Chapter Text
Henry was very confused to say the least. After thirty years of no contact, his friend randomly sent him a letter out of the blue, saying that he had something important to show him.
Henry wasn't sure what he expected. He had known Joey for awhile, and he had the tendency to be weird and make rash decisions. Knowing Joey, whatever he wanted Henry to see was going to be very messy. He walked into the studio with that expectation, and was surprised.
Joey was waiting to greet Henry when he arrived. He had even dressed in nice clothes. The first thing Henry noticed about Joey's clothes was that they were covered in hair.
"Joey, what's going on?" Henry demanded.
"Not much at the moment. Why?" Joey asked.
"Your clothes are covered in hair."
"I know."
"Why?"
Joey shuddered. "Shedding season."
"What?" Henry didn't have time for Joey's shenanigans. He sighed. "Joey, what did you want to show me?"
"Oh, right! Follow me." Joey led Henry downstairs to the second floor.
"When did this place get so big?"
"We did a lot of expanding and renovations. The place had to be absolutely perfect."
"Perfect? For what?"
"You'll see," Joey replied with a grin.
"That's what I'm afraid of," Henry sighed.
"What?"
"Nothing."
They finally reached their destination. They were going to Sammy's office. Henry didn't know why they were going there, but he didn't even bother to question Joey.
"We need to be quiet," Joey whispered. He opened the door and walked inside, leaving Henry to follow.
When he got inside, he was greeted with a surprising sight. Sammy was sitting in a chair with a cat on him. The cat was black, except for white around its paws. The cat was sleeping, and Sammy was sitting perfectly still, looking very content despite how uncomfortable his position must be.
"Look," Joey said proudly.
"You made me come all the way down here for a cat?"
"He's not just a cat," Sammy said defensively.
"That's right. He's black and white," Joey answered.
"We named him Bendy."
"To be completely honest, when I drove down here, I was expecting a bit more."
Sammy sighed, looking unhappily at Henry. "You can hold him when he wakes up."
Henry lightened up at that, smiling. "Alright."
Sammy grimaced. "I can't feel my legs."
"Why don't you just move?"
Sammy looked like Henry had just suggested murder. "I can't do that. If I do, he'll hate me."
"I'll do it, then." Henry picked up the cat, and sat down. The cat started to purr and knead, finally laying on Henry's lap and going back to sleep. Henry was smiling, petting the cat happily.
"What do you think?" Joey asked.
"Alright, maybe driving down here was worth it after all."
"We're thinking about rescuing more cats."
"Really?"
"Yeah! Think about it, Henry. We'll be the only cartoon studio that has cats!"
"We can do even better than that," Sammy said. "What if we foster? We could use our cartoon to help find each cat a permanent, loving home."
"Good idea, Sammy. Just think about how much good we could do. Also, cats running around everywhere would be the best thing," Joey gushed.
Henry wasn't convinced, though. "Are you sure you're actually going to be able to let them get adopted?"
Joey scoffed. "Of course. Look, I won't even get attached."
Henry and Sammy exchanged a glance. "Suuureeee."
"You'll see. I'll prove you all wrong."
They were right, though. As the month went by, Joey completely cat-proofed the studio. He bought all kinds of toys and treats. He named every single cat he fostered, and bought them only the best food. He asked questions to make sure the people seeking to adopt a cat would be fit parents, and cried whenever it was time to give them to their new, loving owners.
Joey's face would light up whenever people sent in letters about how their new cats were very happy in their new home. He would hang the letters up in his office. He dedicated a whole wall to it.
He did have an original idea before all of this. He was going to build an ink machine to achieve his dream. However, he found a new, better calling when he rescued his first cat.
He traded the ink machine for cat toys and scratching posts. He put the plans at the bottom of a drawer, to be forgotten by all. His idea was foolish. If he was going to build a machine, it would have to be for catnip.