Beggars Can't be Choosers (BATIM Mob AU) [13+]

Nine: 'Cutting Off Loose Ends'

For the first forty minutes or so, the silence was difficult to adjust to. Hearing next to nothing felt off-putting, almost as if Boris was in a dreamscape. No jokes, no quips, and certainly no snarky comments. Just the soft ticking of a clock and the steady breathing of a slumbering toon. Every so often the demon let out a longer sigh than usual, causing the wolf to instinctively glance in Bendy's direction. Sometimes the fiend's expression would be neutral, others his brows would be furrowed in an angry scowl, there were even times where he looked as if he was about to burst into tears. Boris wondered how often the demon even slept as he noticed how dark the circles under the fiend's eyelids were. 

Bendy was always super blatant when it came to anything but his own hygiene. Whenever the topic came up he would always brush it off like it wasn't a big deal. He'd said on more than one occasion that his sleep schedule was off... but by how much? Were there some nights where he didn't get a wink of shut eye? At least twice a week Boris had caught Bendy going 'outside for a smoke' at the asscrack of dawn, and even more times when he'd zone out during their conversations. The wolf never thought much of it, but now that he really pondered... there wasn't a single instance where he saw the demon bright-eyed and bushy tailed for the day. Bendy always looked tired, and even at rest he looked as exhausted as ever.

Soon seconds evolved into minutes, and minutes became hours. The wolf dozed off every once in a while but nodded himself awake whenever realization hit. Glance at Bendy's wound, check the time, sleep, wake, repeat. The process cycled until Boris heard large footsteps making their way up the stairs.

Eventually, William peaked through the doorway, "How's he looking?" The canine questioned softly as he made his way to stand beside the seated wolf. Boris spared Bendy a quick glance before turning his attention to William, "Peaceful." The wolf replied gently. "Hasn't woken up?" The hefty toon murmured. Boris exhaustedly shook his head as a response. William swiftly turned his eyes towards Bendy's leg, noticing the coat of ink previously smothered on his shin merely sitting utop the wound. "How about his leg?"

The wolf gave the toon speaking delayed blinks as he processed the question. "What about it?" Boris asked with a subtle slur in his voice. William shoved his hands in his pant pockets and gave a gentle shrug, "Has it been looking any better?" The toon asked gently, raising his brows for emphasis. The smaller canine shook his head with a deep exhale, "I don't think so." Boris murmured grimly.

The larger toon gave a few brief nods to process before he slowly looked at Boris up and down, "You look beat." He noted. The wolf beside the hefty toon gave him a weary look but nothing more. "Don't you want a break?" William suggested with worry in his features. Boris shook his head, "I'm fine." The wolf insisted, trying to hide the exhaustion in his voice. William gave him a firm, disapproving hum to the phony reply but didn't nudge.

"Have you been checking his pulse?" The canine murmured with a sideways glance. Boris almost leaped out of his exhaustion right then and there, "W-Was I supposed to?" The wolf questioned, fear in his tone. William gently waved a hand to reassure him, "No, no, but it might be good to check every so often." The canine insisted with a gentle tone. The room fell still, the clock making soft ticking sounds as it hung on the wall, filling the silence. The hefty toon let out a long sigh to break the quiet, tapping his arm anxiously with his gloved hand. Neither of them spoke for a good fit of moments, both pairs of eyes rested gently on the slumbering fiend.

"Do you think we should give him another dose of the emergency batch?"

William inwardly jolted at the sudden question Boris uttered. Letting out a breath to release his tension, he bit the inside of his cheek for a moment. "We could," the canine mumbled slowly with a sigh, "but between you and me..." The canine's voice trailed for a moment, meeting Boris' worried gaze. "I don't think it's gonna get any better than this." William mumbled with a hint of grief in his tone.