It'd been roughly two months since Bendy's car, and lower leg was mercilously robbed by an ape.

What remained of the Butcher Gang was entirely off the radar, nobody heard so much as a trace around the household.  William suggested that they probably abandoned ship in sheer fear of being hunted down, but Bendy was quick to shoo away the thought.  The demon knew Charley wasn't afraid of something like that.  Even if he wanted nothing more than to squeeze the eyeballs from the chimp's sockets, Bendy couldn't deny that his fearlessness was admirable.  The topic of the Butcher Gang rang high in the air for many weeks to come, with no solid answers in sight.  And while for a certain trio of knuckleheads and a scrawny wolf, that wasn't too big of a concern; for the fiend cooped up in his office all day, it was a completely different story.

Revenge was frequently pondered upon.  Many possibilities of good old fashioned torture thrown in the air as often as a gust.  Although it wouldn't do much good to daydream if nobody in Inkorporates knew where the hell their opponents were in the first place.  Eventually out of desperation, Bendy began to huddle up in his car for hours at a time listening to police scanners that correlated with New York.  For about a week or so, dozens of hours were spent as Bendy doodled, smoked, and listened intensively to the radio.  So much time poured down the drain as his ears craved the sound of any information about the Butcher Gang.  When the results were foggy and hope was beginning to fizzle, Ricky insisted that he should check police reports from all over the east coast.  At first Bendy sneered at merely the idea, but when the same old report of mass decaying cycled repeatedly over a plethora of useless information, he figured it was worth a shot.

Bendy angrily crossed out the caricature he was attempting to replicate on his notebook page, digging the pen deep into the paper for a few moments as his annoyance grew.  After a couple more mindless and furious lines, the demon loosened his shoulders with a huff.  Taking in a few shallow breaths, his tired eyes met with the now scribbled-out figure.  Leaning back in his seat, he lowered his sketchbook before carefully uncrossing his left leg and setting the it neatly beside the gas petals.  Shortly afterwards, his journal was carelessly thrown on the passenger seat with a soft thump.  When Bendy got somewhat comfortable in his spot, he crossed his arms and rested his eyes while he listened in. 

Nothing too jarring from what he could gather; just a few inexperienced toons engaging in B&E.  The fiend chuckled to himself as he listened in; they were youngsters from how it sounded.  For a few moments, the demon was all ears to the loose descriptions. 

Correction, not just youngsters, teenagers. 

Bendy smirked to himself with a few brief shakes of the head as he tried to imagine the scene unfolding in his mind.  The image of three punks scrambling to get over a neighborhood fence was funny enough, but hearing how one of them lost their balance and face planted onto the ground managed to get quite a few chuckles out of the sleepy fiend.

Soft tapping on the passenger side door caused Bendy to pry open one of his eyes to catch a peek at his visitor.  A familiar wolf met his gaze with a gentle expression.  The demon returned the look with a smirk.  Boris shifted his line of sight ever so slightly before prying out the car door. 

"How's the hunt going?" He called, placing a gloved hand over the hood as he leaned in.  Bendy shrugged, "Not great." The fiend mumbled with a huff.  Boris gave a disappointed hum, going quiet for a moment before he scoffed.  "Well that sucks." The wolf replied.  "Where are you checking now?"

"Detroit."

"Got anything?"

Bendy shook his head, "Plenty of entertainment, but nothing on the monkey." The demon responded with a sniff.  Boris blinked for a few moments with a loose shake of the head.  "Dang." The wolf murmured softly. 

"With all the time I've spent in this damn car, I'd use a stronger word than that." Bendy commented as he reached for the ignition and yanked out the key.  Within an instant, the yammering radio stopped dead. 

"Shoot?" Boris questioned, a little louder than his last word.  The demon scoffed sharply with amusement, before reaching over to pop open his door.

Bendy let out a long sigh as he stepped out into the air, a chill creeping into his unbuttoned overcoat.  Instinctively, he shoved his gloved hands in his pockets as he followed after his lanky companion, whom of which bared a coat of his own.  A rare sight, the fiend might add. 

"So what'd you really come out here for?" Bendy questioned as they walked.  Boris licked his chaps for a moment as he remained quiet.

"You won't like it." The canine began slowly. 

"I'm all ears, kid."  The fiend reassured flatly.  Even with the nudge, the wolf was still hesitant to speak.  "You know about Teter, right?"

"Dougy?  He's only driving up my anal cavity twice a week, why?"

"Well," the wolf sheepishly tugged on one of his gloves, "he noticed some of your ink at the scene of a toon found dead by decay."

"And..?"

The wolf gave him a gentle sigh.  "He's tying you in with everything." Boris murmured hushly.  The demon shook his head, bewildered.

"I'm sorry, he's what?" Bendy growled.  The wolf beside him gave a soft nod with a gentle frown.

"He said it was your 'twisted business tactic to get more consumers'." Boris quoted.  The fiend gave a long huff as he rubbed his face, mumbling hush curses under his breath.  Certainly, he had his 'twisted business tactics', but this?  No.  How could Doug possibly be tying all of that to him?  Shouldn't that good-for-nothing detective recognize his work by now?

"Nothing about the Butcher Gang, either." The canine added softly.  Bendy's glare burned into the ground his feet tread.

"Fuck." The demon spat bitterly.  Boris let out a huff through his nostrils.

"Yeah."

They say imitation is the most sincere form of flattery.  Although Bendy was sure what Charley and Edgar were doing was the farthest from flattery.  Framing was a new low, especially for the toons the fiend once called family.  From that point onward, Bendy's hunt got even more furious.  No more dawdling, he was going to find Charley, even if it was the last thing he ever did.  Days on end, the demon would sit in his car.  Cigarette after cigarette, stress-relieving doodle after stress-relieving doodle.  All loose ends under every damn rock he turned, and the untold amount pig snorting was making him fall asleep. 

