error woke up, he felt sick. He was lightheaded, and when he tried to open his eyes all he could see was spots. He softly groaned, going onto his side as he lifted his hands to his head. It didn't help much. 

…. He should be dead. Like, ripped apart molecule by molecule kind of dead. Why wasn't he? 

There was a humming nearby, it sounded like a familiar tune. His head was swimming too much to even try to figure out why the tune felt familiar..

The humming soon stopped , as if realizing he was waking up. Damn, he wanted the humming to continue… It felt soothing to his pounding head.

He felt someone's hand touch his forehead, as if checking his temperature. He flinched hard at the touch, his glitches increasing at it. The hand pulled away, the person it belonged to mumbling thoughtfully. There was an undertone of.. Worry? Concern? Why would they be concerned?

He heard the person speak quietly with someone, there being a pause before the sound of fading footsteps echoed in the air. He curled up, pressing his head into what felt like a pillow in hopes of easing his head ache. It barely helped. 

The person sighed sadly, and he could feel someone's gaze on him. The weird thing was, he didn't feel uncomfortable. It was.. Comforting instead? What the fuck?

He could hear them whisper something, but he couldn't tell what they said. They went silent again after that, the only sounds being his glitches.

His body was in and out of consciousness for a while, and each time he could hear someone either talking quietly or humming. A banjo also played at some points as well, but that was few and far in between. 

It felt like eternity before he managed to stay conscious, his body slowly waking itself up. He slowly opened his eyes, grateful that the room he was in wasn't full of bright lights.   Well, at least his head wasn't pounding like earlier. That was a relief.

He sat up, his hand holding his head as he used his other hand to rub the sleep out of his eyes. He blinked as he finished, him looking around in confusion. He appeared to be in some kind of…  sleeping quarters? Bedroom that wasn't a bedroom? It looked lived in, there being a hammock in the corner with an open chest underneath it. There was an area that was fenced off, a pair of what looked to be overalls hanging on it. His gaze spotted a clock hanging on the wall, him have to do a double take as his eyes widen.

The clock fit the environment.. But he was surprised to find it being a bendy the dancing demon clock. Aka, a clock of himself.. 

His gaze wandered around the room again, him now noticing small details he didn't notice before.

Everything looked like a 3d sketch, almost similar to a cartoon. 

He tensed, his eyes widening even more as he slowly lowered his hand from his head. Holy shit, he's back at the studio.

He didn't know whether to cry in relief or curse the void itself. I mean, he could probably do both if he wanted to. 

He quickly looked at his body, a gasp of delight leaving him as tears formed in his eyes. He.. He wasn't a skeleton anymore, that much was obvious. And he wasn't in that terrifying form of his from when he was in the studio either. 

The cot he was laying on was much bigger than himself. He was wearing tap dancing shoes, his white gloves, and his bowtie. He.. He was back to being his toon self. From before Joey brought him to the 3d world.

The only difference was that his glitches still lingered, and he was wearing his old jacket. He couldn't see the blue on it anymore though, the color having been replaced by grey. 

His tears fell , and he stubbornly tried to wipe them away… That sadly didn't stop them, it instead made them run faster. He hid in his jacket, him silently crying as he buried his head into the soft fabric. 

Soon he felt arms around him, him instantly glitching with a flinch at the touch. His head shot up, his eyes wide in shock as he looked at whoever was hugging him.

He recognized him immediately, the sight of the old animator causing even more tears to well up and fall. 

Henry hadn't changed one bit since the last time he saw the old man.. Although, given how this place was stuck in a cycle, it wasn't all that surprising. Henry was smiling softly, his eyes kind while hiding a sadness in them. He was now whispering sweet reassurances to the toon, said toon feeling like he was about to start ugly crying or something. 

The destroyer(or was it exdestroyer now? Was he finally free from that curse of a job? He didn't know) buried his head into his creator's chest, his form shaking as he released several lifetimes worth of pain and agony filled tears.. 

He still couldn't stand touch, him struggling to even keep himself from crashing at this moment… But he didn't want to frighten his creator. Nor did he want to let him go..

So he just hugged back and cried, Henry's hand petting between his horns in a comforting motion..

Chapter Text

Error blinked awake groggily, confusion filling him. What happened..?

He was curled up on a cot, his head laying on someone's lap…

He woke up more when he remembered what happened. Oh… oh shit he's back in the studio. He sat up, his pie-cut eyes wide as he quickly looked around. He was still in the same room he was before, although this time he could see Henry was there too. The old animator was currently sleeping sitting up, his head leaning back against the wall as soft breaths left him.

