This was the brainchild of looking at the AUs of blottart and kkolg on Tumblr and going "Hey, wouldn't it be fun if both their versions of Bendy got to hang out?". My brain then jumped in and said "Yes, but there will be lore." And that's what spawned this. Ultimately though, I'm having fun.
Bendy and the Ink Machine is the property of themeatly, Lolligo is from blottart's Sea of Blue Ink AU, with just some minor backstory tweaks to have him fit this setting and cast, which is from kkolg's Vigilante AU. Most of this is more exposition, but we also get some adorable character moments too to make up for general lack of things happening in the now. Walter Whitman's poetry, and H.P. Lovecraft's Color Out of Space are also their own deals, I very much did not come up with either of those.
Getting To Know You:
Even though Lolligo knew he wouldn't make any headway just sitting on it, it still took him a good week and a half to work himself up to go to the library. What eventually helped was that he grabbed a few other books, a couple favorites, a book of poetry by Walter Whitman for some variety, and the last, well, he'd had to talk to the librarian for that one. It had also been the part that the azure demon was honestly dreading as while the topic was a matter of research, he knew that what he wanted likely wasn't something that could be found through the traditional methods.
After all, one didn't just go up to the librarian and ask something to the effect of hey, do you have any reading about monster owls that might not actually be owls, thank you. That was a sure ticket to the looney bin, though there was a part of Lolligo that had, ever since that conversation with Allen, been quietly wondering if he might've just, cracked. Imagined what he'd seen somehow. Nothing with that kind of a presence and power actually existed…right?
But there was another part of the azure demon, the one that had snapped him out of the mental stupor he'd been sliding into as a result of that conversation, that urged him to remember what had happened and above all don't forget, that knew that what he'd seen had been no mistake on his part.
It had been terrifying. But it had happened. And now he needed to know what to do. And the best way to do that was to know, or at least get some idea of, what he was up against. Hence why he'd more or less stood at the reference desk and tried to inquire, as politely as possible, if they had any literature regarding owls in legend, particularly the more…not-normal ones. He'd ended up fending off an odd look, turning down a few titles given that he was pretty sure what he wanted was a little bigger than a demon, or a cryptid running around England.
Lolligo felt like he'd finally managed to get somewhere when he broadened his question, turning to a new query about more cosmic monsters. Cosmic, or things from out of this world in general, felt like a good descriptor for what he'd experienced. Though what the librarian handed him, well, he wasn't sure it was an exact fit, but he'd have to start somewhere, right?
Granted, Lolligo thought as he looked over the cover of the recent release titled The Color Out Of Space, he would've thought an informative piece would be a bit…thicker, maybe. This had the look more of a dime pulp novel. Which, ordinarily the azure demon wasn't averse to, he'd read plenty of good ones, but that wasn't what he thought he really needed right now.
Still, this was what he had, might as well give it a shot. Maybe it'd give him a few ideas about what to do regarding his current predicament, that being his boss, a one Walter Allen.
Walter Allen. The name stirred a bunch of unwelcome thoughts in Lolligo's mind, making him frown as he flipped through the opening pages of the book and glanced over the title page. As the demon briefly raised an eyebrow at the author's last name, Lovecraft, he couldn't help ruminating over how he'd landed under the "owl's" thumb. It had been a routine run, things had been going smoothly, but…
…Something had gone wrong. That was the thought Lolligo had as he ran down the alley and forced himself over a fence. This was supposed to be fairly routine, even boring, but somehow, for some reason, there had been a rival gang waiting to intercept them as they were leaving. That turned into a shootout, which of course bought the cops, which cut them off from their escape, and now Lolligo was running for his life given that it had rapidly gone from three against five into a veritable free-for-all. Hot blooded or not, he did not like those odds, especially when his arm had been clipped by a stray bullet. He hadn't been able to bandage it until he'd pulled away from the fight, and judging from the warmth trickling through the makeshift dressing Lolligo knew it wasn't going to hold. He'd need help, something else. But he was alone, hadn't seen Sunny or Leo since the cops had arrived, and knew in his heart of hearts that he really, really couldn't afford to stop moving.
