Tom yawned loudly as he headed towards the bathroom to freshen up for the day. Rubbing his eyes, Tom came to a stop in front of the sink. Blearily opening his eyes, Tom couldn't help but pause at seeing his reflection. Even after all this time, Tom still wasn't used to seeing his new face, the strange blend of human and cartoon wolf. After all those years of being a Boris, Tom had forgotten what his real face looked like. And even after escaping the studio, Henry hadn't been able to turn him fully human, so Tom still didn't know what he used to look like. Still, it was better to look even remotely human after all the time he was stuck as a Boris and Tom were grateful for what Henry could do.
"Still admiring yourself I see," Allison teased lightly as she came up behind Tom, wrapping her arms around him and kissing him on the cheek. Though Allison had a smile on her face, her eyes were filled with concern as she knew how much Tom struggled with still being part toon. Allison herself had accepted it a lot easier than her husband, as she had been stuck as a toon hybrid with now memory of being human. Even when her memories came back, she couldn't really recall the specifics of being human versus being part toon.
"Just still getting used to it," Tom sighed, leaning into Allison's touch. "But I'll be alright."
"If you're sure," Allison said softly, getting a nod from Tom. Giving Tom another kiss, Allison left the bathroom to start cooking breakfast while Tom finished getting ready. Their little house soon filled with the pleasant scent of bacon and pancakes and the couple sat together to enjoy their meal together.
"I'm still not used to how quiet it is," Allison commented as they ate. "There was always some noise in the Studio, from the machines and creatures moving, to just the sounds of creaking boards and dripping ink. And of course having all of us and the toons in Henry's house met there was rarely ever a silent moment. And, while I'm grateful to have a place of our own, I find myself missing all the others. It seems strange, especially considering we fought against them all pretty much the whole time we were trapped together in the studio, but I've come to care for them all."
"I know what you mean," Tom said with a small smile. "Once we were all free of Joey's cruelty and influence, the toons got to be toons for the first time. And seeing them actually, have something to smile and be happy about was amazing. Still, it hadn't been easy and there's still the whole thing between me and Bendy…"
"I thought you two were better now," Allison spoke up, filled with concern. "Bendy hasn't done anything to you since the last… incident… and you know that he only did that because he's still struggling with his new abilities right?"
"It's not that simple Al…" Tom sighed, his eyes darkening as he thought back on what happened. Bendy was always the most dangerous of all of the toons and ink creatures, especially when he relapsed. But they had all know that and knew how to handle him, that even the risk of being accidentally killed wasn't enough to deter anyone from helping the demon. But when Bendy had reached into Tom's chest, grabbing onto Tom's very soul… Tom had known with absolute certainty that he had been going to die and there was nothing… not even God… that could have saved. It had been terrifying and Tom still had a hard time believing he was still alive. It wasn't something he could get over easily and whenever Bendy stared at him a little too long, Tom would barely be able to suppress a shudder.
"I know…" Allison assured, taking Tom's hand in her own. "Being nearly killed couldn't have been easy, but we've forgiven Bendy for things like that before…"
"It's not just the fact he nearly killed me…" Tom confessed, cutting Allison off. "If it was just that, I'd be able to get over it pretty easily… well… not easily… but what is really bothering me is why he tried to kill me. While I wasn't really aware when Bendy told you everything I did concerning the ink machine, but I know what I did. And there's a part of me that… that wonders if Bendy was right for targeting me…"
"Tom…" Allison began, but Tom shook his head.
"Hear me out Al," Tom insisted. "I knew Bendy was harmless, but I still locked him up when Joey ordered me to. When Joey came up with the idea of using human sacrifice to give the toons souls, I just stood by, rationalizing it was okay because the sacrifices were voluntary. And when it became clear that the sacrifices were no longer voluntary, I still did nothing because I was afraid Joey would use you as the next sacrifice. I had hoped that everything would stop when the studio went bankrupt, but I knew deep down it wouldn't. It took so many more deaths before I finally had enough, but I couldn't even stop Joey, just getting thrown into the machine myself. I am guilty of causing a lot of people decades of pain and suffering. And when Bendy was going for my soul, a part of me thought all the people I hurt was finally getting the recompense they deserved."
"Oh, Tom…" Allison said with tears in her eyes, hugging Tom close. "I never knew you felt like this… You're not as evil as you fear… while I can't deny you have some responsibility about what happened, but Joey is the one truly behind everything. You and I both know that Joey is a master manipulator who will do anything to get his way. You were a victim just like everyone else. Yes… you probably should have acted sooner, but you don't deserve to have your soul devoured. And above all else, I know you're a good person and I love you."
"I love you too Allison," Tom replied, holding Allison close as tears streamed down his face. Tom knew he had a lot of guilt to overcome and a lot he needed to make up for what he did. A part of him still didn't believe he deserved a second chance let alone the love of someone as amazing as Allison. But he would do his best to live up to the second chance and be the man Allison deserve. He couldn't change the past, but he could move on to make a better future.