Henry.. Stayed? Why would he..

Did.. Did he know? Did he remember that Error was the ink demon?

So far, it didn't seem like it. Maybe he thought Error was just a random copy that happened to be on model a bit..

But who knows , maybe he did.  

He.. He should let Henry sleep. From what he remembered, the old man never got much rest.. 

Error quietly got off the bed, making sure not to wake his creator as he headed out of the room. It led to a small hall, and from there he could hear music. He blinked, quickly making his way into the direction of the sounds.

He poked his head into the room, eyes widening when he saw that there was someone dancing.

By someone he means Boris. The Wolf was smiling, his feet a blur as the song continued to play from the gramophone that he was in front of.

He recognized that dance… It was the shuffle Boris used to always do in the 2d world, Error even remembered the toon teaching him it at some point.

… This might not be the same Boris.. This studio was filled with copies, none of which were the actual toon. It hurt to admit but it was true…

He slowly made his way into the room, him silent as he walked closer to the Wolf. Boris paid him no mind, as if he hadn't noticed the small toon. Which, was odd seeing as Error's glitches gave off sound. 

The toon ended up sitting at the table, seeing as he had nothing better to do. Then he watched the Wolf, curious to see what other moves the taller toon had. 

It took the Wolf what felt like an hour to even notice Error, the Wolf having jumped a few feet off the ground like in one of the cartoons. The tall toon had slapped his hand over his chest, his heart beat so loud even from a few feet away the glitch could hear it. 

Error's eyes widened, worry filling him," aRe yOu oK?? " Even if this was most likely a copy, it was still a Boris.. He couldn't help but worry.

The other was trying to calm himself, his pie-cut eyes slowly expanding back to their normal size as he did so. The small demon had stood up by the point, him heading over to the other to check up on him. The Wolf looked down at him curiously now, a small tilt to his head as he knelt to Error's level. 

Now that he was calmed down, the Wolf smiled happily. He had nodded to the smaller's question, Error breathing a sigh of relief," ThAt'S gOoD.. SoRrY fOr sCaRiNg yOu , BoRiS. I uH.. DiDn'T wAnNa iNtErRuPt.. YoU lOoKeD lIkE yOu wErE hAvInG fUn.." 

The taller waved off the concern, patting the glitched toon's head to show it was alright. He paused when Error flinched at the touch, his glitches getting worse, it becoming his turn to feel concern as it formed on his face. Error shifted back a little, attempting to hide the fact that the touch hurt. 

The Wolf toon tilted his head again, this time in a way that showed that he was asking if Error was alright. Error gave a hesitant smile, it wobbly at best as he attempted to reassure the taller toon," y-YeAh, I'm Ok… i.. Uh.. JuSt DoN't LiKe ToUcH mUcH… "

Understanding flashed on the others face, his ears going down a bit . The tall toon still smiled though, nodding to show that he understood. The wolf touched his own arm before mimicking a wince, and then pointing at the smaller toon.

Error paused for a moment, surprised to see that Boris seemed to understand that touch hurt.. Did touch hurt the other too? Why?

Error nodded slowly,reluctant as he stared up at the other,"... UmM.. YeAh, It DoEs… DoEs.. DoEs It HuRt FoR yOu ToO..?"

Boris made a fifty-fifty motion with his hand, giving a small shrug as he did. The other poked himself once with a shake of his head. And then repeated the action on his other arm and mimicked a wince once more.

You know, even after years of not being near a Boris, Error was immensely glad he still could understand what the toon attempts to say with gestures. Maybe it was because of the toon world.. 

" So, It OnLy SoMeTiMeS hUrTs..? AnD iT oNlY hApPeNs wHeN cErTaIn PeOpLe ToUcH yA?", Error asked to make sure he got that right, Boris nodding again with a big smile. His form had tensed up a bit though at the question, which led the glitched toon to assume that he was starting to get uncomfortable..

Well, that made sense. But, it also made some more concern fill him. Who's touch hurt the tall toon..? Why did it hurt him? It couldn't quite be the same as his own problem, seeing as his glitches made touch hurt.. 

Maybe it was because the person hurt him before? And now everytime they touch he feels pain because his body expects it?... Damn, that was specific… 

… it could be true though. He remembered once that he heard the corrupted angel screech over the intercoms that she 'wouldn't let Henry take her boris'... He inwardly cringed at that by the way. 