Stumbling out of the alley, Lolligo briefly registered that he was heading for the street before his feet stumbled over the curb, causing him to drop onto the asphalt. He barely managed to avoid clocking himself, or dropping his gun (no more bullets, but still, never a good idea to let go of the gun). But things hardly seemed to improve, given that a car was heading down the street and going fast enough to hurt if it ran him over.
Lolligo knew he wasn't going to be able to get up quick enough and instinctively braced for the impact, only to be pleasantly surprised when the car stopped with a squeal of tires, pulling to the side in an effort to avoid him. There was a man getting out of the side, -no, an owl - dressed finely and with concern clear in his eyes.
"Are you alright?" He had time to ask, Lolligo about to reply before a noise from the far end of the alley caught their attention. There was a flicker of movement, the azure demon having no idea if it was the cops, the rival gang, or, hell, Sunny and Leo at this point, but given that the incoming party might've had a gun and been perfectly willing to use it made his heartrate climb.
"Here." The stranger suddenly spoke up, proffering his hand. "Let me help you, son. It'll be alright."
It was such an innocent thing, and Lolligo hadn't thought twice. He was a drowning man and as far as he'd been concerned the hand in front of him had been a lifeline -
- He'd only realized too late that it had been a leash.
That had been the first mistake, looking back on it. No one just randomly invited a bleeding stranger holding a tommy gun into their car, even if they were sincere in their initial motives. But Lolligo hadn't questioned it, had even been somewhat enthusiastic to help Allen get the Vigilante off the ground. He knew full well how difficult starting up a business like that could be, especially in this day and age. Though problems with this apparent partnership started manifesting when Allen wanted more. He wanted Lolligo to stay on, keep being a runner-slash-help for the Vigilante. Of course, that hadn't looked like it was going to interfere with his normal business, at least at first, but Lolligo quickly got a hint of why Allen might've looked at someone like him and thought to bring him aboard.
The Blue Ringed Kraken was not a small-time name in the criminal underworld, after all, and while Lolligo had just as many enemies as he did allies, his connections were one thing that Allen was very interested in. That was when Lolligo started to get the implication that Allen intended more of a merger than a temporary partnership, something that the azure demon was very much not on board for. But he couldn't just leave, Allen got adamant about paying off his "debt", that making the police back off had been no easy task. So Lolligo tried to compensate, inquiring just how much debt he apparently owed the owl and tried to keep some track of it though even more frustratingly Allen didn't seem to want to be helpful about that…
It might've been feasible if Bendy hadn't come along, though the second Lolligo had the thought he wanted to rephrase it. It wasn't the other demon's fault, if anything Bendy was as much of a victim in this as Lolligo was. Though the second he'd heard about Bendy, heard that Allen was bringing an eighteen-year-old kid on to be a bootlegger, well, that had been the tipping point when things had gone from merely bad to awful.
That had been when the conversation happened. The one that gave Lolligo a newfound, paranoid fear of the Vigilante's inner rooms, made it so he couldn't tell anyone what he'd seen regarding Allen. He'd tried, tried to write it down, and then say it to himself. Both instances had ended in pain lancing up his arm, or a case of lockjaw so strong his eyes were tearing for a bit. It was the one bit of physical proof Lolligo had that the whole thing had even happened. Unfortunately it meant he couldn't communicate just what had happened to anyone else.
If anything, that notion made Lolligo feel all the more like he'd cracked, even though a part of him, the part of him that screamed that he was in danger every time he was in the mansion and speakeasy, railed that he wasn't, he wasn't crazy, he knew what he saw… Maybe if Sunny, Leo, or Angela were around he could have worked with someone, figured something out…
Pulling briefly back from the book, Lolligo tried to regather himself. Those names brought just a little more pain than he'd like to admit. Though it was a bittersweet sort of ache. Sweet because, in his heart of hearts, he cared deeply for all three. They were his friends, brothers, family.
Bitter because, thanks to Allen poking at his life and connections, Lolligo felt it more prudent to more or less withdraw. Stay at the Vigilante, away from his home and his friends. If he isolated the source, then that constricting infection couldn't spread to them too.
