Chapter Text
The wait for Bendy to come home was nerve-wracking. Felix did the best he could to distract himself and hide his nerves. He thought he did rather well, but Granny gave him a knowing look that told him he wasn’t as smooth as he thought. Boris gave him a wonderful project to focus on—material for Holly’s gloves. He spent a good couple of hours looking through some of the books in his collection and talking to Boris about what he and Holly were envisioning. The wolf was spirited, and Felix couldn’t help his smile as he watched Boris talk animatedly. His hands gestured wildly as his tail thumped behind him rhythmically. Felix was happy to see the glitter of excitement back in the wolf’s eyes.
He wondered when Bendy and Boris had stopped with the exercises Dimitri had recommended. He hadn’t asked Boris. He was more concerned that Bendy would allow it to slip. Then again, he seemed to still be struggling. The young demon had a lot on his plate, not just here but from below too—if that disreputable Black Hat was an indication.
Felix hoped he’d be able to understand Bendy and his situation better. Demons were notoriously tight-lipped in their own matters. Felix would need to be clever and respectful.
Holly jumped in on the fun when she spotted the rare books Felix had pulled out of his bag. Cala and Mugs came in to sit together and watch on in amusement. It was a comfortable evening in Mr. Toad’s—Granny’s house. The muffins calmed the Warners and Mr. Toad, so a peaceful time was truly had.
The moment ended as soon as the door opened to Cuphead and Bendy. The cat felt a chill as the room quieted. Holly vanished before anyone else seemed to notice. The two new faces looked tired and weary even as they smiled upon entering the house. The smiles were at least genuine as far as Felix could tell. The cat reasoned he could wait until after dinner. It’d be a shame for the food to go cold and it would allow Cup and Bendy some time to unwind from their day. It certainly wasn’t Felix procrastinating.
Dinner was as wonderful as usual for Granny’s cooking. Everyone that could be there, was. Dr. Oddswell and Holly were notably missing. Red disappeared with trays, hinting at them eating somewhere else in the house while working on a project. Felix enjoyed the carefully seasoned roast with vegetable stew, bread with a spread of jams, and corn cobs with butter.
Dinner flew past in a blur. Felix had a hard time focusing on conversations. People came and left the room. As they cleaned up, he started going over a speech in his head again and again like he was memorizing a script. He remembered the details but struggled to figure out how to explain them without rambling. He was probably overthinking it. There was a lot to overthink: Boris and his family, Bendy and Hell, the illness and the quest. There was also the possibility that they didn’t want to be adopted at this point. What would he do if they rejected him? Well, he’d respect it, but he’d worry. They needed someone in their corner and he’d be there—as a legal guardian or just a friend. What if he offended them?
As Felix thought himself into circles, the table was cleared and the dishes cleaned.
“I’m going to call it an evening,” Bendy said. “It was a late night yesterday.”
“You don’t want to hear the new episode of Mammoth's Marvels?” Mugs asked.
“You and Boris will fill me in later.” Bendy waved him off and turned toward the stairs.
Oh no! If Felix didn’t speak now, he’d lose his chance for the day. Then he’d have to fess up to Dimitri about his failure when the sun rose again. “Hold on, Bendy.” Felix took a step forward with a hand raised.
Bendy paused before the first step. “Hm?” he hummed and turned toward the cat.
Felix’s mind went blank. It hadn’t done that in some time, and Felix found it difficult to collect his words while Bendy, Boris, and Mugs watched him. Cala leaned around the corner and disappeared quickly, most likely to fetch Holly. Oh stars.
“Felix? What is it?” Bendy furrowed his brows and stepped toward him. “Is everything okay?”
Felix flinched, then chuckled at his jumpiness. “Ah, well, Dimitri called today. Rosie wants to hear from you when you have a spare moment.”
Bendy’s eyes lit up. “She did? I hope Coo-coo didn’t break. It won’t be easy to ship a replacement carefully.”
“No, she loves it. She just misses you.” Felix smiled. “Dimitri also asked about Boris’ exercises.” Boris winced and Bendy’s gaze dropped. “She wanted us to figure out a schedule together so we don’t miss them like we have.”
