~Bendy and the Ink Machine Shorts~

~Sing With Me~

Sammy Lawrence x Jack Fain
(Fluff)

     "Every time I turn around there's more work to do," Sammy mumbled, running a hand distractedly through his hair. He needed four more songs done and ready to hand over to Joey Drew Studios' lyricist tomorrow morning, and he'd only just finished the second one. The day was coming to an end. Normally he would be ecstatic, hurrying to pack away his songs and making sure he gave the rage-inducing pump switch in his office his favorite finger on his way out the door, but Joey was pretty strict about staying late when deadlines snuck up on them like this. Well, snuck up on Sammy. Joey had probably known for weeks.

     "Typical Joey planning." He muttered unhappily. He was broken from his thoughts by a loud knock on his door. Sammy groaned and put his head in his hands, rubbing his eyes with his palms.

     "Can I come in or...?" came a familiar voice from the other side of the door, a hint of amusement hidden behind the slight accent. Sammy cursed under his breath.

     "No. Never." He muttered, picking up his pen again and going back to his work. He heard the hinges creak as the door was pushed open and sighed, dropping his pen and turning around in his chair. His gaze landed on the small form of the studio's janitor, eyes narrowing.

     "Relax, Lawrence, I'm just doin' my job." The man said, dumping Sammy's overflowing garbage can into a bag. "Sheesh, that's a lot of rejects! You gonna meet Joey's deadline?" He asked, setting the basket back down and tossing the bag nonchalantly through the door.

     "Oh, absolutely, because having people in and out of my office all day isn't a distraction at all," Sammy muttered, turning back around. Wally chuckled.

     He leaned on the back of Sammy's chair and blatantly ignored the songwriter's irritated growl. "Cheer up! You won't be the only one stayin' late this time." He continued, inspecting a few fresh ink stains on his hands. Sammy stiffened. Wally laughed, pushing himself away from the director of the music department and giving the pump control lever a tug. "Don't worry, I've got better stuff to do. Jack's the one workin' overtime. Y'know, the guy who practically lives in the sewers? I personally don't see why anyone would spend time down there willingly, but hey, he seems alright." Sammy felt his body relax. He was actually rather pleased that the lyricist was staying behind-they were close, and Sammy never minded when his fellow musician visited his office. "Welp, see you tomorrow-I'm outta here!" Wally chirped after a moment, breaking into the songwriter's thoughts once again. He gave Sammy's shoulder a light pat on his way out the door. Sammy heard him whistling the opening tune for all of their Bendy cartoons and rolled his eyes.

     "Amen." He muttered as the door clicked shut.

     Hours passed, the silence enveloping the studio broken only by the soft scratch of Sammy's pen on paper and the quiet clicking of the Bendy-shaped clock hanging just outside of his office. His foot tapped lightly on the wooden floorboards as he wrote, mapping out the beat for the final song. It was the second draft of a song for a scene in one of their in-progress cartoons titled A Dance with the Devil-another one of Henry's ideas that Joey had eagerly snapped up and all but made his own.

     Sammy paused, picturing Bendy and Alice twirling around the stage. He smiled at the thought and entertained it as he worked, finding that with this new image the notes and tempos came much more easily. He got lost in the song, fingertips tapping the surface of the desk gently.

     "Sammy?" A tired-sounding voice called from beyond his door. He shook his head to clear it, made one final line with his pen, then turned to face the entryway.

     "Yeah?"

     "I didn't think you were one to put in extra hours!" Came a quiet response. The door opened and none other than Jack Fain walked through. His black hair was unkempt and his hazel eyes, usually so bright and full of creativity, appeared troubled and exhausted. Sammy blinked.

     "I'm not, but Wally told me you were staying, so I figured I might as well get these songs done. Are you okay?" He added, getting to his feet. Jack nodded half-heartedly.

     "It was just a nightmare. I fell asleep at my desk, I guess, and..." He stopped, voice cutting off. Sammy noted the slight trembling of his hands and sighed.

     "Jack." He muttered. The other musician met his gaze nervously. Sammy reached out and took Jack's hand in his own.

"Sing with me," He said softly, allowing himself to smile at the shock on his partner's face. "C'mon," He continued, leading Jack out of his office and into the unlocked music room. He guided the lyricist to a small shelf of old records in the corner near the piano, dropping his hand and letting his fingers brush along the folders. They were all songs they'd written, used in cartoons and then piled up here afterward. Not entirely forgotten, but certainly not remembered. Except by Sammy, that is.  "I'll put something on, and we'll sing along. Music always helps me recover from bad dreams." He said gently, pulling a thin vinyl out to inspect the cover before sliding it back into place. "Any requests?" He added after a moment, turning his attention back to his friend. Jack stepped closer and peered over his shoulder before offering a quiet suggestion.

     "What about...City of Stars?"

     He mumbled, looking shyly at his hands as he suggested the duet they'd written for Bendy and Alice a while back. Sammy hoped the lights in the music room were dim enough to hide the blush he could feel creeping onto his face, but he couldn't contain a smile. He found the vinyl quickly enough, pulling it off the shelf and pressing it gently onto the record player sitting nearby. The introductory piano section soon filled the silence around them, followed by a separate series of notes to signify Bendy's part. Sammy turned and, without missing a beat, slid his hands gently into Jack's and pulled him closer. Jack smiled up at the taller songwriter despite his darkening blush. Sammy chuckled quietly, the sound flowing smoothly into the lyrics of the song as he began to sing.

     Jack could barely listen for Alice's part to begin, so enthralled was he with the silken voice of the music director, and he was sure he came in with her lines a little late. If Sammy noticed, he didn't say anything. He only smiled down at him as they moved in slow circles around the empty music room. By the time the song had reached the bridge, their steps had grown more lively. Sammy led, one hand wrapped gently around Jack's and the other now resting firmly on his partner's hip. He grinned and carefully spun them around as the song slowed in preparation for its ending, trying to ignore the way his heart sped up considerably when Jack laughed and pulled him closer again. The song faded into silence once again, leaving the two standing chest to chest in the middle of the music room.

     Jack's eyes sparkled in the dim lighting, his face flushed a pale pink and a smile present on his lips. He looked up at Sammy, making no effort to untangle their fingers or step away from the embrace.

     "I didn't think you could dance." He said breathlessly, his smile spreading into a grin. Sammy chuckled.

     "I can't. Not alone, anyway." He said softly in response. Jack leaned into him and let his eyes fall shut, all signs of the nightmare completely gone.

     "Thank you, Sammy." He murmured.