But it left Lolligo feeling very, very lonely. Even if he'd tried to do his best to soften the blow, leave notes and tell them that everything was fine, he'd just needed to take care of some things, he'd be in touch…he was leaving them. Coming back to normalcy was not a certainty. If anything, it looked like this was a stalemate that Allen was more likely to win, either by keeping Lolligo for himself or wearing the azure demon down until he, and anyone connected to him, finally came under the owl's…thumb, wing? Hard to say, though even with the confusion as to what sort of idiom was to be used, Lolligo knew it didn't appeal. Not that Allen would take a no, but this partnership was now very much happening under protest.
And Sunny, Leo, Angela, they'd see that. They'd see that and start pushing like Lolligo did and when they pushed too hard…
You forget your place.
The brief flare of that memory made Lolligo all but throw the book down onto the bed next to him, quickly swinging his legs over the side and sitting for a moment with his head resting on tented hands. He was breathing too fast again, it always happened when he thought about that. Because with that came feelings, awful, horribly weak ones, ones that reminded him of what mice must feel like when being stalked by cats, or, better yet, how one might feel when staring down a typhoon or an erupting volcano. A force of nature you would have no hope of reasoning with, that had you firmly in its grip and would only let up when it said it was done.
And, well, Allen had made it very clear that he and Lolligo weren't done, not by any stretch of the word. That conversation, if it could have been called one by that point, was ended with Bendy being put under the care of another bootlegger on the Vigilante's payroll, Nick, and Lolligo being more or less sworn to silence about what he'd seen.
Things had carried on after that. Or, well, things had carried on for everyone else, and Lolligo had been left swirling in the eddies of this most recent upset. He did his jobs, performed what duties Allen asked, all the while wondering, especially as more time went by did that happen, did that really happen and more pressingly does anyone else know. Someone else had to have known, right? It couldn't just be him.
But being sworn to silence kind of made the finding out about that difficult, compounded by the newfound…well, Lolligo wasn't sure if the feeling was paranoia or rightful caution. His sleep was already…touch and go, sometimes, but it felt like there were new horrors frequenting his nightmares. Sometimes it even felt like it was back in his room, watching him, the azure demon finding himself feeling less and less safe within the walls of the mansion that housed the Vigilante. He may have had his own forms of less-than-natural tricks, but he had no idea what sorts of tricks Allen had. Were there perhaps metaphorical eyes all over the mansion, feeding information back to the owl? Was he keeping a particular eye on Lolligo, simply because they were both aware that the azure demon was now privy to some very deeply-held secrets, even if Lolligo himself didn't understand their depth?
Almost in answer to the spiraling, imbalanced line of thought, a dull, prevalent headache was starting to squeeze at Lolligo's head, the demon also realizing that his breathing was growing far too shallow and quick.
He couldn't get this worked up again. He needed to calm down.
The realization had Lolligo going from leaning against his hands to letting his elbows and legs more or less hold him up, the rest of him slumping like a puppet whose strings had been cut as his tail curled close to him. He tried to drive all thoughts of Allen out of his mind, focusing just on the act of breathing. Re-center himself a bit, and let his mind drift to happier memories.
A moment with Angela immediately came to mind, Lolligo having taken some time to more or less sit with her while she slept, watching as the sun rose and painted her peaceful features with that morning radiance. Ever since his mother had passed, Lolligo didn't like to overlook those little moments. He was especially glad for the habit now, as he'd spent a good few minutes just, sitting with the feeling of seeing her, being in her presence. Letting it be engraved on his mind. Letting that image of Angela be engraved on his mind.
That memory led to others, Lolligo feeling his mouth quirk in a comforted smile at the recall of Sunny's brasher but no less warm friendship, Leo's more brusque but no less present attentiveness and help. It wasn't as good as having them here, but for a moment it helped ease the frantic feeling of being caught in a downward spiral, allowing Lolligo to surface for air. Leaning back a little, the azure demon let his head follow the motion, taking in a few deep breaths as he felt himself center in on the current moment. His left hand was resting near where he'd dropped the book, the feel of it drawing Lolligo's eye and making him consider the cover once more. He could simply set it to the side, but all things considered, there was a part of him that did want to read it, if only for the off chance that there might be something useful in there. Also, the title was definitely intriguing enough on its own. The Color Out of Space? What on earth would that look like, for starters?
