Author's Note: Just a short little story for a game franchise that has a very special place in my heart. I wrote this on its seventh anniversary this year; I can't believe Bendy and the Ink Machine has been around for seven whole years! There was a time I thought it would practically be over, but then Dark Revival came, and now we're getting so much new stuff?!

All-in-all, it's safe to say I'm a huge fan of batim, and I just had to do something for this anniversary (because until now, I've unfortunately forgotten each year.) It only felt fitting to make an anniversary fic be about this particular subject, and I've wondered for a while now what it would be like if Henry had met Bendy in Dark Revival.

Anyways, happy birthday to batim! I can't wait for whatever comes next.
Enjoy the one-shot!

Paper rubbed against paper; the sound of each page being flipped filled the silence. Every drawing was random, yet detailed, scrawled onto the yellow paper. Henry thought being in a nearly empty cell, with practically nothing, would feel better than the endless loop he had found himself trapped in for he didn't even know how long. Somehow, though, it did not. There were no chances to change, nothing but the stool he sat on and the worn notebook of doodles in his hands.

Henry threw a glance over his shoulder, peering through the glass at the other cells. The other Cycle Breakers were quieter than usual. His eyebrows drew together. Particularly, a certain angel…

With a withering sigh, he shook it off and returned to flipping through all his sketches. Boredom was something he hadn't felt in a long while; he hadn't even remembered what it felt like, till now. Now here he was with nothing. He was trapped, a prisoner. But not just to this cell. This entire world was like a cage to him, and yet, he'd given into it eventually. Kept the cycle going…hoping something will change…time after time again, the same fights and struggles only to end up exactly where he started…oh, why couldn't it change? But it did. Just…he had hoped not like this. Everything was in disarray, and he had no idea what horrors lay beyond the glass.

"Something will change again," Henry mumbled to himself, words he hadn't said in a long while. He'd resigned himself to his fate of repeating everything, hadn't uttered such a thing in forever. Everything was out of his control like this, but even so, it was a change. If he could go back to the cycle, stop what was currently happening, could perhaps things change for the better? Could the cycle restart, only to be broken the right way? "Now you're just thinking nonsense." He chuckled bitterly to himself and flipped the notebook shut. At this point, he didn't know what he wanted. He had lost that a long time ago. The only thing he could do was wait, wait till he could break free and do the one thing he knew he could.

Bring The End.

A creak came from elsewhere in the room, and Henry lifted his head. Were the Keepers making a round or something? Had someone else been caught? He blinked in surprise and rose from his stool at the sound of soft, quickened footfalls thudding through the room. Something else was here? That never happened.

Turning, Henry looked through the glass again. Nothing could have prepared him for what he saw.

A small creature stood in the center of the room, trembling and glancing around. The appearance was familiar to Henry, oh so familiar. With drawn pie-cut eyes and an unmistakable grin, despite the fact that it was turned down with fear right now…there was no doubt this was Bendy, the dancing demon himself. Well, with some changes. He wore a suit of some kind and held the appearance of most creatures in the studio, made of black ink and various shades of yellow or brown. Henry immediately went to the glass and pressed his hands to do it. "Bendy?" he whispered. Not the Ink Demon, that dreaded monster that had hunted Henry countless times. Bendy. The mascot, the very beginnings of this show. His creation.

The frightened toon shuddered and turned in his direction, head perking up, as if he'd responded to the name. Henry watched with bated breath as Bendy's gaze finally settled on him, his sketched eyes meeting Henry's from across the distance between them. He squinted at the little demon, trying to work out how he could exist. The only version of this character that existed was the Ink Demon himself, which according to Wilson, had been destroyed. Although, if he was being honest, Henry never fully believed that. This couldn't be the Ink Demon, right? He was far too tiny and innocent looking.

All these wonderings and thoughts gathered in Henry's mind, all the while he stared at Bendy with a dumbfounded expression. It was as if he was seeing the first Boris all over again. This wasn't possible. How was Bendy here?

Still quivering, the demon backed farther away. He seemed frightened, quite frightened. Henry's eyebrows drew together, but before he could properly register any of this, a loud bang erupted from somewhere else in the room. Practically jumping out of his skin, Bendy dashed to the nearest corner and fell to his knees. Henry watched Bendy with widening eyes; the toon curled up in the corner, practically right next to Henry's cell. It was almost…sad, seeing something he once put so much passion into, now alive and cowering helplessly in the corner. Inky tears formed at Bendy's eyes, and he curled up and pressed himself against the wall.

Henry jerked away from the glass at a familiar voice booming out nearby. The voice of a Keeper. "It has escaped."

"We must find it," drawled out another, their voices hurting Henry's ears. He returned to the stool and sat down, his back to the room. Whenever they passed through, he always tried to appear busy. So, he retrieved his notebook and flipped it to one of the few empty pages. Retrieving his pen, he kept sketching, now drawing out someone all too familiar.