Fortunately, a sudden report from Chicago caused Bendy to jolt from his boredom.  Originally, the details provided weren't all that new or interesting.  Deadly decay-inflicting bullets on the black market... rise in organized crime... ink that recovers limbs- wait a minute.  Bendy had to doubletake on that last bit.  Recovery of limbs...?  The fiend blinked for a moment as he processed.  Seconds later, his gaze slowly lowered.

Cold eyes stared blankly at a prosthetic.  Furrowing his brows, the demon hesitantly placed a gloved hand on his right knee, tugging on the fabric of his overalls gently to reveal the thick fit of oak fastened to his dismembered limb.  His gaze softened while his shoulders went limp as the radio continued to yammer on.  Chicago, huh.  Bendy glanced over at his notebook while the mindless patrol talk evolved into white noise. 

Picking up the journal and his pen, the fiend loosely wrote the information he recalled for a minute or so before going right back to mindless doodling.  Maybe one day I can take the boys down there and-

A name suddenly came from the lips of an officer through the radio.  Stopping abruptly in his drawing, Bendy's heart skipped a beat.  That shock of which, quickly evolved into nothing but pure, festering anger.

"B-Bendy, I'm not sure it's a good idea running after them all the way in Illinois." Boris countered cautiously.  "They might slip through the cracks and we'd be going all the way down there for nothing." He pointed out.  Bendy firmly crossed his arms in response to the disagreement. 

"Kid, that filthy ape is down there collecting bills while I'm taking the blame." The demon murmured as he narrowed his eyes.  Boris gave a firm shake of the head.

"Maybe." The wolf countered, "How can you be so sure that he's even-" The wolf halted in his words as Bendy gave a loud huff. 

"I'm gonna at least try." The fiend insisted.  Boris let out a inaudible sigh, not bothering to fight his decision any longer.  William returned the wolf's worry with a sympathetic look before turning his attention back to the stubborn demon.  "Charley's playing cat and mouse with you." William urged cautiously, "It's really not worth the risk."

"So you're telling me if you had a chance to clap back at somebody who kicked you when you were down, you wouldn't take it?" Bendy snapped. 

"I'm saying all this could be rumors," William countered, "and like the kid said, it's not worth driving all the way down there only to find out they're not there." The larger canine grumbled back.  Bendy tightened the grip of his crossed arms, a snarl creeping on his lips. 

"Look, I'm not asking any of you to come with me, I can handle it on my own." The demon growled, "All I'm saying is, you four need to run everything while I'm gone."   

All toons at the table, aside from the irritable fiend, found themselves glancing in the directions of each other.  They were silent for a while before Chester raised a brow, "So... yer actually goin' through with this?" The feline asked slowly.  Bendy let out a brief sigh.

"Did I stutter?" The fiend remarked coldly.  The slim cat scratched the nape of his neck.

"Well shoot, I mean, I guess we can hold down fort for a few days if ya really want us to..." Chester murmured cautiously. 

Bendy stood up from his chair almost immediately after the feline was finished speaking, "I do." He stated firmly before limping his way out of the room.  William shook his head as his eyes widened with bewilderment at the demon's tone.

"Damn." The canine muttered under his breath. 

Nonchalantly Bendy slipped out of sight, all eyes following after him until their gazes were left to gander at nothing but an empty hall.  The ones left gawking at the foldable table sat in quiet for a long while, the television in the room chattering at a low volume to fill the silence.  Without a moment to spare, the cat in the room slammed his fists on the wobbly table with a loud thump.  The sound of which, caused only one of the four to jolt. 

"Who's takin' care o' callin' Alice?" Chester exclaimed loudly.  William and Ricky called, 'not it' in sequence, catching the feline at the table off guard as he called the statement moments too late.  Chester verbally retaliated, but Boris' mind was far too occupied with what Bendy was planning behind the scenes to be worried about petty back-and-forth between the three.  Without anybody really noticing, Boris scooted his chair away from the table and lifted himself from his seat. 

The wolf slunk out of the gameroom, playful bickering twisted into white noise as the lanky toon shifted his attention to the staircase.  Quick in his pace, Boris practically leapt over steps as he made his way upstairs.  With soft wood creaks accompanying his walking, he slowed down almost immediately as Bendy's office door came into view.  As he found his feet planted right in front of said entrance, Boris was reluctant to lift his hand.  Hesitantly, the wolf gave the door a plentiful amount of knocks to get the attention of the toon on the other side.  A few moments later there was loud shuffling before the door was cautiously pried open from the other side.  Seconds later from the hesitant opening, Boris came face to face with Bendy; whom of which met the wolf's soft eyes with his own cold ones. 

The fiend sneered, "If you're gonna try to talk me out of it, I don't want to hear it." The demon grumbled.  The canine blinked, pondering silently for a moment.  "Can I come in?" Boris questioned softly.  Bendy raised a brow as his first response before swinging open the door fully and twisting in his steps moments later. 

"I'm serious, I don't want to hear whining." Bendy muttered.  Boris stepped into the room and wearily closed the door behind him, toying with the hem of his suit for a moment.  "I know, but..." The wolf's voice trailed as a low groan came from the fiend in response, "Just hear me out, okay?" Boris pleaded.  Bendy didn't even bother to turn his body as he listened.  The wolf let out a faint sigh, "I'm not gonna try and stop you, but I wanted to at least try to reason with you." Boris insisted while Bendy slowly continued to pack a relatively small suitcase.  "What are you gonna do if you get all the way to Chicago and you find out they're not there anymore?" The wolf asked. 

The demon gave a loose shrug as he bundled up his extra clothing, "I'm pretty resourceful, kid." Bendy remarked in a low, almost challenging tone.  Boris took in a breath, "What if you find out they weren't even there in the first place?" The wolf questioned firmly.  Bendy somewhat froze what he was doing as he pondered. 

"What's going to happen if everything really is a rumor and it's just ink with false advertising?" Boris insisted, his tone firm.  The canine shook his head slowly, worry gathering in his features as his next fit of words struggled to come from his lips. 

"What if you don't come back?"