Bendy nodded. “That’s . . . my fault. I—”
“Bendy don’t. You’ve had a busy time. It’s okay,” Boris assured.
The demon shook his head.
“It’s okay, we can work this out together.” Felix placed a hand on both their shoulders.
“Thanks, Felix.” Boris smiled.
“Yeah, okay.” Bendy nodded.
“Great. I think we can worry about that tomorrow,” Felix said. The two agreed and Felix dropped his hands. Bendy turned instantly for the stairs like he was trying to escape. He already climbed two. “Ah, one more thing,” Felix managed to get out. Bendy stopped like Felix got him with a lasso. Felix cleared his throat, trying to get the lump to go back down. “Uh, I need to talk to you and Boris about something.”
Bendy turned on the stairs, his brows knit together. He looked somewhere between curious and troubled. Felix wondered if he was annoyed the cat kept stopping him from running to his room like usual.
Behind Bendy, the edge of Holly’s face poked around the corner as she watched from upstairs. She gave him a big smile and a silent double thumbs up in encouragement.
“What is it, Felix? You look a bit pale,” Boris asked. His ears were back in concern.
Felix ruffled his ears with a smile. “I’m okay. Let’s find somewhere comfortable. It could be a long discussion.”
“What’s this about?” Bendy asked.
“Is it about the trip?” Boris asked. “Holly already told me a lot of it.”
“She has?” Felix asked curiously.
Boris nodded, his eyes went distant. So that means he already knew about his family. Well, that was good. He should know. Felix glanced up the stairs to give Holly a grateful smile before he ushered the boys into the sitting room. Holly and Cala ghosted behind them. Cala caught a curious Mugman along the way, whispering to him behind a raised hand. Felix did his best to ignore that. He also thought he saw the Warners hiding in the frames of pictures, but now wasn’t the time for distracting gags. Cuphead lurked at the back of the living room, looking pensive.
They sat, the brothers looking at him with open curiosity and trepidation. This was the first time Felix had done something like this before. Holly and the others hovered in the doorway and out into the hall. Bendy eyed them with mild suspicion.
“What’s this about, Felix?” Bendy turned to him. There was an edge of something in his voice.
Felix couldn’t help chuckling and rubbing the back of his head. Oh stars, he was going to mess this up. A right bloody pile of pebbled moonrocks and powdered stars. “W-Well, you see, boys, I have been working on something for a while now,” Felix stumbled out. The two shared a look before focusing on him again. “It’s taken me a while, so I’m sorry about that, but I wanted to only bring this to you when I was sure it was all manageable.” He dug into his bag for the right file. It wasn’t where he’d left it, the books they had been studying had shifted things. Felix kept talking so they wouldn’t be left in silence as he searched somewhat desperately for the precious file. “Uh, d-despite this, I don’t want either of you to feel any pressure. It’s a big choice, and I understand if you need time. Life has a funny way of throwing things at you before you’re ready, after all.”
“What do you mean?” Boris clasped his hands together. “What big choice?”
Bendy frowned at their friends in the hall. “Felix, what is this?”
“Don’t worry.” Felix waved a hand. “Like I said, no pressure.” Oh cussing Hell below, where was it! The magic bag got tired of Felix’s fumbling and spat his hands out. Felix’s jaw dropped as his hands were shoved away. The bag squirmed before a velvet tongue came out and slapped the file on the coffee table with a pleased thump. Relief and annoyance raced through Felix. The bag gave a smug wiggle. “I’d rather you not lose my things.” It huffed in mild offense at that.
Felix sighed and placed a hand on the file, making sure it was turned toward the boys. Both of them leaned forward. “I wanted to ask you two a question. I don’t expect you to answer immediately, so take your time to consider.” He opened the file. “Would you two like to be my sons?”
There was a beat of silence as everyone held their breath. The only sound was the distant ticking of the new clock Mr. Toad had bought. Boris seemed to forget to breathe. Then Bendy chuckled. “Okay, that was a good one. You had us going for a minute.”
Felix’s breath left him as his shoulders slumped. Out of all the reactions he’d imagined, Bendy not believing him wasn’t one he’d expected.
“Bendy, I don’t know if Felix would prank us like that,” Boris muttered and picked up the first page from the file.
