Bendy was eagerly looking out the window, though not for the view this time. Henry had gone out to run a few errands for Linda and was due to be back any moment now. It had been over a month since he and Henry had been able to break the loop and the weeks that followed their escape had not been easy. Henry had worked hard to restore the physical forms of everyone, but scars still remained, especially those of the mental variety. There wasn't a single one of them that wasn't plagued by nightmares and many of them suffered from flashbacks and panic attacks.

When they weren't dealing with such extreme personal trauma, all the escapees had a hard time figuring out how to act around each. They had all spent years locked in a never-ending fight for survival, even before Joey had tricked Henry into being the hero of the story he was crafting. It was hard to face those you had either spent killing or being killed by. Bendy himself had a hard time being around most of the others as he had been the source of their deaths many times. Plus he could tell most of them couldn't help but be wary of him as well (a small dark part of Bendy relished in their fear and it scared the little toon deeply). Boris was the only one Bendy felt comfortable being around at the moment and would often play with him.

But despite all the chaos and having to deal with his own issues, Henry had been a rock to everyone. Both he and Linda were extremely patient and helped everyone as they slowly adjusted to being out of the Studio. Bendy himself couldn't help but stick by his Creator, as Henry made him feel safe. When Henry was around, Bendy didn't have to fear about turning back into a villain. When Henry was around, Bendy could more easily remember the toon he was supposed to be.

Bendy perked up as he both heard and saw Henry's car drive up. He smiled as he pressed his face up against the glass and watched as Henry got out, carrying a shopping bag. Bendy dropped from the window and scampered to the door, arriving there just as Henry opened the door. Bendy let out an excited whistle at seeing his Creator and latched onto his leg.

"I missed you too little buddy," Henry chuckled as he put down his bag and gave Bendy a smile. "Did you behave for Linda while I was away?"

Bendy nodded and his smile grew as he looked up at his Creator. He held up his arms to try and get Henry to lift him up as a sound that wasn't a whistle or any of his usual noises suddenly came from his mouth. Bendy's hands immediately clamped over his mouth in surprise, while Henry looked down at the toon in shock and disbelief.

"Did… did you just..?" Henry tried to ask, still reeling from what he might have just heard. Bendy just nervously lowered his hands as he looked up at his Creator. Taking a deep breath, Bendy tried to make that sound again.

"H-Henry…"

There was no mistaking the sound that came out of Bendy's mouth this time. Bendy was shocked that he was able to say an actual word, but his shock soon turned into glee and his signature toothy grin appeared on his face.

"Henry!" Bendy said with more confidence, though the word still felt foreign on Bendy's tongue. "Henry!"

"That's right my little Ink Demon," Henry cheered, picking Bendy up in joy. "That's my name!"

"Henry!" Bendy shouted joyfully again in celebration while Henry laughed. Their commotion finally started drawing attention from the other residents in the house and Linda came out to see what was going.

"Is everything alright?" Linda asked as she looked at the two in confusion.

"Everything's fantastic!" Henry exclaimed while Bendy beamed at her from Henry's arms. "Bendy said his first word!"

"Henry!" Bendy immediately chirped in, getting a stunned look from Linda.

"Oh Bendy… I'm so proud of you…" Linda said, her eyes filling up tears as she rubbed the toon's horns. Bendy leaned into the touch and let out a purr. "Can you say anything else?"

Bendy's purring stopped as he looked at Linda in consecration. "L…Li…(whistle)…"

"It's alright if you can't say anything else yet," Henry assured when he saw the toon droop under his failure. "It takes time to learn to speak. But now that we know you do have the ability to talk, I'll be sure to help you learn. Do you like that idea?"

Bendy nodded eagerly and let out a whistle in agreement. "Henry!"

"Well this calls for a celebration," Linda declared, clasping her hands together and heading towards the kitchen. "I'm going to make you your favorite dinner Bendy and have a special cake just for you!"

Bendy whistled and purred in anticipation before snuggling up to Henry. He couldn't wait to learn to talk so he could finally communicate easily with his Creator. He had so much he had wanted to say that he could never truly express before. Now… it'd only be a little longer before he could….

"Henry…"

AN: As if Bendy's first word could have been anything else...