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Bendy was totally ready this time.
He didn't quite understand why Boris would go out of his way to try and convince Bendy to give up on Mari when obviously Mari was swooning over him behind the scenes. Why, the other day he'd had the lucky chance at catching her fluttering her eyelashes at him from afar, and though he may be a devil of the finest, he sprouted wings and soared all the way home from how light and warm that made him feel. He had not a doubt in his mind now that Mari was just too shy to speak about anything dealing with her feelings, so Bendy had to be the confident one and help her out a little.
"But, uh... Are ya really sure she likes ya, Bendy? She seems t'spend an awful lot of time with Alice."
"I'm a devil, Boris! And a charmin' one at that. There's no way she couldn't like me."
Boris still, for some reason, didn't look convinced one bit. He fiddled with his clarinet in his hands before he gave Bendy another unsure look, but all Bendy did was ignore the best he could as he fixed up his bow tie in a nearby reflective surface and hold the bouquet of roses up to his chest and gave his best grin. He made sure to groom himself real fine and swell on this fine day just so he could be ready for this moment.
Perfect. Now he can only hope that Alice Angel stayed far back away from him when he comes swooping in on the scene...
"Just be careful is all I'm sayin' now, Bendy! You know you're not supposed t'go up on them clouds where the angels are." Boris called after him as Bendy began to walk toward where he could reach the clouds. Bendy hated being so mean to his friend, but he still felt tempted to roll his eyes and shush him up. Bendy always knew what he was doing, thank you very much, and there was no way he was going to let himself fail this time.
"Oh, come on, old pal! What're they gonna do, kick me off? They'll slap me on the hand and send me home is all. Won't stop me from goin' up there."
He's got a mission, after all. He's got an angel to woo. And a devil certainly wouldn't be the first person to give up on something he wanted.
When you get to the top of the clouds, Mari's house is not far from where the beginning of it starts. It was frilly and girly, that was for sure, and Bendy actually found it kind of cute. It was fitting for her after all.
He stood just before the front door, hid the roses behind his back, and confidently tapped his knuckles against the wood. She didn't answer right away, but only moments later did the door quietly open, and her soft pale features come into view. Her short hair was as soft and curly as ever today, and her short polka dotted dress looked as if it had just come fresh from the wash.
Her eyes widened in surprised. He was quite used to it at this point since devil's really weren't an expected guest in the land of angels.
"Bendy?"
"Well hello, Mari! Wow, you sure are lookin' lovely today!"
Kick it off strong, he figured, then be a little more subtle with the compliments. He had plenty ready to go and even more now that he was seeing her in person. That familiar blush crept onto her face, and Bendy couldn't help but already feel slightly satisfied at his successful attempt at flirting.
Mari was definitely going to be falling in his arms by the time he was done here.
"W-Why thank ya, Bendy! So what may I help ya with?"
She was jumping to change the subject, but Bendy had far been prepared for that.
"I couldn't help but notice ya had a taste for roses, so I thought I would surprise ya."
Bendy brought out the flowers in a swift move of his arms, presenting them before her. She gasped, and then smiled gently as she took the healthy flowers from him and inhaled their scent deeply. He could practically see her affection levels rising in her pale skin as she lovingly caressed the petals of the flowers as delicately as she could. Bendy couldn't help but love the way she marveled at them.
"Oh Bendy, you didn't have t'go out of your way t'get me these!"
"A pretty bouquet of flowers for a pretty lady was fittin' in my book."
He leaned against the door frame, flicking his pointed tail behind him. It was all going according to plan so far, and something told him nothing could stop him now.
"Mind if I come in, darlin'?"
Even though her blush grew, she nodded and stepped aside, a small smile on her face as she nearly buried her face in the roses. Bendy couldn't even begin to describe how much his heart swelled with joy as he came into her house with a jolly grin on his face. Especially now since the door was shut behind him, there was no way that Alice Angel gal could even possibly dream of stopping him from making a move on her.