“Oh, come on! Cup put you up to it! Or Jerry. Maybe Yakko. There is no way!” Bendy snorted. “I mean, can you imagine? Felix the Cat adopting us? Us! That’s insane!”
“Um, Bendy.” Boris’ eyes were wide with shock and wonder. “I don’t think he’s joking.” He offered the page to Bendy. “Felix wouldn’t pull a prank like that. And look. It looks real.”
Bendy blinked, confused at Boris’ reaction. He snatched the paper and looked at it as he talked. “That’s true. But, seriously, it’s impossible to adopt me. We know that. They told us . . . They . . . What is this?” He lowered the paper and gave Felix a lost look. Tears were brimming in Boris’ eyes.
“I would never joke about this. Well, maybe a few puns, but my offer is genuine.” Felix pushed the rest of the file toward them. “You two are amazing boys. You deserve every opportunity to shine, and I want to offer that to you. Your educations, your professions, your hopes and dreams—I want to help in any and all ways that I can. You deserve a home that can offer you safety and love.” Felix swallowed. The lump reappeared, nearly choking out his words. “I’m not perfect—and it’ll be an adjustment—but I think I can offer you that home if you find it in your hearts to give me a chance. I can’t promise to make all your hardships disappear or that we won’t have rough times ahead, but I promise to be there for you both.”
Boris was crying sincerely now, trying to hold back sobs. Bendy stared at him, dazed. “B-But why?” Bendy whispered. “I don’t understand.”
Felix smiled, feeling his own eyes burn with tears. “Because I’ve come to love you two like my own.”
Bendy’s brows furrowed. His eyes turned glassy as his hand shook. He dropped the page. “I don’t—But—But I’m—You’d—”
Felix circled around the table and wrapped his arms around Bendy. “It’s okay. I’m here.”
Boris leaned over and threw his arms around Felix. “You mean it! You really mean it!”
“I do,” Felix chuckled weakly.
“Bu-but I’m a demon! I can’t—” Bendy choked.
“You can.” Felix leaned back and grinned. “I made sure of it. It’s just up to you now. Your choice.”
Bendy sobbed and nearly knocked Felix over. The cat managed to save them all from toppling to the floor. They laughed and cried as they hugged each other. The boys clung to him like a life preserver in the ocean. Once they could breathe again, Felix pulled back to brush away tears. “You don’t have to answer me to—”
“Are you insane!” Bendy barked. “Of course, I’m signing now! If I don’t, those papers are going to vanish or I’m going to wake up or—” Bendy gasped. He suddenly turned to Boris. “Swear to me this is real.”
Boris jumped. His eyes went huge—which was impressive with how puffy they’d gotten from crying. “It’s real! I swear! This is too good for any trick! Honest! I never imagined something like this!”
Felix chuckled. “Boys, really. You don’t have to rush—”
“No way!” Boris straightened. “We’ve wanted this since we were little! I don’t have a reason not to. Bendy?”
“Hell no! Hand them over!” Bendy demanded with a teary smile.
A sniffle from the doorway caught their attention. About ten faces were stacked there, watching. There wasn’t a dry eye among their friends.
“It’s so beautiful!” Dot wailed.
Wakko loudly blew his nose in a handkerchief.
Boris sniffed. “It’s nice to not be the only one with tears for once.”
Bendy laughed. Really laughed. Both of them seemed to glow with awe and happiness. Felix pulled out a pen and offered it to Bendy. “All you two have to do is sign it and I’ll take care of the rest.”
Bendy pulled everything toward him and quickly found the line for his signature. He hesitated. “I don’t know what to sign.”
Boris perked up his ears. “Oh yeah, is our last name going to be ‘Cat’ now? That might get confusing for me.”
“It doesn’t have to be. Why don’t you two just sign your names, and if we want to make any changes, we can do that later,” Felix offered.
Bendy nodded and put the pen to the page. Their friends started to applaud and cheer.
“Congrats boys!” Yakko chuckled.
“I’m so happy for you.” Cala grinned.
“This calls for a cake!” Granny declared.
“I told you they would love it, Felix!” Holly laughed.
“This is so heartwarming.” Albert smiled fondly.
