Chapter Text
From the day he escaped the prison that was once his studio and came to toon town Abel wanted to be fully independent and didn’t want to rely on others. His Main source of income is Stealing ink for clients and later on becoming a henchman for the mafia family of Benicio a close friend of his, the toon demon even helped his other friend Elymas when he lost his old job. But there was more to him, His depression and PTSD also played a part in him mainly living alone or keeping him awake at night with memories of the abuse the Organization did to him long ago and he often felt like a burden to those closes to him like Elymas: because he was the reason, he lost his job at Toon Palace. “If he didn’t help you, if you had just never met him, he would still be working there” the voice of his inner demon had the voice of Smith (it always had that voice) yet even though Elymas didn’t blame him for what happen he just couldn’t help but blame himself. When he left that studio, he didn’t want to have to act as something he's not but even in town toon he had to act: as the rebel angel, tough and strong willed, rebellious angel who’d never run from a fight and someone not to mess with. He had built up a big reputation that got him known but at the same time trapped him worse because everyone saw him as this rebel yet heroic angel who had fought against cruel humans, a ink thief, a criminal and a member of a well-known mafia family but yes a lot of that is true but it wasn’t fully him, he clings onto that rap to keep others from using him for their own gain even though a part of him really wants to let those walls and mask to fall, to let himself to express his emotions that he kept in bottled up, let himself be vulnerable, to drop his pride, let someone he can fully trust help him with all his fears and his trauma he went through and to just be him.
Some of the friends he has in toon town can see little bits of the real him behind that mask, the only three humans he lets see the real him and not the rebel angel are Jeanne a friend he’s known since he was at the studio, her sweet little girl Maria and his creator Joshua Eubanks who he was slow learning to trust him again but apart from them no one else really knew him or about the mental chains Smith and the Organization that traps him making it hard to even speak out as well as the black feathers that sprouted from the spots on his wings from were Smith ripped out some of his feathers when the abuse and torture began, those are hidden under his white feathers, but some of his friends in toon town can see a little behind his mask but in the end it’s always the mask they see. Except for one toon.
He and Benicio have always been really close friend and knew each other more than other friends Abel had and Benicio had the same trust with him just as the same trust he had with his brother Boris and his sister Alice and Abel has the same deep trust with him. They knew what the other liked and disliked, the name of their weapons and what type they are, knew the drinks they preferred, they’re loyal to each other, knew which buttons to push in a playful way, he even told Abel that his real name is bendy but most of all Abel felt so safe with him and didn’t need his mask.
The other thing was that Benicio is the only one he ever told about his past, about what he was forced to do in his cartoons and Benicio said he understood but never pushed him to tell him more and said that he could when he was ready. Abel appreciated that and when he wanted to see his old studio which was closed down, he asked Benicio to go with him, he could have gone alone but felt it would be safer to have the ink demon with him and it was a good thing because that was when he found his first concept art which turned out to be of his older brother Seth the Seraphim. He though Benicio could have just left him to burn when to transformed as he felt like he was on fire on the inside and the treacherous voice in his mind said that he abandoned him and left to him to die but he never did! He used Abel’s jacket to put the fire out then after a few bottles of ink and he was alright they left that studio behind on the ride back to toon town Abel was still shaken up by what happened it was then that Abel decided to tell him about the torture Smith and his goons had done to him including the black feathers and the voice of his depression in his head as they drove back to town after stealing some crates of ink from the studio. Benicio listened carefully then told him that if those guys tried to hurt him that he would tear them apart and when he saw how tired he was and said he should talk to his creator when he saw Seth’s memory, even ask if he was ok when he was going to talk with Joshua, then the next night after a failed heist at a new studio Abel had a horrible nightmare where chains held him down as a monster sized wolf bit down on the toon demon’s shoulder causing ink to drip from the wound before it swallowed him whole all the while that cruel voice saying that he was dead and it was his fault when he told Benicio about the nightmare when they met up at a bar instead of teasing he told Abel that it was only a dream that they were both fine, that they had gotten out of there no worse for wear and that he would of just punched or ripped open that wolf’s belly to get out which made them laugh and slowly thanks to Benicio, he felt those chains loosen and Smith’s voice start to disappear.
