Chapter Text
The train lay like a wounded animal, one flank tilted off the tracks, metal skin scraped raw where it had kissed stone too hard and too fast. One wheel spun uselessly in the air when the wind caught it. Metal clinked, wind sighed through bent beams. Somewhere in the distance, something unseen shifted in the underbrush and everyone pretended not to hear it.
Bendy stood on the slanted side panel with his sleeves rolled up and gloves blackened with grease and old ink, levering a bent plate back into something that almost looked right. The metal groaned under the pressure. He grinned at it anyway. “C’mon, “ he muttered. “ You've been through way worse than this. Don't get dramatic now. “. Boris steadied the ladder beneath him, one paw braced against the train's warped side. Dyle crouched nearby with a tool box clutched a little too tightly to his chest, eyes flickering between the twisted undercarriage and the surrounding treeline like something might pop out and end his toon existence.
Mugman worked in stiff silence near the front axle, wiping oil from his gloves with methodical precision. Cuphead hovered close to his broken body, occasionally nudging a loose bolt or pushing a dropped tool with more stubbornness than strength. The effort left faint distortions in his outline, like heat haze over asphalt.
No one said much.
Dyle broke the silence with a strained little laugh, adjusting his grip on the toolbox like some tool might stab him. “ Well, “ he said , trying for breezy and landing somewhere between polite and faintly anxious, “ If nothing else, this is certainly a novel way to spend an afternoon.fixing derailed public transit with a group of HIGHLY questionable associates. “.
He flicked a glance toward the broken cup body and frowned deeply tilting his head back as if that would put more distance between him and the grotesque sight. Cuphead noticed and smirked, nudging mugman to look, that was when Dyle turned around hastily and smiled.
“ Well, if nothing else, this is… quite the unconventional team building exercise. I daresay most of my colleagues would raise an eyebrow at the logistics of this…. Situation. Even though I'm a bit … surprised, I'm not against it. Learning someone else has such an affinity for trains as I do is a welcome experience“ he slightly laughed as if that would ease the tension.
Bendy leaned his weight into the bent panel again. The metal protested. His grip slipped slightly, grease smearing once again across his palm. For a second, his mind snagged on the way another pair of hands used to correct his grip. The memory hit him for a second, unbidden. Hands adjusting a collar just so, murmuring corrections that made him feel safe. Precision. Gentle laughter. Routine. All the things he hadn’t had in forever. His chest tightened.
He shoved it down, let it twist into a smile sharp as a blade
“ Life's full of surprises,“ Bendy said loud enough for Dyle to hear, and also Boris. He tapped the warped metal. “Never a dull moment… not that i was expecting one anyway. “ Dyle chuckled, a little too loud. “Well… maybe once we get this train moving, the surprises will be a bit gentler.”
Boris didn’t laugh, but his gaze softened. He tilted his head slightly at bendy.
He watched Bendy closely, ears angling, expression softening with quiet concern. The joke had landed, sure. But it had edges. Splinters.
“Hey, Bends,” Boris said gently. “Can you come give me a hand on the other side for a second? I think the coupling’s stuck.”. Bendy hesitated, then nodded. “Yeah. Sure.” he carefully stepped down the ladder and landed with a thud, his hooves hitting gravel harshly.
They walked around the opposite side of the train where the bulk of the metal blocked them from the others’ view. The air felt quieter here, muffled by steel. Boris leaned a shoulder lightly against the train, crossing his legs and lowered his voice.
“Are you okay?” he asked, careful and kind. “I just wanted to check in where the others couldn’t see. I figured you might not want an audience if something was bothering you. Especially an audience as …. ” Boris clearly made an uneasy look that bendy could only interpret as being directed mostly at the cup bros.
Bendy exhaled slowly through his nose. His shoulders loosened a fraction. “ I'm okay, “ he said after a moment.
“ Just, I don't know Boris, my brains being a noodge. “ Boris nodded. No pressure, no interrogation. “ Alright, “ he softly said. “ if it keeps being a noodge, you tell me and imma give it the bums rush out the front door. “.
Bendy chuckled, his mouth tilted into something more genuine this time. “ Yeah sure, I'll do that. Promise. “. They lingered another second, letting the silence do its work, then turned back towards the others.
Bendy felt a flicker in his chest as he pushed against the metal, like a ghost of something he used to know, something gentle and warm. He shoved it aside. Focus. Fix the train.