“Does this make the quest a family trip?” Mugs chuckled.
“Oh stars.” Cup rolled his eyes with a smile. He glanced at Holly before looking away.
“Alright everyone, let’s leave them alone for a bit. I’m sure there’s plenty for them to talk about,” Granny suggested.
“Good idea,” Red agreed. “Let’s go.”
“Awww, but I want to take pictures.” Dot pouted.
“After, sweetie. Why don’t you and the boys help me with the cake?” Granny suggested.
The Warners cheered. Oh my. That was going to be interesting.
The doors shut as Bendy and Boris finished looking through the pages. Boris seemed hesitant. He hadn’t written anything. Felix’s ears folded back. “Boris, I need to tell you about your family first.”
Boris perked his ears. Bendy jerked. Boris looked up at Felix with big black eyes. “Oh, it’s okay! Holly already told me about what happened.”
“What!” Bendy demanded. “Whadda ya mean your family?”
Boris dipped his chin and gave Bendy a deadpan look. “While you’ve been running around the city and Hell, I found out that I might have some surviving family members. Holly and Felix found out about them and what happened to separate me from them.”
Bendy stared at Boris, baffled. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“You haven’t exactly been around to talk to,” Boris said defensively. “And it’s not like you’ve been telling me anything either. I mean, I found out about your honey business and your new demon friends because you were talking to Alice.” Oh?
Bendy flinched. “Well I—Wait, are you jealous?”
Boris scowled. “No! But we used to tell each other everything, and now we don’t talk at all. How am I supposed to feel, Bendy?”
Felix raised his brows. This had all been happening while he was away? The cat watched carefully.
“Sorry,” Bendy said, frowning. “I didn’t mean it like that.” He shifted, clearly uncomfortable. “It’s not that I’ve been avoiding you.” He hesitated and seemed to rethink his words. “I haven’t been meaning to avoid you. It’s just been hard. I’ve . . . I’ve had to deal with a lot.”
“Can I help? Or is leaving you alone the best I can do?” Boris asked.
Bendy shifted again. “I don’t know how. Not that I want to push you away! It’s just—There is—Huh, I’m not sure.”
“Can I try something?” Boris looked back up at him. For a moment, Felix thought he’d use his puppy look but he didn’t. He was doing his best to show how sincere he was. Felix wasn’t sure if he should stay or go at this point. He worried he’d interrupt.
Bendy considered for a long moment, confusion and wary curiosity in his eyes. “I guess.”
Boris let go of Felix’s hand and stood up. He turned on his heel and stepped in front of Bendy. Bendy raised a brow. Boris suddenly leaned over and grabbed either side of Bendy’s face. Bendy flinched in surprise as Boris nuzzled him. “Have you seen my happy little demon?” Felix’s jaw dropped. Bendy’s eyes grew huge. Boris continued before either of them could react further. “I’m looking for my big brother’s smile. He’s lost it for a while. Can you help me find it?” Boris gave Bendy a determined look.
New tears brimmed Bendy’s eyes. “Oh,” he choked out as he raised a hand to one of Boris’. He gave a shaky smile. “Here I am.”
Boris grinned and nuzzled him again. “There you are!”
They laughed as Boris pulled back. Bendy wiped his eyes carefully. “I can’t believe you did that.”
“I can’t believe this is the first time I’ve done that. Years of wittle wolfie and I never thought to use that to help you smile.” Boris tsked.
“You know the only reason you got away with calling me small was because you surprised me,” Bendy chuckled.
“I followed it with big brother,” Boris protested.
Bendy stood and wrapped an arm around Boris. “Thanks, Boris. I swear I’ll figure my stardust out. I’m an idiot—“
“Don’t. Really, I understand. I’ve just missed you. I’m worried.” Boris wrapped his arm around Bendy’s shoulders.
“We’ll figure it out. We stick together,” Bendy said.
“No matter what.” Boris grinned.
“I have no doubt.” Felix stood up. The brothers looked over at him in surprise. Maybe they had forgotten he was there. “We can get through this together. All of us. Neither of you should be struggling alone.”
Bendy smiled. “Thanks, uh,” he stumbled, his cheeks darkened with a blush, “Dad,” he whispered shyly.