So, easing himself back on the pillow of his bed - there was a desk and chair near the window but it was too cramped for him - Lolligo re-entered the novel with a clear head, letting himself become fully drawn in by the narrative. The opening of the surveyor wandering the blasted heath was definitely painting a vivid picture, the azure demon's attention entirely grabbed by the mention of unnatural and eerie, both things he'd seen far too much of in the past few months. The story moved from the narrator's own personal experience to the words of one of the townsfolk, Ammi Pierce, who had his own experience with the incident that created the desolate space. Lolligo grew gradually more invested in the tale of the Gardner family, even as he had the sinking feeling of just what would happen to the otherwise serene people.
Lolligo was just getting to the part about how the wildlife around the Gardner place had been seemingly altered by the meteor that had come down on their property, when a knock sounded on his door, nearly making the azure demon jump out of his skin.
"Hello?" He called, putting the book aside and half-rising from his bed, though the party on the other side was already easing the door open a silver. Though even with the small window of sight, Lolligo readily recognized the behorned, somewhat wide-eyed face on the other side. Bendy Stein, for his part, gave a shy but no less heartfelt grin in response to Lolligo's recognizing smile.
"Bendy! How are you? Did you just get back?" The azure demon asked, a genuine smile curving his face as he got up to meet the younger devil. Bendy had already stepped over the threshold, grinning widely as he stepped into a brief hug from Lolligo.
"Yeah, Nick an' I just finished, how are you doing?"
Oh, well. Lolligo didn't want to necessarily lie, but maybe he'd be better off doing some polite paraphrasing rather than getting into the truth.
Even if a part of him couldn't help wondering just how many secrets he was going to end up keeping, voluntarily or otherwise…
"I've been alright. Just got back from the library."
"Why'd you go there?" Bendy asked, tilting his head to the side as he spoke as his sole eye squinted. The image was a charming one, Lolligo letting a warmer edge seep into his voice as he answered.
"Wanted to pick up some books to read. I know there's a library here, but…" Lolligo hadn't wanted Allen to know what he was looking for, not that he was going to get into that with Bendy. So, semi-lie by omission it was. "I wasn't sure it would have what I wanted. So, I made the trip into the city."
Thankfully Bendy didn't question that too much, instead moving onto a new line of inquiry that Lolligo was more than happy to entertain. Better than digging a bit too close to his motivations for using the public library…
"What's the book about?"
Hmm, how to answer this one?
"Well, it's a bit of a scary story, but it's, a little different from most scary stories. It's not a ghost story, it doesn't have, monsters, in the traditional sense? It's definitely…" Lolligo trailed off, giving a circular gesture with a hand as he tried to figure out the best way to end that sentence. "…Something."
"It's a scary story without monsters?" Bendy asked, sounding utterly befuddled as to how that would work.
"I was surprised too, honestly." Lolligo found himself candidly answering, his eye turning to the book still sitting on his bed. "I can read a little bit for you, if you'd like."
Bendy nearly drew back at that, the younger demon's expression open in its trepidation. Immediately, while Lolligo knew that being able to sit through a scary story and doing the job of a bootlegger were two different things, he couldn't help the brief thought that if Bendy were this easy to scare, he might very well be in the wrong profession.
At the very least, it wasn't a profession for the easily squeamish, or faint of heart, though the instant Lolligo had the thought he kind of wanted to soften it a little. The kid was a kid, not some hardened, grizzled…whatever. Let him be a kid for a little longer.
Besides, though Bendy did have an initial start of repulsion, he did quickly catch himself and nod, managing to sound like he had at least some measure of steel to his spine as he spoke up.
"Sure, you can read some."
It took a moment of figuring, but Bendy kind of preempted Lolligo's offer of the desk chair when he kicked off his shoes and hopped up to sit on the bed with the azure demon. Unable to fight an utterly fond grin, Lolligo settled in, letting Bendy use his shoulder as a pillow while he read.