.. Did she hurt him?... He'll have to think more on that later. He has a wolf that needs a change of subject to deal with now. 

He nodded back to show he understood, him humming," I sEe… HeY, CaN yOu sHoW mE tHaT dAnCe yOu WeRe dOiNg eArLiEr?  It SeEmEd fUn… "

Boris perked up, him nodding again quickly as he stood and headed back over to the gramophone. The smaller toon followed behind him, glad that the suggestion brought the wolf's spirits up…

Chapter Text

It was what had to have been a couple months of Henry staying with Boris in the safe room when they found him.

The two were looking for food at the time, gathering as much as they could hold to hopefully hold them off longer, so they wouldn't have to leave the safehouse completely.

Henry knew they'd have to leave eventually. It was part of the script, they always left. He only wished to prologue the inevitable for just a bit longer… It hurt, knowing what happened next. It always did. Knowing that he couldn't stop it due to the script's influence…

He hated the script, and hated that Joey made it this way.

…. Something felt off then.

He paused in his rummaging of one of the machines scattered about that usually carried bacon soup cans, his hands stilling their motions as he focused. There was something pulling at him.. like a thread. A connection…

At first, he couldn't tell what exactly it was. But then… he felt it. Impressions of words, strong emotions just barely out of reach.

The thread was connected not to something, but someone.

And that someone was hurting. The thread screamed, even if faintly, that the person was in pain. Pain-hurts-helpme-agony-unsafe-danger-fight, Those all were felt deep inside Henry's chest. It almost caused him to feel dizzy from the strength of them all.

The fact those emotions were so faint and yet so strong made Henry feel sick. 

Everyone in the studio was suffering. There was no denying that… But this one… Whoever it was, they needed help. Desperately.

And Henry had never been one to willingly leave someone in that kind of state.

He wanted to free everyone. That's been his goal this entire time. Whether that was freeing them from the prison of a realm itself or freeing them from their suffering, he desperately wanted to achieve it..

..The script has yet to force them down its path. To force Henry down its path…

Perhaps this was a chance to finally help at least one person. To free them from their suffering without the script's influence…

He was moving before he even finished that thought.

Boris, having noticed Henry's pause, followed after the old animator with confusion in his expression. He may be the silent type of toon, but he definitely expressed himself in other ways. The wolf easily kept pace with the other, him trying to silently ask what Henry was up to with a tilt of his head.

He didn't explain. He just walked, following that thread, those feelings, to its source. They were going down hall after hall, around corners, beelining for the person who was hurting so much.. 

Henry froze the moment he laid eyes on the source of it all. 

The two of them wound up in one of the many abandoned offices of the studio, although not one Henry recognized. He'd never went this way before, never really had a reason to… The room itself was ordinary. It had a desk, file cabinets, a bookshelf or two, some candles scattered about…

Well. Almost ordinary unless you count the giant well of ink that was set in front of one of the Bendy statues Henry respawned at in the middle of the room and a collapsed toon in front of said well that looked like he got dragged out of it, judging by the ink that trailed from the well to where the toon laid on the ground out cold.

The thing was… This toon? It was a Bendy. An on model Bendy.

The only being close to Bendy had been the Ink Demon, who's been missing for what had to be years worth of loops. But never had there been another Bendy, an on model one at that. 

.. not exactly on model though. Appearance wise, yes it was. But there were additions that were definitely not on the reference sheet or in the cartoons.

Like the gradiented from dark grey to light grey zip up jacket the little toon was wearing, and the weird shapes floating around his body including the word ‘Error’. And the additional tail attached to him with a pen-nib tip that laid limp beside him.

But it was as close to the original Bendy one could ever get. Probably the closest anyone would get. 

That is what caused Henry to still. A Bendy that had never been seen before in any loop appeared. And Henry could feel him, like a sixth sense. Those feelings were stronger than before, and there were smaller, buried feelings poking between the previous ones.. Scared being one of them.

Just what had this poor toon been through…? Why had he shown up now…?... Why could Henry feel him?

He belatedly realized that Boris had froze at the door as well, pie-cut eyes wide and watery. That expression… Henry had never seen it on Boris before. Not this Boris anyways… He looked like he was seeing a ghost, like he was seeing someone he hadn't seen in a long long time… longing flickered briefly before being replaced by pure relief and something clicking.