Boris blinked. “Oh, so we have to call you Dad now.”
Felix grinned and put a hand on each of their shoulders. “You don’t have to. Do whatever makes you feel comfortable.”
Boris’ tail wagged. “Thanks.” He looked between Bendy and Felix. “Can we do something together tomorrow? To, uh, celebrate? I know Granny and everyone wants to throw a party, but just the three of us? Maybe, like, play ball or something?”
Felix nodded. “We do need to get back into your exercises. We could take a day out to the park. I can show you both the house I got us—”
“A house?” Bendy and Boris exclaimed.
Felix blinked, then laughed at their shocked expressions. “Did I forget to mention I got a house here in Toon Town for us to live in? Most of the new furniture is there. I’ll have to send for my things I left in London, but that will take a bit.”
“A house?” Boris repeated in awe.
“Here in Toon Town?” Bendy furrowed his brows.
Felix shrugged, letting them go and looking away bashfully. “Well, of course. They wouldn’t let a bloody bloke in a tent take in two children. I had to have a home to offer a home.” Felix paused. “Not that you’re a child, Bendy, but the adoption requirements still stand.”
“B-But a house in the city can’t be cheap!” Bendy gasped. He paled.
Felix gave him a confused look. “I can manage. What’s that look for? Bendy, I’m not expecting you to pay for it. It’s my house. I just hope you like how I furnished your room.”
“A house.” Bendy sank into the chair.
“Bendy?” Felix wrung his hands.
Boris chuckled. “I think you broke him. It’s all a bit overwhelming.”
“Oh, well, we don’t have to move in right away. You take all the time you need. I know it’s a lot of big adjustments. I thought it’d be more comfortable than the temporary quarters here.”
“No, no. I’d love to see it with you,” Boris reassured. “I just can’t believe we have a house with a-a dad.” Boris paused. “Wow, that’s going to take some getting used to.”
Felix couldn’t help the grin as a giddiness worked its way through him. “I did my best with what I knew you liked. We could also go to some of the stores tomorrow to pick out some additional things for you both, so they can really feel like your rooms.”
“Oh, berries! Really? That’s okay?” Boris asked. He looked as excited as ever.
“Of course! We’ll stop by my lawyer’s office to drop off the paperwork too. We can make a full day of it for us. I’m sure the others will understand. They can have the party for dinner tomorrow,” Felix promised.
“Uh.” Bendy looked up. “Actually,” he said, cringing. Boris’ tail stopped. “I have to be somewhere tomorrow.”
“Down there?” Boris asked.
Bendy winced. “I’ve already pushed it off too long. You can both go and I’ll see if I can catch up.”
“Oh? What’s this about?” Felix asked.
“His honey business,” Boris said.
“No.” Bendy frowned. “Well, not really. I am meeting my possible business partner.”
“Honey?” Felix tilted his head. That sounded familiar.
“Yeah, this kid named Murklin down there wants to bring honey to the masses.” That was right. Felix had met Murklin, and the young demon had mentioned it before Felix had fought Hat. “I’m supposed to figure out the trade up here and find a good supplier, and he’ll do the selling down there.” Bendy shrugged. “But that’s not why I’m running down there tomorrow. I promised someone help and I want to check up on them. It’s important.” Bendy looked up at Boris almost pleading for him to understand.
Boris snorted, but there was a curl to his lips. “Look at him suddenly helping strangers and making friends.”
Bendy crossed his arms. “Golly, I wonder who I learned it from,” he retorted sarcastically. They both snickered.
“Is it safe?” Felix asked.
“As safe as Hell can be.” Bendy shrugged, unconcerned. “If everything is fine, the longest part should be me getting there and back. It could even be quick if Hat and Murklin are able to help.”
Well, it was unfortunate, but Felix wasn’t about to tell Bendy he couldn’t. The cat had sprung a lot of this on them. “We can wait for you.”
“It’s okay. Go have fun. Really.” Bendy smiled at both of them. “I’ll catch up and tell you all about it. Maybe at lunch.”
Boris studied Bendy before he smiled, his tail started to wag again. “Okay, but I’m holding you to it.”
“You better.” Bendy winked.