Bendy sat there for a good while before he lifted his gaze from his suitcase and turned to the other toon in the room.  "Whatever the circumstance," The fiend uttered, "I'm leaving at seven." The demon informed him bitterly.  Boris' face twisted into something indescribable as the fiend glared him down.  They locked eyes for a few more moments before Bendy nodded his head briefly towards the door.  "Get," He muttered under his breath while he turned his head, "and tell the others I'll call the angel tonight." The demon added.  Boris let out somewhat of a shaky breath as he reached out a helpless hand.

"Bendy-"

"I said get." The fiend grumbled sourly.  The wolf jumped at the tone before swiftly reaching for the doorknob behind him and leaving the room without another word.  As soon as Boris left the office, Bendy let out a long sigh.  In an instant, he was lightheaded, but before he lost his balance he caught the sturdy surface of his desk with a gloved hand.  For a while, he let gentle breaths come in and out of his teeth as he gathered himself.  The thought of not coming back was nauseating, but even still; if he didn't come back, it was preferable compared to sitting around twiddling his thumbs.  Briefly, he met eyes with the telephone and started to feel a whole new level of stress nagging at his chest.

Reluctantly, Bendy curved his palm around the handset of the phone and pulled it upwards with a soft 'cling'.  After carefully dragging out his chair from underneath the desk, the demon slowly heaved in the seat with his prosthetic hanging awkwardly to the side.  For a long while the fiend stared at the telephone, his eyes tracing over the numbers he had to press.  Hesitantly, he lifted his free hand and dialed the first number, feeling his heart pound in his chest as he dialed another.  He pressed another and another until all of them were rung and the handset gave a hum to indicate the string of numbers had been called.  Bendy held the phone close to him, toying with the spiral wire as he patiently waited for the other party to pick up.  The demon let out shallow, inaudible breaths as he dreaded the inevitable answer.  And a moment later, there it was.

"Yep."

Bendy was silent for a while, his chest aching as he struggled to find his words. 

"Alice." The fiend greeted slowly as he swallowed.  There was a long pause before an irritated hum came through the other line.  Bendy let out a sigh in attempt to release the tension bellowing in his shoulders, "...How was work?"

Alice gave an aggravated sigh, "Cut the shit." She growled through the phone.  The demon inhaled softly.

"Look, doll-"

"Don't call me that."

Readjusting his posture, the fiend leaned into the phone.  "You aren't gonna have to deal with me for an entire week, can you listen to me just this once?" Bendy pleaded.

The angel was silent aside from an audible huff.  Bendy wetted his lips, gripping the phone tighter.  "I've been thinking a lot lately." He began slowly. 

"That's dangerous." Alice muttered back coldly.  Completely disregarding the sly comment, the fiend exhaled gently.  "About what happened in May." Bendy insisted as he stiffly adjusted his seating position. 

"What, you realize it's the hard knock life being a cripple?"

With a long, somewhat irritated sigh, the fiend got right to the point.  "I've been thinking about us, Alice." He mumbled, almost in a whisper.  There was a chill quiet from the other party until finally, the lady toon spoke.

"Oh, have you now."

"Yeah."

The angel's snarky comments were silenced as Bendy's tone got serious.  The demon took in a muted breath.  "I'm a bit of an asshole, okay?" He muttered with a fragile tone.  "I get angry for no reason sometimes, and even if you can't see it, I've been working on my temper." Bendy caught his breath for a moment as he attempted to hold the phone closer.  The fiend felt his heart practically skip a beat as his idle fit of words took every ounce of strength he had to speak.

"I miss you." He stated softly.

There was silence from both parties for a while before Bendy's breathing got even shallower as his fatigued brain swirled with statements.  "And I wanna make it up to you, I really do, Angel.  There's plenty of days I could take off just for us to catch up after I take care of Charley-"

"Stop."

The sudden, cold statement gave the fiend a jolt.  The word rung in the air for a good while before the angel started to speak once more.  "What are you doing?" Alice asked softly.  Bendy took in a deep breath, a little confused by the inquiry. 

"Apologizing." The demon replied hesitantly. 

"Really?  I didn't hear a 'sorry' in that ramble anywhere."

Bendy was silent, gripping onto the phone tighter with his gloved hands as his eyes drifted aimlessly.

"Why are you apologizing to me?" The angel questioned harshly.  When the fiend was too baffled to even respond, she scoffed. 

"Do you even have a reason?"

The demon felt his chest ache as his mind scrambled for words.

"Or do you just want to release some guilt before you go on some daring adventure that'll get you killed?"

Bendy's mouth was dry as he swallowed, "I..." His voice trailed off as his body felt physically numb.  The toon on the other line waited impatiently for coherent words as the fiend huffed.  Slowly, the demon's gaze lowered, "I don't know what you want me to say."

Alice was silent for a long period of time before she clicked her tongue and lathered a firm tone.

"What am I picking up for dinner?"

By 6:34, all the toons gathered in the gameroom were jolted from their game of pool when a pair of lopsided footsteps made their way down the stairs.  With a few glances amongst themselves, they all silently agreed to linger towards the noise.  Peeking out of the doorframe, the fit of four huddled together as they stared blankly at their one-legged boss slowly and carefully making his way down the staircase with luggage in hand.  Wearily, they all walked in Bendy's direction as the fiend stepped foot on the main floor.  The demon caught the huddle of company in the corner of his eye and spared them a glance as he set down his suitcase.  Moments afterwards, he lifted his gloved hands to snatch his coat from the rack.  With confidence in his movements, the fiend slipped into the attire as the party at the other end of the hallway stared.

Adjusting his coat lapel, the fiend grimaced at a noticeably missing button.  "It'll only be a few days." Bendy remarked as he briefly brushed himself off.  "I won't be long."

"You sure?  You packed like you're gonna be gone for weeks." Ricky noted sarcastically as his eyes met with the puny luggage the demon was bending down to pick up.  The fiend by the door thinned his lips in a line at the comment, almost visibly annoyed, but didn't respond.  

Everyone stood silently for a long while, each of them rattling their heads with their own disagreements of the situation.  Through the midst of quiet, Chester mustered a grin, "Good luck, Ben.  I hope you come back with a shiny new leg attached to ya." The feline exclaimed as the demon turned to take his leave. 