Henry hardly registered how Boris seemed to jolt and rush over to the small toon, the wolf gently gathering him up in his arms and looking him over up and down as if searching for injuries and just to see if the lil toon was real. There weren't any visible injuries, Henry couldn't see any obvious ones anyways..

Boris was cradling Bendy close soon after, big crocodile tears rolling down his face as his lower lip wobbled. The reaction made Henry realize that maybe, Boris recognized Bendy..

The question was in what way…

…He'd have to worry about that later though. The currently unconscious toon in Boris’ hold was the main concern at the moment. Henry shook himself, the old man forcing his feet to move. Those emotions he could feel from the small toon nagged at him, made his heart clench with despair at the thought of the little toon being in pain.. of being hurt by something.

The toon's breaths were shallow, you couldn't even barely see them unless you looked closely. A sense of urgency flowed over the animator, him meeting Boris' tearfilled gaze. He spoke, his voice matching the urgency he felt,” We need to take him to the safehouse.”

Boris nodded without an ounce of hesitation, his arms wrapped even more around the smaller toon, almost cocooning him in a way. 

They headed back after without missing a beat.

Henry had a feeling that things were changing… he could only hope it was for the better.

Chapter Text

“Boris…”, Error started slowly, him hefting the banjo up a bit more while sending the other a look,” This thing is like twice my height.”

That was a tiny bit of an exaggeration, although it really was longer than Error was tall. As a skeleton, Error would've had no problem holding it. He had his scary form’s height, well the first one that was the twisted height anyways. He didn't have his big scary form’s height as the destroyer..

He is not that height anymore. Hell, he's not even Henry's height, who was pretty short compared to the average human. He's not even Frisk’s height for crying out loud! 

So, indeed, he was gonna complain about it.

Boris silently cackled to Error’s detriment, a big ole grin on his muzzle. He moved Error's hands again to the right positions, completely ignoring the grumbling Toon's complaints as he focused on the task of helping Error hold it.

You see, Henry was asleep, and has been since Error woke up. Which was good, considering the whole ‘Henry never got much rest during the loops’ thing. But anyways, that gave Boris and Error a lot of time to themselves…

They started out playing some games to pass the time, which first was tic tac toe and then cards…

 Tic tac toe was fun enough, they even came up with some rules that made the game more challenging.. The rules were a bit silly, but made it funner as well. Boris somehow always won at tic tac toe. No matter what rules were changed the wolf still managed to beat him at the game.

It wasn't so bad though. Error wasn't a sore loser.. ok so maybe he was a little bit. But the way Boris beamed when he won made the upset vanish and replaced with warmth. 

Error, luckily, managed to actually be good at cards surprisingly enough. Boris had to teach him that particular version of cards, but just like the tic tac toe, they made up some rules for the fun of it. And Error had a win streak that surpassed Henry and Boris'.. Boris was most definitely not a sore loser however, him clapping excitedly when Error won.

They had the rules written down on a sheet of paper, and some of them had a line scribbled through them when the ruling was changed. Error had definitely snuck the paper into one of the inner pockets of his jacket after.

On the table, off to the side, was a scoring for Boris and Henry when they played.. It had quite a lot of tally marks…

They, Henry and Boris that is, must've been in the safe house for a while.

… Which meant sooner or later, they'd have to leave. Obviously, considering that this was definitely not towards the end of the loop. Clearly Henry hadn't run into that other Boris and Alice yet…

Error was not excited for when that came around… especially due to the fact that Error may be forced back into his old role again. He did not miss being the Ink Demon, despite the fact he'd have his tall height again.. He'd honestly rather stay as far away from being forced into that form again as possible… He also did not miss the limp that came with it.

Anyways, they eventually grew bored of playing those games and set to do something else.

Which led Boris to want to teach Error how to play the banjo. And led to their current predicament…

Error huffed, trying to ignore the small tingling sensations that followed Boris' touch. Boris was careful to avoid touching him for long, just long enough to help him with the positioning of his hands.. The glitch was grateful for that. 

Boris, still grinning, nodded in satisfaction once he deemed Error's hands were in place. He leaned back, putting his hand on his chin and dramatically studying Error. Error sat still as Boris did, rolling his eyes at the wolf's behavior but unable to hide the grin growing on his face from the silliness of his friend.

… Were they friends? Did Boris consider them friends…? Did Error consider them friends…?

Error had been friends with his World's Boris.. but… this was most likely not him. Probably a copy or something…

… That thought made an ache grow in his chest. A painful one that made him remember just how much he missed his friend.