Unfortunately, where Lolligo picked up killed the earlier mood very quick, as it went right on from the odd happenings with the animals to how the vegetation grew back in frightening ways. The likeness to the apparent color from space was noted, the azure demon taking a brief moment to catch Bendy up with the first part of the story in more succinct tones. The younger demon nodded, throwing himself back into the act of listening, though Lolligo couldn't help noticing how the smaller frame felt somewhat stiff as it leaned on him.
With the summer, malformed, enormous insects joined the malformed vegetation, Lolligo feeling a disgusted grimace take root as the story detailed that and the manner in which the family slowly began to fall apart. It started with the wife going completely off her rocker, and then with one of the sons, all the while the animals of the farm were either going missing or falling sick in mysterious ways that seemed to speak to some slow degradation of their body. The death of the boy who had gone insane was a part that Lolligo tried to get through as quickly as possible, as he knew that the notion of children being caught up in this was making him grow far more tense about the outcome of this story.
The youngest child going missing made the whole thing feel all the more stomach-turning, especially with the description of what sounded like a nervous breakdown going on for the poor thing. A part of Lolligo couldn't help a sympathetic sort of pain at hearing how the youngest grew more and more fearful and paranoid, before being abruptly and unceremoniously claimed by the darker presence that was stalking the farm.
But it was when the narrator went back, finding the ailing father and an unnamable horror in the attic where the wife was supposed to have been shut up, that Bendy gave such a terrific flinch that it completely startled Lolligo from his more spellbound reading.
Glancing down, the azure demon couldn't help wondering if the tale had stirred some dreadful recollection in the younger devil. Bendy's expression was that of a cat about to be thrown to a pack of ravenous dogs, his shoulders hiked up and frame practically stiff as a board. Either way, worry jangled at Lolligo's nerves as he broke off the story-telling and called out to the inky-black demon.
"Bendy? Are you alright?"
"Y-Yeah, I just…" Bendy mumbled, fumbling a little for a moment and Lolligo had an honest instant of wondering just what the younger demon was going to say - have you seen something too? - but Bendy only fidgeted for another spell before glancing Lolligo's way like a demure puppy. "I know you said it was a scary story, but I thought I'd be f-fine with it I just…didn't realize it'd be that scary, and…"
Yeah, looking back on it maybe Lolligo should have just set the book aside immediately and not offered. The story was enough to bother him, current associations aside. Bendy shouldn't have to be thinking about that, the kid had enough on his mind as it was. Putting the book on his bedside table, Lolligo did his best to calm the younger demon, resting a hand on Bendy's shoulder.
"It's okay. We don't have to keep going. To be perfectly honest, this isn't the type of book I usually read. I was just, trying out something new."
Well, at least that part wasn't exactly a lie. It just wasn't the whole truth. What also distracted Lolligo from his thoughts about keeping unwanted secrets was that Bendy hesitantly spoke up, drawing his attention back to the conversation.
"…Did you like it?"
That question actually did provoke some real thought on Lolligo's part. He'd certainly read his fair share of books. Where did this one stack up? It was also a nicer, much more mundane topic, the azure demon eagerly letting it absorb his mind as he thought it over.
"Eh, so-so? It's written alright, but, well, I prefer happier stories. Or at least less, grim ones." That word, grim, definitely brought to mind the disturbing image of the Gardner mother shrieking in her cloistered little room, the children and livestock slowly being preyed upon as something sinister wound its horrible influence over the farm. Though looking up Lolligo quickly realized it wasn't an image that he was alone in having, Bendy's eye had slipped to the book too, a somewhat uncomfortable expression sliding over his face as he reflexively leaned away. Almost like the younger demon was afraid of some prismatic shadow leaking out into the real world from the novel's pages. "Hey, it's alright. None of that was real, Bendy. It's just a story."
Though the instant the words were out of Lolligo's mouth he felt the ashy, untrue taste of them. While he'd certainly had no experience with strange, vampiric colors from space, he'd definitely had some knowledge of less-than natural occurrences. Briefly he couldn't help recalling the words of Nahum, how the color fed on the family and the farm, and wondering what if there were an instance where the color wasn't just some nameless force, but a person? Was that why Allen was here, doing what he was doing, and drawing people in? And, if that was the reasoning, could Lolligo even do anything to stop him?