William briefly nodded, "Try to not get yourself killed out there." The canine added.  Ricky didn't even bother to say goodbye, while Boris was anxiously fidgeting in place.  Moments later, Bendy gave a brief wave of farewell before shifting his body. 

"Hold up the ship while I'm gone, William."  The fiend noted quietly.  Said canine puffed out his chest proudly, while the duo of feline and raccoon beside him stood with their jaws hanging open.  Giving his crew one last glance, Bendy briefly imitated the tipping of a hat before opening the back door and disappearing from sight. 

The second the demon closed the door, Chester was plenty vocal about the fact that William was in charge.  The loud complaining was undoubtedly playful, but even then there was a hint of hurt in his whining.  While the trio of eldest toons turned their bodies towards the gameroom, Boris stayed put in the hallway. 

His gaze stained into the wood of the back entrance as his mind replayed the scene that unfolded moments ago.  A holler from Chester barely pulled the wolf back to reality while he struggled to tear his eyes away.  Briefly glancing over his shoulder, Boris replied with some loose excuse that he didn't give a second thought to.  Swiftly waving them off, the wolf unconsciously found himself walking towards the door where Bendy had disappeared.  Cautiously, the slim toon twisted the knob of the door while anxiously glancing behind him; as if anybody cared if he went outside.  Not even bothering to throw on his overcoat, the wolf stepped out of the home.  Thick thorn bushes and patches of grass came immediately into his vision as he swung around the side of the house.  Only when he caught sight of Bendy's vehicle did he quicken his pace.  The car of which, roaring idly in its place, was waiting very patiently while its owner was scavenging violently in the dash. 

The driver paused abruptly in his scuffling when he spotted the lanky toon approaching.  Upon Boris' arrival to the side of the vehicle, Bendy reached over and rolled down the window by the passenger's side.  The fiend forced a grin before turning his attention back to the dashboard cubby. 

"Hey, kid, glad you're out here."  Bendy greeted with a flat tone, "I think I forgot my map in my desk." The demon greeted with a faulty chuckle.  Boris returned the laugh with a phony one of his own. 

"Do you want me to grab it?" The wolf suggested as he took his own ganders at the area Bendy was looking through.  After shifting his gloved hand back and forth for a few more moments, finally, the fiend pulled himself back and slammed the dashboard shut.  Bendy bit the inside of his cheek for a moment before giving a subtle nod and a slow, 'yeah' right before a gentle 'dammit' under his breath.  With a couple shakes of his head, the fiend puffed out a breath. 

"It should be in one of the lower drawers somewhere." Bendy commented as he itched inside of his glove sleeve.

Boris slowly mustered a grin before lifting his gloved hands from the car window and twisting in his step, more than happy to be of assistance.

"Oh, and uh...?"

The wolf paused abruptly and cranked his head as Bendy called from his car once more.  "Could you grab my pack of ciggies in my desk too?" The fiend requested sheepishly, a questioning grin on his lips.  When Boris gave him a fit of blinks, Bendy waved a hand in realization.  "Second drawer down on the left." The demon added. 

Boris returned the plea with a warm smile and a brief nod before speedily pacing back around the side of the house.  Not wanting to spare a second, the lanky canine practically bolted up the stairs.  So fast in fact, that he rushed past a hefty toon casually making his way up the steps without even sparing a friendly 'hello'.  Slowing his pace ever so slightly, Boris was careful to open Bendy's office door.  The wolf took his own curious glances around the room, now completely absent of its owner.  After he'd soaked up enough of the area, he squatted down beside Bendy's desk and aimlessly opened one drawer after another.   No luck on the right, he realized after sifting through the drawers.  Although just as he was about to swing over to the other side, Boris' eye caught a very peculiar object in the very bottom drawer.  A neat little notebook lying innocently on its back.

It wasn't the fiend's regular journal, the wolf gathered almost instantly, he'd never seen it before.  While the object itself wasn't clicking, the undeniable marking on the front was.  The wolf's eyes stained into the familiar symbol for a long while, blinking as he felt one of his hands unconsciously reaching for.  His heart was beating out of his chest as gloved fingertips inched towards the notebook for only a moment longer. 

Boris pulled himself back in an instant, jolting his hand away as he caught his behavior.  Silently, he shooed away his festering thoughts and slammed the drawer shut with a firm shake of the head; the force of said slam causing some loose items to fall from the demon's desk.  Giving a low groan, the wolf inwardly decided he would pick up the mess after he was through.  Just in case he happened to knock anything else down in his search. 

Still a little shaken, Boris absentmindedly continued to fidget through the remaining drawers, his hands visibly trembling by the time he found the map.  Instinctively, he found himself unraveling it ever so slightly to catch a peek before neatly restoring it back to its place.  After calmly closing the drawers and neatly setting things back in place utop Bendy's desk, Boris straightened himself and brushed off his suit briefly.  Twisting in his step, the lanky canine couldn't help but give a brief glance back at the fiend's desk before taking his leave.

After returning to the demon's car, the wolf shakily handed over what was previously requested of him.  Visually distraught, Boris took in inaudible breaths to calm down while Bendy thanked him.  The fiend seemed to take a mental note of the toon's behavior but didn't comment as he held the map in a firm grip.  Boris mustered a painfully phony grin, "Need anything else?" The wolf questioned hopefully.  Bendy briefly thinned his lips in a line before giving a gentle shake of the head.

"Nah, I think I'm good." The demon noted after a moment of thinking.

For a long while, Boris tapped his fingers along the passenger side door, visibly pondering.  When he'd finally gathered his thoughts, he took in a deep breath.

"Let me come with you." Boris stated as he tightened his grip on the frame of the window.  Bendy took a few seconds to fully process the statement before shaking his head with a confused smile on his lips. 

"What?" The fiend questioned as he playfully furrowed his brows. 

"I said, let me come with you." Boris repeated, serious in his tone.  Still equally as baffled as before, Bendy spared the wolf a curious look.

"Why?" The demon questioned simply.