He hadn't seen him ever since being brought into the 3d world. He thought he did at one point, but that wasn't his Boris.. None of the ones he saw after were…

He forced himself out of that particular train of thoughts, pushing down the ache and burying it as far down as he could get it. It wouldn't do to end up crying in front of the other..

Instead he focused on watching Boris play an air banjo, mimicking strings being plucked and moving his fingers in a certain way that had to be him showing Error a song. Error watched, tilting his head as he watched Boris' fingers move. Then, a soft hum left him,”.... I.. can try to play that? Can't play it by ear without you having a banjo too though, so don't blame me if I screw this up, ‘kay?”

Boris mimicked patting Error's head, giving him a thumbs up after. 

Error rolled his eyes again, a clear fondness in the movement, before pausing to look down at the instrument he held. He hesitated for a moment, unsureness growing in him.

He hadn't played an instrument in a long time, much less a Banjo which he had never played before… he probably wouldn't even be any good..

Nonetheless, Boris wanted to try to teach him. So the least Error could do was give it a try.

He breathed in a bit, held it, before slowly letting it out before starting to try to follow Boris' instructions…

The notes filled the air instantly, the tune slow due to the way Error was slowly trying to get the right finger movements..

But soon, he realized he recognized this particular melody. It was a simple one, and quite nice to listen to… the notes flowed together smoothly, a tune that was upbeat and also sent someone dancing the moment it could be heard. Even on a different instrument to the one it was originally played on, he recognized it instantly.

Oh, he definitely recognized it. After all, he made the thing himself. In the 2d world. 

He couldn't bring himself to stop until the last note rung out, his fingers stilling as his brain struggled to process what he just played. Boris, none the wiser, was clapping enthusiastically to the song played.

… How did Boris know that song? It couldn't have been from the cartoons, there was no way that could've translated into this world through those…

Only Error and his Boris knew it. That Error knew that for a fact.

Error stared then, his gaze narrowed in thought. 

“... Boris, where did you hear that tune from?”, Once again, his words were slow, carefully chosen. 

Boris paused, his wagging tail stilling for the first time since Error met him in the Safehouse, and he seemed almost reluctant to answer. Except, if Error knew Boris', and he did know them, then the other wouldn't hold back any answers to questions… or withhold information.

After a small moment, Boris lifted his hand and pointed it at Error.

Error froze, eyes widening at the response.

…. Holy shit.

Error knew for a fact he had been the only Bendy at the studio. The first Bendy, and the Last Bendy. Even now, he can tell there had been no other Bendys in his absence.

And he never taught Boris, not any of them, that song as the Ink Demon, which is what he had been since he had been brought into the 3d world.

Error’s mouth went dry, and his body was frozen like he was paralyzed. 

Oh stars…

Boris…

Tears welled up for a second time since he woke up in the safehouse, Boris jolting as Error dropped the Banjo and practically flung himself at the other, tightly wrapping his arms around the bigger toon. Boris' arms hastily caught Error , a shocked and confused expression forming on the other Toon's face. Error's glitches screamed from the touch and tried to spike up the usual pain, but he just didn't care. He forced the pain away, forced himself to not crash, because this Boris was his Boris and he hasn't seen him nor hugged him in literal years. 

He missed him so much, and seeing him again flooded Error with so much emotion that he couldn't stop the sob that left him.

Borid made a small noise, the first he's ever probably made here in this world, him holding Error close as he looked down at the smaller toon hugging his torso with worried furrowed eyes and a small tilt of his head. 

Error sniffled, his tail finding its way to wrap around Boris' torso as well. “... I can't believe I never realized you were here.. all this time…”, He mumbled, mainly to himself.

Despite that, Boris still heard it clear as day, making another increasingly more confused sound in response. 

Error looked up at Boris and grinned, his inky tears flowing down his face as he spoke up,” Boris, it's me! I taught you that song! I made that song!”

Boris blinked, staring at Error for a moment before the words clicked and realization filled him. His eyes widened to the metaphorical size of plates, him gaping as a silent gasp left him. Big crocodile tears started to well up in his eyes, and he ended up squeezing his arms around Error tighter as he started happily nuzzling Error. His tail’s wagging started up a new, making loud thumbs as it hit the back of his chair quickly. 

Error laughed, a genuine, pure laugh bubbling out of him as he buried his face in his first ever best friend's shoulder.