"Lolligo?"
The somewhat worried call of his name snapped the azure demon out of his brief spiral, a smile reflexively springing to his scarred face as he looked to Bendy.
"Huh? Sorry, Bendy, did you say something?"
But, even more worrying, Bendy didn't really say much at first, just tilted his head in a confused manner as he scanned over the older demon's features, like there was something there that he didn't readily understand.
"No, I didn't really - you just went kinda pale, are you alright?"
…Well, Lolligo had hoped he didn't wear his emotions so openly, but apparently he'd been horribly mistaken on that front. Then again, he didn't usually feel like he had these kinds of odds against him in any given situation. No, this, this was rather out there as far as difficulty went. And unfortunately it looked like it was becoming a new normal.
Even still, he didn't want to get Bendy involved, or upset the kid. And it wasn't like Lolligo could explain, Allen had clearly looked to block that avenue off. So, in lieu of that, the azure demon simply threw on a grin, trying to devote himself fully to the conversation at hand rather than something he could not change.
Even if it remained like a Sword of Damocles over his head…
"I'm alright, Bendy, I'm sorry. Just had a long day." Lolligo finally replied, treading a careful line of letting some of the exhaustion seep in without looking too haggard. Though there was a brief flicker of worry in the younger demon's face, he seemed to accept what Lolligo was saying, giving a softer grin as he answered.
"It's okay!" Bendy replied, though his eyes did turn back to the book. "We're, not gonna keep reading that, are we?"
"No, I think I'm done for now." Lolligo was just glancing at The Color Out of Space when he saw his other more impulsive choice, the book of poetry. "Have you ever heard of Walter Whitman?"
"Nuh-uh. Who's that?" Bendy asked, sitting up a little straighter with clear curiosity in his eye. It made Lolligo feel like drawing out the aforementioned book was a bit more of a momentous thing, the azure demon unable to keep a dramatic flourish out of his movements.
"He's a poet, from around the time of the Civil War. Admittedly, poetry is a new thing for me too, but, I dunno, think we can have some fun with it, don't you think?"
Bendy hadn't looked very sure at the notion of poetry, but Lolligo had managed to put enough excitement into his tone that it swept up the younger demon's enthusiasm, Bendy eagerly nodding as he settled in. Briefly Bendy glanced up to Lolligo, the look of pure trust causing a warmth to spread through Lolligo's rib cage. In that second, none of his worries or trials mattered. He was just having fun with a friend. It was an utterly welcome and relieving feeling, like it was reminding him that even with everything turned on its head, he could still have something go right.
And, maybe he didn't feel quite so alone…
Covering the flickers of emotion that brought, Lolligo threw on a smile as he cracked open the book, selecting a title at random.
"As I ebbed with the ocean of life, as I wended the shores I know, as I walk'd where the ripples continually wash you Paumanok, where they rustle up hoarse and sibilant, where the fierce old mother cries for her castaways, I musing late in the autumn day, gazing off southward, held by this electric self out of the pride of which I utter poems, was seiz'd by the spirit that trails in the lines underfoot, the rim, the sediment that stands for all the water and all the land of the globe…"
In a sense, it was the perfect poem, Lolligo continuing to read and growing more and more drawn in by the imagery of the sea. It was another thing he tried his best to commit to memory, especially when he knew that bit of peace might be out of his reach. Part of the poem was built on Whitman's perspective, but the flickers of seaside serenity were ones that spoke to a much deeper part of Lolligo, inadvertently easing his mind even further away from his troubles.
"You oceans both, I close with you, we murmur alike reproachfully rolling sands and drift, know not why, these little shreds indeed standing for you and me and all…" But, even as he was reading, Lolligo's eyes had glanced ahead, catching on another line reading I too have bubbled up, floated the measureless float, and been wash'd up on your shores, I too am but a trail of drift and debris, I too leave little wrecks upon you.
It didn't exactly remind him of his problems, though it did make him feel slightly self-conscious. Especially since, well, his current standings felt a lot like a case of a shipwreck, trailing debris across an otherwise calm sea. But then again, the sea hid many things, didn't it, even the bones of old shipwrecks, as well as the sailors that went down with them.