Boris looked facially taken aback by the question for a moment before he blinked and murmured a simple, "Please, Bendy." With a sharp gaze.

Said fiend merely blinked at the tone before turning his gaze away as he pondered.  "I dunno..." The demon's voice trailed as he scratched the side of his face. 

Boris leaned in a little closer, "I promise I won't get in the way." The canine insisted.

Bendy glanced back at the wolf beside him, confused by the demeanor Boris reflected.  The canine's gaze was worrisome, and he wore an obvious frown.

"Damn, you're really serious about this, aren't you, kid?"  The demon mumbled slowly.  It took Boris a moment, but he nodded.  With a long sigh, the fiend gave a gentle fit of head shakes as a smile slowly crept on his lips. 

"Well, shit, I guess a navigator wouldn't hurt." Bendy decided with a loose shrug.  Although still a little distraught, Boris' lips perked while the fiend took a gander at the map.  The demon shook his head briefly with a long inhale before folding the navigation back up.  "Like hell I'd be able to understand this damn thing anyway." Bendy commented as he tossed the item lazily on the dashboard.  "Go grab a clean pair of clothes, wallet, blankie, etcetera."  The fiend murmured half-heartedly while he gazed around the vehicle.  After he scoped the area for long enough, suddenly, Bendy lifted his gaze and furrowed his brows. 

"Boris, you forgot my ciggies."

After popping quickly into the fiend's office for the third time that evening, Boris made his way towards the shared bedroom at a quick pace.  To his dismay, however, his journey was pulled to a brief halt as he found himself ramming into another body at near full force.  Catching his bearings for a moment and shaking away the vague dizziness, Boris met gazes with his clash buddy.  William was visibly baffled until he recognized the toon in front of him and softened his gaze.  The wolf gave the hefty toon an awkward, apologetic grin.  "Sorry, William." Boris murmured quickly before taking a swift sidestep to his left.

The larger canine twisted his body while his eyes followed after the toon in a visible hurry.  Before he even got a chance to utter even a simple, 'it's alright', the wolf was already inside the bedroom rummaging around.  The hefty toon couldn't help but be curious by Boris' behavior, and when he heard the sound of a suitcase being drug out from underneath the bunk bed, his interest only grew.  Slowly, William's massive shoes treaded towards the doorway of the bedroom before stopping as his shoulder met with the doorframe.  Watching the wolf sift through his luggage, the bulky dog gave a soft scoff followed by a gentle shake of the head.  William held a gentle, amused grin while he watched the wolf in his focused handy-work before he raised his big brows.

"You're going with him, aren't you?"

Boris jumped out of his skin at the sudden voice and whipped his head around.   When the lanky toon realized who it was, he sighed with underlying relief.  Catching himself, the fidgety wolf forced a grin.  "W-What gave it away?" Boris questioned as he slowly placed the bundle of clothing he carried on the floor.  While the wolf closed his suitcase, William's eyes trailed towards the pack of cigarettes lying innocently beside the younger toon's spare set of clothing.  The hefty dog's warm smile widened at the sight.

"You don't smoke, do you, Boris?" The canine pointed out as he teasingly crossed his arms.

Said toon blew out a light-hearted huff of defeat, which in itself caused William to chuckle under his breath.  After a long while of scuffling quiet, Boris took in a deep breath. 

"You caught me." The wolf murmured under his breath before he gave a few chuckles of his own.  While Boris was shoving the suitcase underneath his bed, William jokingly rolled his eyes.

"Figures." The hefty toon murmured with a playful tone.  Swift in his movements, the wolf kneeling down, gathered his things, and heaved himself from the floor.  Standing a foot shorter than the toon in front of him, Boris gave the fellow canine a friendly, but hesitant smile. 

"Keep Chester and Ricky out of each other's hair while we're away." The wolf murmured.

William gave a gentle nod before he neatly sidestepped to make a path.  While the wolf passed, the big dog's eyes followed. "Good luck." The hefty toon murmured as he cranked his head over his shoulder.

"You're gonna need it."

"Mind telling me why you decided to tag along last minute?"

The sudden question brought Boris back to reality, not realizing he'd been zoned out.  "I... I don't know, really." The wolf answered as he itched underneath the collar of his suit.  Through his mindful silence, Boris managed to crack a smirk.  "I guess I just felt like going on a roadtrip to Chicago would be a lot more eventful than hanging around three goofballs for however long you'd really be gone." Boris added with a loose shrug.  Bendy scoffed with amusement, "Is that so?" The demon asked with a sideways glance.

"I haven't been there in years, anyway.  Last time I went was to visit my older cousin for her birthday."

"Ah, I see, so you're just using me to get a free ride."

"I didn't m-mean it like that!"

"No, no, I can tell when I'm being taken advantage of."    

"At least I'm navigating." Boris countered playfully.  Bendy let out a long huff before he glanced back in the wolf's direction for a brief moment.  In that short glimpse, Boris could have sworn he caught a smirk. 

After about a minute or so of peaceful silence, the demon tapped on his steering wheel as his gaze was locked on the road ahead.  "Alright, navigator, which exit am I taking next?" Bendy exclaimed as his eyes scanned the road signs.  Boris jolted out of his train of blank thought before rustling around with the map for a few moments, hurriedly glancing around the large sheet of paper before finding a spot and holding his finger in place. 

"I5." The wolf replied with a somewhat prideful tone.  Bendy let out a gentle exhale and pressed his back against his seat while comfortably steering his vehicle. 

"I5, huh." The demon repeated under his breath, more to himself than anyone. 

The white noise of rubber trailing along concrete flooded the car, neither of them bringing up anything in particular as they basked in the calm of the evening.  Without much thought, Bendy broke the ice once more with a half baked conversation starter. 

"Have a lot of family up in Illinois?"  The demon asked.  Boris jolted a bit before catching himself.

"Aside from a few cousins not really..." The wolf replied before giving a loose shrug, "My grandparents used to live there too, once upon a time."

"Close with 'em?"