Bendy. The cartoon he had just seen outside his cell.

How?

Henry tried to ignore the horrid sounds of the Keepers' movement while they crept through the room. His lip pressed into a firm line and his hand tightened around his pen, smearing a hint of the ink he used to draw. What had they said? It escaped? And Bendy was hiding…was that who they were searching for? He didn't dare sneak a peek at the room. Something deep in his gut told him not to; he didn't want to catch their attention, nor accidentally direct them towards the fearful demon in the corner.

The wait felt like an eternity, but when finally he couldn't detect their familiar noises, Henry rose and placed down his notepad and pen. Sure enough, looking around the room through the glass, he could not spot the Keepers. However, when he glanced to the side, there was Bendy in the corner. He hadn't moved much, still shuddering, curled in on himself as he sat on the floor. Henry gazed at him silently for a bit, expecting Bendy to move, but he did not.

With a deep frown, after hesitating, Henry moved closer to the glass and lowered himself to his knees. He cleared his throat, just barely mustering a, "Hey." He tapped the glass with his knuckle in an attempt to draw the toon's attention. To his surprise, Bendy jumped and immediately looked over. Henry tried not to show how startling and strange it felt to meet Bendy's eyes, saying, "They're gone, don't worry." Bendy blinked, uncurling a little. "You're safe," Henry said, noticing just how hard Bendy was still shaking. Blinking more, the tiny demon got to his feet. Surprising Henry further, Bendy cautiously shuffled towards the glass of his cell. Quickly recovering himself, Henry spoke with a gentle tone, "Yeah, that's right. It's okay now."

His breath caught in his throat, seeing Bendy now standing so close to the cell. He tipped his head and stared back up at Henry. The cautious expression on his face began to fade to curiosity, his signature grin soon replacing the frightened frown. Hesitantly, he gave a tiny wave. Henry blinked, then he managed a smile. "Uh…hi." Bendy stepped even closer, his head tilting to the other side. "Can't talk, I'm guessing?" he said, and Bendy nodded. "Figured as much. I had a friend like you once, you know." Bendy blinked, glancing Henry over. He pointed to himself. "Yes, like you." Henry's smile grew and softened. "He kept me company for a good while, but…" Then Alice happened, and Boris was…

"Well," he said, "I like to think he's still out there somewhere." Bendy paused. He nodded, then reached and tapped a gloved finger against the glass. Henry swallowed and nodded back, smile fading. "Yeah, I'm sort of…trapped in here." Bendy's eye shape changed a little, depicting worry. Henry couldn't help but chuckle. The sight of Bendy emoting and moving was still so confusing, but in a way, it was cute. "It won't be forever. I'll escape, somehow, I'm sure." Bendy's expression shifted, and he pointed at himself again. Henry paused, trying to figure out what he meant. "Right. Right, like you did." Bendy's grin returned, and he nodded enthusiastically.

Henry's smile came back as well, only to disappear while he gazed at Bendy, the beginning of it all. It was strange, so strange. With a soft sigh, Henry reached out and put his hand against the glass. "What are you?" he whispered, mostly to himself. Bendy blinked at him, then taking a final step to be near, he pressed his hand to the glass, right over where Henry's rested. They both gazed at each other, Henry's expression worn and weary, and this new Bendy gazing at him with curiosity. Henry took a shaky breath, unable to look away. It was him; it was actually him. Not some wretched demon of ink hunting him endlessly through the halls, but the cartoon character, the spark of an idea Henry had all those years ago. It was a surreal reminder, a reminder of where all this started…

Like an old friend said, just a pencil and a dream.

Just a man sketching out a fond idea, of a little demon dancing, going on adventures, and getting into mischief.

Keeping his hand against the glass, Henry let out a long breath. "Whatever you are, you're…different. You're a reminder of where we came from." He blinked. "And you're…a change." Bendy tipped his head again. A change…something different…more different than anything else that had happened…

Somehow, meeting Bendy wasn't a sour reminder of what this used to be. But rather, hope for the future. Not all innocence of this studio was lost, and if something like this could happen, then yes…perhaps not all hope was lost just yet. The cycle could reset, and the cycle could be broken. This wouldn't last forever, as long as changes kept happening. And for Henry, well, perhaps that was enough.

Smiling gently at Bendy, at the character he first created, Henry said, "Thank you." Bendy paused, then his grin spread again. "Now you better go," Henry said, despite the sudden tug in his chest. "Run, go find your freedom." Withdrawing his hand, Bendy gave a quick nod, then he hurried away. Halfway to the exit, though, he stopped and looked over his shoulder. Their eyes met for a final time, then with a wave, Bendy finally fled Henry's sight.

Henry waved back and rose back to his feet. He stood still by the glass for nearly a full minute, before returning to his stool and notebook. Yes, he was right. This wasn't over yet. Perhaps for now he could only wait, but he could tell…

Something was about to happen.

The revival was coming.