Well, Lolligo certainly hoped he wasn't about to go down with any ship, and if anything he'd be trying his best to avoid that. Though he'd come to a complete halt while reading, his thoughts having carried him off, the azure demon snapping out of his mind and hurrying to apologize.
"O-Oh, sorry, Bendy, just got a little sidetracked…"
However, when the only response to his words was a soft snore, Lolligo glanced to the side, and couldn't help a stifled snigger. While he'd gotten sidetracked, Bendy had apparently not been too far behind in that regard, the smaller demon quietly slumped against Lolligo's pillow and shoulder, eye closed and mouth slightly open as he slumbered.
Briefly, as Lolligo reached over to place the book back on his bedside table, he couldn't help wondering if this meant that the poetry was a rousing success or a failure. Well, Bendy looked like he was sleeping peacefully, at any rate. Maybe that was the best way to measure whether or not that was a success, though the other dilemma was what Lolligo should do with the younger demon now that he was asleep. It was still fairly light out, maybe he could carry Bendy up to his room…or maybe it'd be better to let him sleep here for a while, they were less likely to make a scene that way.
Or maybe Lolligo was overthinking it, that notion making the azure demon slump with some self-directed frustration as he decided to go with his first instinct and grab the blanket he had folded at the end of the bed. At the very least, he could make sure Bendy was comfortable while he napped.
However, the shifting made Bendy stir with a sleepy murmur, his eye drifting lazily open as he glanced around before fixing on Lolligo with a small smile. It made a reciprocating grin slip over the older demon's face, even as he tried to reassure.
"Hey, Bendy. It's alright if you're tired, you can-"
"Not asleep!" Bendy yelped, Lolligo yanking himself backwards before the younger demon's upward trajectory could blat him in the face. "Wasn't asleep! Not tired!"
"Are you sure?" The azure demon asked, unable to keep a fonder, teasing tone out of his voice.
"Mhm! I'm sure!" Bendy responded, hastening to sit up as he nodded so rapidly it looked like his head was going to rattle its way free from his neck.
"Nick keep you busy?" Lolligo asked, keeping a relatively easy-going smile on his face even as a part of him whispered that, you could be protecting him if you hadn't let your big mouth run, if you hadn't gotten Allen's attention, if he hadn't-
No, not going to think about that. He couldn't do anything about it, and now wasn't the time to think about it, not when Bendy was right there and in the midst of answering him.
"Little bit! He mostly had me runnin' stuff, and that wasn't too hard, I did a lotta runnin' before, with J-" Whatever Bendy was going to say, or whoever he was going to name, something about it caught his attention just in the nick of time, the younger demon's jaw clamping shut as his eye went from open and peppy to looking like someone was about to slap him. It was a look that immediately tugged at Lolligo's sense of protectiveness, his smile falling into a worried stare as he tried to figure out just what was going on.
"Bendy?"
"I'm okay!" The younger demon quickly piped up, grinning just a little too wide and strained to really be natural. "I'm okay, really. I'm just, used to runnin' around, yeah…"
Perhaps that should have been a cue to ask about that, but, well, the azure demon supposed that he didn't have the right to ask many questions. It wasn't like he was being completely open about his own past, or his current motivations…
But it wouldn't have felt right to let that stand without saying something, especially not when it was clear that this had a big impact on Bendy. So, letting his worry ease into something more soothing, Lolligo spoke up.
"If it helps, the jobs mostly are a lot of running around. And if anything happens you can always come talk to me, Bendy. I'll be here."
The words were softer, pitched to calm, and hit their mark as the tension in the smaller demon's frame fell by the wayside, a more heartfelt smile sliding into place on Bendy's features. Before Lolligo realized it, the younger demon threw his arms around the azure demon's neck, making him start for an instant before he realized what was going on and gratefully hugging Bendy back.
"Thanks, Lolligo." Bendy murmured into Lolligo's shoulder, the azure demon feeling a smile pull at his scarred face as he whispered in reply.
"Not a problem, Bendy."