When the incident with the ink virus Benicio never left his side, he really cared about him and blamed himself for Abel getting captured and injected with it but the fact that he immediately came to save him. He had never been so scared in his life knowing that if they didn’t get the vaccine, he would die but at the same time he wasn’t afraid became Benicio was with him heck, he called up just to check on him and the moment he heard him vomiting into the toilet he drove all the way to his apartment, ran up the stairs and broke down his door so he could get him back to headquarters to get to Luna the mafia family’s doctor! He even let him come on the mission, even grab Mercy his brass knuckles after he was taken away by those guys, when he woke up in the medbay there Benicio was asleep with the top part of his body on the bed he was on. Stayed with him the whole night he was out cold and during those four weeks he spent recovering Benicio visited him then once he was better the two of them went to the Wishing well Bar that he gave to Elymas keeping the promise of getting a drink together when he was better as well the first promise he made to him. Which was to get the vaccine.
A couple of months later Abel got a call from his creator Joshua Eubanks it was about Mr. Smith and the Organization but it was great yet scary news.
You see the truth was that it’s not really 1920s or even the 60s, the year is actually 2018 Abel was made in 1987 that was the year he met Jeanne when she was fourteen then when they met again, she was 19 and was already working for ACME in 1991 it was also the same year he escaped a few years later he reunited with her when she was 21, he even went to meet Maria when she was a week old but now she was eleven years old and was in elementary school. As to why things look to be the 40s in toon town and everyone thinks it’s that year well toons from those time eras just feel more at ease mentality and rarely or never toons ever leave town so they don’t that time had pasted except in north side of toon town. Only He, Boris, Benicio and Alice know it’s the 21th century, they even had their own modern cellphones. Times have changed including how toons are treated. Whiles others were stuck in the whole idea that toon were just tools to make money but now toon abuse, neglect and abandonment crimes had been added to child protection laws so any form of harm on a toon will face child protection lawsuits and the same will applies to true hearted creators that were threatened harm on them and on their staff which falls onto workplace related lawsuits which includes the returning of studios back to the creators, it was all thanks to GENT and their new CEO who replaced Alan Grey, the ones who had invented the ink machines were the ones who then turned their company to an international Organization for prevention of cruelty to toons. They also inspect studios with undercover agents to check the studio workplace safety, how the workers were treated including the creators, anyone who had been transformed and the mental, physical and emotional welfare of the toons.
So back to that call, the police had caught Mr. Smith, that Preacher and his goons. Turns out they were only broadcasting the show to the homes of Organization members, only a few nonmembers saw the show and it was only their kids who were seeing him at the studio and those families got out of their brainwashing when the kids and parents saw the change in him, so now Smith and those other monsters are going to be tried for their crimes. Jeanne, the members of his team, some of the family members from their own group who realized what they are doing is evil and Joshua were going to testify against them but the thing was: Abel had to testify against the very people who hurt him so badly, he though… he knew that he had to but at the same time he was afraid but not of facing Smith again but of what they would do to his friends, it wouldn’t surprise him that they would do that to hurt him, after all they forced him to drive Jeanne away from the studio to fully break his sprit.
Benicio could tell something was troubling him the next day when he came to into the HQ and asked him along with Boris and Alice to come to his office then once all of them sat down onto the few chairs he had in the office asked what was going on? First Abel asked them not to tell the others about what’s going on, he didn’t want to burden them or get them involved then told them about the trial and the he knows that if they loss that those monsters would send ink beasts to kill any one close to him just to hurt him but what shocked Benicio was what the Rebel angel said next as he buries his face into his hands “I was supposed to be a guardian angel, I was supposed to protect children but they made me say all those awful lies in my cartoon, I had to become a rebel so I could fight my way out of that prison of a studio but even away from them it feels like I still have their invisible chains on me and hear his voice in my head, I know that if I don’t others would become their victims but if I do and the court rules in their favor then they would get back at me by having anyone who’s close to me killed and it would be all my fault!” sighing “I’m such a weak coward” Benicio listened to every word Abel said and anger boiled inside him How dare those monsters do that to him, forcing him to say all that trash to kids? Any toon would beat up anyone for doing any harm to a child, toon or human, Abel told him about his past and what happened to his older brother made the mafia boss mad but after hearing him call himself a weak coward a volcano erupted and was imaging every human who was on Smith’s side and Smith burning in that lave!
He can feel anger pouring from his brother and sister but held their looks of concern as they looked at each other suddenly he got up from his chair and walked over and knelt in front of Abel, he pulled his hands away from his face then while holding his face forcing to look at him then Benicio said “Don’t you EVER call yourself a coward, I had seen you face worst things. A coward would run with their tails between their legs or worse stand by while it continued and did nothing, someone weak wouldn’t of beat up and got away from the guys who wanted to erase you. I think that the reason they hated ya was ‘cause you were and still actin’ like a true guardian Angel” it was those three words that made those chains become wreaker and made that voice farther away.