Boris sheepishly scratched his neck, "My cousins and I don't talk much but it's nice to see them from time to time." The wolf noted.  "As for my grandparents..." The toon lightly sucked in through his teeth as his voice trailed, "not so much."  The wolf remarked wearily. 

"What happened there?" Bendy asked, not sparing Boris a glance as the toon fidgeted with discomfort.  The wolf exhaled gently through his nostrils, "My mother and her parents didn't get along too well, so I never really saw them."  Boris murmured.  Bendy processed the reply as he recognized the past tense in his partner's wording.  "Not to mention my grandpa is... bitter towards 'my kind' as he calls it." Boris added with a brief chuckle.  Bendy blinked, his mind churning furiously as he sat. 

"Your kind?" The demon repeated, underlying shock in the copied words.  Boris caught his comment from merely seconds prior and forced himself to awkwardly giggle.  "Er, y-yeah." The wolf stammered as he anxiously toyed with the fabric of his sleeves.  The fiend gave a inert hum, cumbersome to tap on the steering wheel as he sat.  Bendy fought the urge to pry any farther than that, even if questions were riling around his head faster than the speed of sound.

"It's not important.  I-I haven't seen him in years." Boris insisted eagerly when he noticed the change of behavior in the toon beside him. 

Bendy gave the wolf a tiny shrug, "I get it." The fiend replied gently.  The scrawny toon found himself rubbing his arm in embarrassment as the conversation came to a screeching halt. 

"S-Sorry..." Boris apologized under his breath. 

"Don't be, kid, it's fine." Bendy protested with a soft scoff.

The wolf ran his fingers along his car seat, resisting the urge to pick at a tear in the leather.  Boris let out a mute exhale and leaned back in his chair, rattling his head to figure out how to recover from the silence.  Eventually the wolf stopped worrying about what to say and just relaxed in his spot, letting his mind wander off as his eyes were beginning to grow heavy.  Boris glanced at the clock, his eyes widening at the realization that they'd been in the car for a little over an hour now. 

"Jeez, h-how far away is Chicago?" The wolf commented with a tiny giggle.  Bendy spared Boris a smirk.

"Far." The demon replied flatly.  "We can stop off at a motel for the night if you want." Bendy suggested with a half-hearted shrug.  Boris waved a hand briefly, dismissing the suggestion swiftly. "Oh, no no, I'm fine with sleeping in the car." He insisted. 

Bendy gave the wolf a sideways glance, "You sure you don't wanna sleep in bed bug ridden, cum covered motel sheets?"  The fiend remarked sarcastically.  Boris scoffed at Bendy's comment. 

"Pretty sure."  The wolf murmured.  Boris found himself instinctively rubbing his fingertips along his arm rest as he gathered his words.  "No, but seriously, how long is the drive down there?" The toon questioned. 

Bendy scratched his face, "It really depends on how long it'll take to cross the four borders..." the fiend's voice trailed as he contemplated, "so maybe ten more hours in total if traffic isn't a problem."  The demon sniffed and briefly brushed the side of his noggin. 

"It shouldn't be, especially not in the morning." Bendy added as he moved his hand and roughly pressed the electrical lighter in its socket.  Moments later he began rummaging around the compartment between himself and the wolf with his eyes glancing every now and again at the road.  When he found what he wanted, he popped open the small box and stuck a cigarette in his chompers. 

"Pennsylvania border isn't far." Bendy noted casually with the nicotine roll muffling his words.

"How long of a drive?" Boris asked quietly.  Bendy gave somewhat of a scornful huff at the question.

"What's the rush?  Got a game to catch or somethin'?" The demon asked with a raised brow.  The wolf waved a hand briefly in response.

"No, I j-just like to have a bit of a schedule is all." The wolf remarked with a shy shrug.

"Well in that case, we can get like our nails done at three, redo our eyelashes in the bathroom of the Beatles concert we're going to at six thirty, and then we can have a double date at that mexican place down the street-"

"You know what I meant."

"Of course, I was being completely serious about getting our nails done."

Crossing the Pennsylvania border was fear inducing, but not nearly as scary as Boris had initially thought it would be.  Bendy insisted that the guard wouldn't think anything of their presence if they kept a melo facade and answered the guards' prying questions with the most fabricated lies imaginable.  The demon assured his partner that he didn't have to speak a word at the border.  His instructions were strictly, 'just sit there and look pretty', and at the least, Boris could abide to half of that request.  In order to 'outsmart' border patrol, the fiend also requested something simple.  The wolf's hat. 

At first it was baffling that Bendy wanted his cap, but when Boris watched the demon cover the curve of his horns, the answer came to be obvious.

Hidden in plain sight, it still turned the wolf's stomach sideways when he watched Bendy practically puff cigarette smoke in the officer's face.  The demon was a mere hat away from being in cuffs.  All while answering simple questions that the guard had probably repeated more times than one could ever count with a monotone voice.  They paid their bit, waved a half-assed farewell followed by a flipping of the bird, and off they went...  to cross three more borders in between long freeways.

For the first hour or so after crossing the border, the duo of demon and wolf could hold relatively strong sections of conversation without falling off.  But by the time the clock struck one in the morning, both of them went quiet and listened to whatever tune was playing on the radio.  Once the car started to drift out of line, both of them jolted out of their hazy minds and came to a mutual agreement that they should stop and rest for a little while.

The car engine gently drifted off along with the stereo, Bendy pulling his hand away from the ignition and sucked the remaining life from his twelfth nicotine roll of the night.  The demon peeked open his door and tossed the cigarette butt out, not even caring where it landed.

After tugging the door back in its spot, Bendy shoved his gloved hands in his pockets and leaned his back against the seat.  Boris yawned, triggering the fatigued fiend beside him to do the same.  Smacking his lips for a moment, Bendy sniffed and shuffled in his seat once more. 

"It's pretty warm out there." The demon commented.  Boris sleepily glanced towards the toon beside him, giving a fatigued hum in reply.  It went quiet until the fiend shifted in his spot once more. 

"Would you, uh..." Bendy's voice trailed before he scoffed the suggestion away.  "Nevermind, it's stupid." The demon grumbled, crossing his arms in somewhat irritation. 