Mari set the roses in a beautiful clear glass vase by one of her windows as Bendy looked around her home. It matched the frilly look of the outside too, though had a more bright and angelic theme to the inside. He wondered if she decorated it herself, because if she had, it would be a little impressive he would admit. She had good taste when it came to pairing things together. He noticed her hat rack and how her nice hat she usually wore when she went out was hanging on one of the pegs. He wondered for a brief moment if she minded if he tried it on, but instead turned his attention back to her.
He thought of a couple of ways he could impress her. Maybe he could convince her to kick on a nice tune and do a little bit of his dancing for her, and better yet, maybe he could get her to dance with him too. He decided to refrain from that for the moment and instead, Bendy approached her slowly as she was admiring the way the roses looked by the window.
He smoothly slipped an arm around her waist, drawing her closer to him. She jumped only slightly at the contact, especially when Bendy's lips almost brushed against her ear.
"Remember when we danced together, Mari? That was a blast, wasn't it?"
She looked away, all of the sudden uncomfortable. Bendy felt her tense up.
"Y-Yeah, I sure do remember. Ya scared the lights outta me that day."
Bendy pressed closer, his other hand going to trail a finger along her arm.
"We should definitely do it again someday. It was a lotta fun, holdin' ya close to me after I spun ya around. You were dizzy so I held ya extra tight t'be sure you wouldn't slip and fall."
He spun her around just then, making them switch places. They both found themselves stumbling backward until Mari was pressed against the wall and Bendy was trapping her there. She looked proper flustered by then, but all Bendy could think of doing was closing the gap between the two of them and give her the best kiss of her life. And maybe it would be the best of his too.
"B-Bendy, what do you think you're doing?"
Bendy smiled, albeit it seemed a little more ominous than before.
"I wanted to make a pretty angel's day and give her the best smooch of her life, is all!"
He didn't give her a true chance to respond to him, only because she sputtered for something to reply with. Bendy only puckered up and moved forward. She scrunched her face for a moment and close her eyes before she shifted awkwardly, her hands moving to grasp at his forearms. She gently nudged him backward, and although he was confused, he moved with her.
"Bendy... I already told ya once. I think it would be better if we stayed friends."
Oh. This again.
"Come on, Mari. Are ya afraid to get into a bit of love with the devil?"
She shook her head.
"O-Oh no, it's not that - well, maybe I am - it's just that I..."
She swallowed nervously. She let go of his forearms and watched as she stepped back. She again definitely was about to say something he wasn't going to like hearing.
"...I like Alice, Bendy. I like her a lot."
His ears had to be deceiving him.
What?!
"What? You got the hots for Alice? How in the world do ya manage that? I'd say she's hundreds of times worse than me!"
Mari, surprisingly, glared at him.
"Says you! You're tryin' t'flirt with me when I already said before we should be friends!"
"I thought ya was just playin' hard t'get!"
"Hard t'get? Why, Bendy, I'd be foolin' myself if I didn't say ya were the devil himself right now - "
A light knocking on the door cut the both of them off, and a sweet voice that called out Mari's name rang out from the other side.
Oh. There's no way Bendy didn't recognize that voice.
Mari pouted for a moment and moved toward the door, opening it as slowly as she had last time with Bendy, who had his arms crossed and tapping his foot against the floor as Mari talked quietly with the person on the other side of the door.
She stepped aside, and the blacked haired and horned angel came in the house looking as angry as the last time they encountered. She was going to ruin her forever young skin if she kept that kind of look on her face. Alice didn't really seem to care as she came marching toward him, steaming blowing out of her ears.
"Bendy, ya schemin' devil! I told ya I was gonna kick ya offa these clouds if ya ever came back around here!"
Wait, what?
Before Bendy could really process what was happening, he was being pulled outside and had a heel kicking his hind end off of the cloud. He was plummeting toward what was beneath faster than he could process what was really going on around him. He could just imagine the satisfied look on Alice's face as he fell toward the ground, landing on it with a loud thump and a groan.
A tall figure hovered above him, and Boris was quick to start talking.
"How'd it go?"
"...How do ya think it went, seein' as I just got kicked offa the clouds?"
Boris shrank a little as Bendy stood and brushed the dirt off of himself and crossed his arms.
Curse that darn Alice Angel...
One day, he'll definitely sweep Mari off of her feet, and Alice won't be there to stop him!