It was the day of the trial and Abel sat in a chair just outside of the court room he wouldn’t be let in until it was time for his turn to give his testimony then he could leave and Joshua will call to tell him the verdict either way Joshua will be returned full custody of Abel but he could still hear what was going on in there. Turned out they were lying about what their organization was, the guy wasn’t even a real Preacher, yeah Smith was just pushing his view onto their members and was using it hide the fact they were dealing in extremely illegal actions mainly Extortion using that was to trap their victims into a state of debt and threatening to either force people to join them or to send them money to prevent them from harming their victims. Turns out that the ‘Pope’ Seth was meant to be given to, that was also a lie! They knew the machine’s limit and that Joshua would end his pain; they knew the machine would put him into a loop of the week of Seth’s start and end of life they assumed for only a month but in truth it lasted for seven years before the loop broke and Abel was made, because he’s a kind man he wouldn’t risk the lives of his staff and because of the guilt of ending Seth’s life they would control him by threatening to harm Abel.
Smith tried to deny it but Joshua said in calm yet laced with rage in his voice “First you caused my eldest to suffer in agony because of those ridiculous details knowing that I would have had no choice but to end his pain, refusing to accept your money was your way to trap me in your filthy hands, including keeping me in the loop cycle until I made another toon then told me that if I did everything you told me to do that neither Abel or my staff would be harmed but the very second one of my animators questioned on what you were doing you almost killed him then used him to make his toon Cain” Abel didn’t know what his creator meant “when you had him on life support that made me and the others fear your group more but the very moment you hurt Abel that I silently started to rebel. I began looking deeper into what the Organization was, I found it very odd that you were against his friendship with Jeanne even though she and her mother were bring Abel to their church that Sunday on the day you and your heartless goons started torturing him yet neither you nor any of your men have ever menaced your own church serves or even their names? Even on Sundays you had everyone working, wouldn’t going to church be more important? Or even a bible group in the studio? I checked every bible college about your Preacher, found nothing and when I asked reporter about the pope visiting the week Seth was born and died they said that he was never in New Orleans. That’s when I found out about your real business and when you fired me I was able to find more evidence against you and the Organization” Smith muttered about how Joshua was making fuss about some worthless Ink the sound of a pen snaping must of made Smith stare at him because he was quite “you saw them as just tools but toons are living beings and are so much more their creators, when you said you were going to murder Abel, on that nightmare day I was about to call a friend of mine to take him in until I got full custody of him again even today I still felt that I should have done more all those years ago but now I’m making sure none of you hurt anyone. You had me take way my eldest’s life but I WILL NEVER LET YOU HARM MY YOUNGEST SON EVER AGAIN!” Abel couldn’t believe it Joshua called him and likely Seth as his sons. Has he always saw them like that?
Finally, Abel was called in and sat the stand to give his testimony. A man who worked for GENT asked Abel a few questions about his time in the studio in a calm voice Abel honestly told them about how he remembered coughing, first time speaking and see himself in the mirror, how he immediately began training even though Joshua kept saying that he wasn’t ready yet this made a lot of people whisper to each other as the man said in a stunned voice “You were trained right after birth?” Abel nodded the man asked him to continue speaking though with a grim expression on his face when Abel showed confusing on what the three-month toon development period was, nor what ‘ink teeth’ were, that he needed to socialize with other toon during that time period why was that needed? He told them about the torture, how he was barely fed mainly because they forced the staff member to throw out the food Joshua would bring for him, how they verbally abusing him saying he was a bad angel and a sinner because he started to refuse to say anymore of their venom, how they were making him spread hate instead of love, about what Seth showed him in his dreams then told the man about how Smith would rip out his feather during the torture sessions then lifted up his wings showing the black feathers hidden by the white ones. The Judge said he could leave now but just as Abel got out of the stand a gun fired and the bullet hut the back of the stand! Luckily Abel ducked in time then look up to see Smith’s angry face he then yelled “I SHOULD HAVE HAD YOU KILLED LIKE HOW I HAD MY MEN POISON MALINA!” A hush fell onto the room, Abel was stunned even more so when he saw the look of pure anger burned behind his creator’s eyes, Joshua calmly told Abel “Son please go, there will be an ink portal to your apartment in the hall” but the angel could see that while his voice was calm and comforting, yet there was a raging fire burning inside of him.
Abel rushed from the court room and there just as his creator had said was a floating ink portal: it was gold and black in the shape of a swirling vortex fearing that Smith might send one of his goons to follow him he jumped through it and found himself in front of his apartment’s door, he was back in toon town but when he turned around the Portal had vanished. Quickly he opened the door rushing in then slamming it close then locking the door as he pressed his back onto the door as his Trembling legs caused him to slid down it and onto the ground with his legs pressed against his chest as he tried to steady his breathing, when had his breathing became so fast? Why was his heart Pounding so hard like it was trying to get out? The horrible voice of the Smith in his mind began to say “that the trial wouldn’t have worked” “they’ll go after everyone close to you and who would be the only one to blame?” things like that he held onto head telling the voice to shut up but suddenly his cell phone buzzed, letting go of his head he reached into his pocket and pulled it out on the screen it had Benicio’s name on the messages on were two separate messages
Hey are you alright?