"No, no.  I wanna hear it." Boris insisted with a warm expression.  Bendy glanced towards the excited wolf, a tired grin creeping on his lips. 

"Do you wanna go and sit on the hood of the car for a bit?  It's fine if you don't, I just figured that since it's a warm night and all." The demon expressed, shrugging loosely.  Boris' face slowly curved into something of amusement at the fiend's cheesy suggestion. 

Bendy caught this and let out a long, somewhat embarrassed sigh. 

"Told you it was stupid." The fiend muttered with a dry scoff.  Boris shook his head with a soft smirk.

"I didn't say anything." The wolf replied playfully with an exaggerated shrug.  The demon beside him huffed with a exhausted smile. 

"The look on your face says otherwise." Bendy remarked as he uncrossed his arms.  Shortly after he finished speaking, the fiend opened up his door and swung his good leg outside. 

"Welp, I'm going.  If you're not coming with me, you'll sure as hell have a pretty view from your seat." The demon insisted as he hoisted himself up, using the door to support his false leg in his lift.  Boris let out a brief chuckle as he mimicked the notion of leaving the vehicle.

"But won't you be blocking it?" The wolf questioned as he stepped out of his side.  Bendy shut his door with a sly smirk on his lips. 

"Exactly."

Boris couldn't help but gawk at the bright speckles across the night sky.  Not only was the night warm, but it was almost mystical.  Clouds were surrounding the sky; but a neat little pocket was visible that revealed the moon and plenty of its family, proudly glimmering as the duo on the ground were left to do nothing but ogle. 

Bendy pressed his back against the windshield with a relaxed sigh before slowly placing his hands over his chest.  Boris' eyes locked with the stars, a gentle expression on his face. 

"This sure beats New York's skyview." The lanky wolf commented with a soft smile.  Bendy lifted his head ever so slightly to get a scornful look at the night sky before raising his brows.

"Arguably." The fiend replied.  The skinnier toon exhaled through his nostrils as he spared the snarky demon a sassy glare.

"Arguably?" Boris repeated with a tiny smirk.  The demon gave a low grunt as he resituated himself again.

"Nothin' beats filthy Manhattan skies." Bendy remarked.  The wolf gave a soft chuckle at the comment before lifting his eyes back to the sky.  Noticing the toon beside him doing so, the fiend did the same.  Suddenly, there was a brief streak of light that streamed across the hundreds of thousands of stars, and was gone in an instant.

The wolf gave a giddy, barely audible gasp.  "Did you see that?" Boris exclaimed, going bright eyed as he glanced towards Bendy.  The fiend of which, gave exaggerated bats of his eyelashes. 

"Ah, what?  I think I blinked." The demon replied with a shit-eating grin.  The wolf briefly shook his head with a scornful smile as he moved his gaze. 

"Do you ever make wishes on shooting stars?" Boris questioned, not tearing his gaze away from the sky.  Bendy shrugged at the comment. 

"I don't believe in that stuff." The demon remarked softly with a gentle scoff.  "A whole lotta nothin' wishing does."

"You think so?"

"I know so."

Boris hesitantly glanced towards Bendy, whom of which returned the look with a smug expression.  The wolf raised a brow, pure amusement in his smile, "Really?" 

In response to the question, Bendy gave an audible huff.  "You're too young to understand, kid." The fiend mocked with a playful shrug.  Adjusting his body posture, the wolf shifted himself to face the fiend. 

"You don't think it's a drive?"

"When you wish upon a star?"

Boris grinned warmly, coming to terms with the sheer ridiculousness.  "Yeah." The canine replied.  Bendy could hardly contain a snicker, the contagious action causing Boris to reflect.

"Not really," the demon murmured with a joking, but scornful look on his face, "I don't wait for a fairy to come and whisk all my problems away with her little magic wand."

The duo chuckled whole-heartedly, both sharing the laugh with bubbly tones until it faded away and all that remained of the moment were soft smiles.  Letting out a sigh in their own turn, Bendy and Boris eventually twisted their gazes back to the stars.  The soft speckles reflected in their gazes as a pleasant fuzzy feeling hung in the air.  Silence was there, but it wasn't tense.  Boris had never felt so comfortable with the fiend.  More often than not there was always a level of guard the wolf held up, just in case Bendy had any outbursts, but he'd never seen the demon so calm.  It was almost baffling that he was capable of relaxing.  After plenty of thought, Boris licked his chaps.

"I still think it's good though." The wolf murmured under his breath.

Bendy turned his attention back towards the toon beside him, giving a questioning hum. 

"To have something to hold onto, even if it is just a star." Boris clarified with a gentle grin.  The fiend looked as if he were visibly pondering for a while, but in the end he didn't find it in himself to comment.  After enough quiet passed, the lanky canine spared the silent toon a sideways glance. 

"Maybe reconsider some day." Boris commented softly.  Bendy let out a loud raspberry, "I've already have plenty to hang onto over the years without the help of some gay star." The fiend replied as he firmly crossed his arms.  The wolf turned his head as the demon finished.

"Like what?"

Bendy froze in his spot, shoulders stiffening as the question hung in the air. Cautiously, the fiend relaxed his posture and thinned his lips in a line.  Recognizing the discomfort, Boris changed what he had asked moments prior.

"Would you even want to wish for anything?" The wolf questioned slowly.  The demon's expression slowly curved into something indescribable as he processed.  Furrowing his brows, the fiend's eyes aimlessly wandered before Bendy let out a deep sigh.  It took him a moment, but after gathering himself, he muttered one, simple sentence.

"I wish I stayed in the slammer." The demon mumbled grimly.  Boris was a little taken aback by the answer, blinking for a while as he fully soaked in the answer.  Hesitantly, the wolf tilted his head.

"You were... locked up once?" Boris asked slowly through a worrisome expression.  With a drawn out inhale, the fiend nodded.

"When I was fifteen, yeah." Bendy muttered under his breath. "Parents bailed me out."

The lanky toon stared at the demon with a gentle expression, silently ushering for him to continue.  Bendy let out a low grunt as he tightened his crossed arms.