Call me back when you can.
Smiling he called him up and told him what happened, saying that he would feel a bit more at ease working to keep his mind occupied and Benicio said it would be fine just let him know the results of the trial and as they talk those voices slowly disappeared.
A month passed it was now October
Then after he got home to rest after the team had completed their mission at Starlight Asylum (it was funny seeing their boss making a fool of himself but it was the second scariest thing to happen to them) no sooner did he enter his bedroom that his cell phone that was on his nightstand started ringing, it was Joshua. Quickly he answered it, Joshua’s voice sounded cheerful, Abel listened to what his creator said then a large smile spread across his face as his other hand is placed on his mouth, he couldn’t believe it “It’s finally over, thank you so much for telling me this news” he said then before the call ended, he told Joushua without realizing it “Ok bye dad.” Immediately he called Benicio to tell him the news though he really should have waited until morning because when Benicio answered he sounded groggy saying that he had just got into bed, Abel sat down onto his own as he told his friend the news “Smith and all who were fully on his side are going to spend the rest of their lives in prison!” this caused Benicio to suddenly sat up in bed like he had a shot of coffee injected into him saying “what?!” Abel could tell that he was smiling on the other end “Yeah, the reason it took longer was because this person Malina was added onto my case so an additional investigation deeper into Smith and now they had been charged with murder, threat, assault, Extortion, phycological damage and toon abuse. Every cent they had was given to their victims along with return of ownership of their properties that they took over and Joshua now has full custody of me and Seth. We’re finally free from them at last!” he told the toon demon then he remembered what he said to Joshua a dark grey blush covered his cheeks as he flopped backwards on his bed, his head landing on the pillow “sh**t! I said bye dad when I ended my call with him” Abel groaned Benicio laughed saying that it wasn’t bad and that Joshua is his dad after all if he didn’t care or see him as his boy Joshua wouldn’t have gone through all that to bring justice to his brother or him. Abel thought about that and said that he would try to mend the bound he once had with his creator…… his father.
No sooner did Abel receive the news that the Organization was over several strange things began to happened to him. For starters the voices of his doubt, guilt past fear and self-hating had completely gone! Or at least they were much more manageable now and no longer has Smith's voice. Then by the time December rolled in all of the black feathers on his wings had turned completely white when he asked Alice about this, she said that when an abused feathered toon’s black feathers turn back to white it means that the mental chains that were formed and strengthened are completely broken and gone, he still have some of the effects of his trauma and still have PTSD nightmares from time to time but it’s more manageable now and he started to really recover from the past. With his mind clear and free from those voices his nightmares had become less often, he was still really hesitant to go see a therapist yet but he did start taking different classes at the community college in north Toon town since it’s the only part that knows it’s the 20th century but act like it’s 1920 so toons from other parts of Toon Town in case those from the South, east and west come to visit and the classes were ones he did want to take for a long time but those voices kept saying he wasn’t smart enough, now that they were gone nothing was stopping him.
But then two months later or more precisely the next year which was now 2019 his body started to change. The first time it happened he freaked out, he had shrunk down and his wings changed too! he couldn’t control anything mental, emotional or internal! and started to forget things luckily he remembered the chemistry kit he got after completing his chemistry course, quickly he created a numbing agent that would make him mentally, emotionally numb which basically paused his body internally which repressed all bodily needs such as hunger, sleep, pain, hydration and need of the bathroom but it only lasts three hours so he has to inject himself with it using an EpiPen. It gives him the time to try and find out what’s happening to him, fearing it’s contagious he quarantined himself but after two weeks he was back to normal with the only side effect from the serum is fatigued and hunger as for the effects of the transformation was that his hair was longer down to below his shoulders and above his elbows but he cut it to its normal length and style then went back to work good thing they didn’t have any jobs while he was gone.
He thought it was a one-time thing, a weird one-time thing but then the next month it happened again! He had no idea what was happening to him and even though he should have told Benicio or Boris or Alice or even Elymas but he still wasn’t sure what’s going on and apart of him told him that it was his burden alone, no one else should worry even though he knew he can trust them. Maybe one day he’ll tell Benicio once he figures it out, he looked at the closed curtains sighing as he stuck an EpiPen into his small arm.