"After I got out, it was just a domino effect of terrible decisions.  With Alice, with Charley, with friends..." The fiend's voice trailed before he huffed softly. 

"If I was rotting in jail, I wouldn't have to be where I am now."  The demon shook his head slowly as he got facially upset.  "With you." He added, almost silently.

Boris raised his brows for a moment before they furrowed, his eyes fidgeting anxiously as they locked with the demon.  Bendy couldn't hold the canine's gaze as he swallowed. 

"You shouldn't have to get mixed up with someone like me." The demon mumbled before a fit of gentle headshakes.   "And you didn't even have a choice."

The wolf's expression was virtually indescribable.  His fidgety behavior gave off the impression that many statements were whirling around his head; but Boris' tongue was sharply bitten, and not a word was uttered in response.

"What about you, kid?"

Bendy's voice caught the wolf's attention almost instantly.  Boris spared the fiend a questioning glance and a phony chuckle. "What about me?" The wolf murmured.

"Is this really what you want to be doing with your life?" Bendy asked with a thick tone of disbelief.

Boris went silent, facially taken aback as he processed the question deeply.  After pondering for long enough and swallowing a hesitant lump in his throat, the wolf steadily rung his hands. 

"Not really." The wolf admitted quietly, giving a soft scoff to fill the silence.  Bendy wanted to give him a phony reaction of shock, but held his tongue.  After the quiet went on for long enough, the fiend raised his brows with gentle insistence.

"Well?" 

The skinnier toon took a few moments until he briefly chuckled.  "I've always wanted to be an actor, like in cartoons, y'know?" Boris replied, giving Bendy a genuine smile.  The demon couldn't help but return the young canine's enthusiasm.  "Ever since I was little I've loved the idea of being on TV..." The wolf's voice trailed, "I took theater, and I remember one semester I practiced every day to get this one part."  Boris' eyes seemed to flicker as he recalled the memory.

"But my stepdad pulled the plug before I got a chance to tryout," the canine fiddled with his gloves, "he told me I wasn't good enough." Boris stated flatly as he bared an obvious frown.  "I believed him."

Bendy's expression was gentle as he listened in, unsure exactly how to respond, but was still facially engaged.  Boris anxiously toyed with the fabric of his gloves as he sighed inaudibly. 

"He disappeared after my mom died, and my sister took me in for a few years until he just kinda..." The wolf shook his head slowly as his voice trailed, "showed up."  While the lanky canine continued to speak, Bendy was a little shaken by the sudden demeanor shift Boris carried. 

"He drug me out to his place and raised me up to be some low-life."  Boris thinned his lips in a line before sighing sharply as his gaze met with Bendy's.  The fiend almost bared a shocked expression. 

"No offense." The wolf added under his breath.

The fiend chuckled in an attempt to crack the tension, "None taken." Bendy replied with a phony grin.  "Can't say I disagree, either."

Boris took in a hollow breath, "I just hate him." The canine murmured softly, "I hate everything he's forcing me to do."

"So why don't you leave?"

Boris stopped dead in his ranting and turned his attention back to the demon that spoke.  "Leave?" The wolf repeated firmly. 

Bendy shrugged, "Yeah." The fiend stated simply.  Boris froze up at the suggestion and shifted his gaze away.  "You're probably not gonna be a big TV star or anything, but at least it's better than being a miserable lowlife, right?" The demon commented with a gentle expression.  Boris let out a soft sigh, remaining quiet for a moment as he thought.  

"I can't."

Bendy shook his head, lifting himself up.  "What do you mean, 'you can't'?" The fiend exclaimed, his face curving into confusion. 

"I can't ditch everything now."

"Kid, your records are clean."

"They're really not."

"Me?  I don't have a chance running away anymore, but you, you can get away scott free if you really wanted to." Bendy insisted firmly.  Boris shook his head frantically, almost angry. 

"You don't understand, Bendy." The wolf mumbled, his voice visibly shaken.  The canine looked distraught as they met gazes, Bendy blinking for a few moments while he pondered. 

Suddenly, the fiend's gaze got soft.  "Maybe I don't." He murmured gently before taking in a deep breath.  "But if my opinion means anything, I'm glad you've stuck around for this long." Bendy added with a small shrug. 

Boris found himself glancing towards the fiend for a moment, chuckling gently.  "Seriously?" The wolf questioned.  Bendy bit the inside of his cheek as his stomach took a dip he didn't quite like.

"What can I say, kid, you're good company." The demon commented as Boris modestly rubbed his neck.  Within a moment, the wolf's embarrassed expression twisted into something softer.  They basked in the quiet for a while, Boris tapping his fingertips on the hood of the car anxiously.

"You're not so bad yourself." The lanky toon commented with a warm tone.

After a few minutes of basking in the comfortable silence, the demon lifted himself from the windshield of the car with a low grunt.

"Alright, I think it's about time to get this show back on the road." Bendy instructed as he swung his legs over the hood of the car.  Boris took note of the demon's movements and hesitantly began to mimic them.  While the fiend briefly brushed off his trousers, Boris cautiously slid off the hood and let his shoes hit the dirt.

Wearily and in their own turn, they both got comfy in their car seats.  As Bendy was struggling to put both of his legs in the car, Boris was already buckled and ready to go.  With a loud grunt and the slamming of the driver's side door, Bendy sighed and stuck the keys in the ignition.  The radio snapped on the instant the engine roared, playing a tune at a low level while the car purred from the outside.  The demon didn't even bother to strap on his seat belt, only sitting in place for a moment as he gripped the steering wheel.  Suddenly, the fiend turned off the stereo, causing the lanky toon beside him to become puzzled, but not enough to comment.

"Hey, Boris?" Bendy quietly asked, giving the toon beside him a glance.  Said wolf was a little taken aback by the sudden call but responded regardless. 

"Yeah?"

"Thanks for tagging along." Bendy murmured with a gentle, but genuine smile.  Boris felt his stomach dip at the demon's unfamiliar tone. 

"N-No problem." The wolf stuttered.