The Perfect Day

Henry smiled as he leaned back slightly, his hands resting on the soft green grass behind him. It was a beautiful sunny day with barely any clouds in the sky and a pleasant breeze blowing through, so of course, those of the Stein household were at the park enjoying a picnic together as well as a few other neighborhood families. The toons were running around in their disguises and playing with the neighborhood kids, having a great time as they chased each other. Allison and Tom had decided to join them today as well and they were with Sammy and Norman, talking with the other adults and making more food for anyone that was still hungry. Linda leaned against Henry, laying her head on his shoulder. Henry wrapped his arm around her shoulders and gave her a quick kiss on her head. Sharing a smile, the two turned back to watching their toon children playing, eyes sparkling with happiness.

It's been a little over a year since Henry escaped the Studio with all the others and everyone had come a long way. There had been a lot of hardships along the way, from suffering flashbacks and panic attacks to dealing with new abilities and angry mobs. But there had been even more good times as the toons and ink creatures had healed. They had all learned to accept what they had become and overcome the suffering they had gone through. They had become close as friends and family as they helped each other cope, staying together through both the good and the bad. And seeing the joy of the toons as they experienced all the amazing things the world had to offer them outside of the studio always brought a smile to Henry's face and filled him with satisfaction that everything had been worth it.

"Everything is so wonderful," Linda sighed happily, snuggling closer to Henry and into his warm embrace. "While I never expected to have more children, especially toon children, I am so happy we do have them. Just look at them all, smiling and laughing. You would never be able to guess what they've gone through."

"I'll admit when I got Joey's letter, I'd never guess this is how things would have turned out," Henry replied, eyes darkening ever so slightly as he thought back to what he went through. "All that time stuck in the loops, forced to fight and kill each other, but we made it through… And while it hasn't been easy, I wouldn't give it up for anything. I would do anything for our toons, even go through it all again."

"I know how you feel," Linda agreed. They turned to each other and started leaning closer…

"DAD!"

Linda couldn't help but laugh as a familiar toon demon suddenly tackled Henry, knocking him flat on his back. Henry gasped as the wind was briefly knocked out him before he offered the toon a smile, "What's up my little Ink Demon?"

"You have to come and play with us," Bendy said, grinning down at Henry from where he was sitting on his chest. "You and mom have been sitting here long enough! Come on dad!"

"Alright, alright" Henry laughed, sitting up while Bendy crawled around Henry's body and onto his shoulders.

"Careful Bendy, you're tail's out," Linda chastised lightly, making sure no one else had noticed yet. "You need to hide it."

"But everyone here already knows about us," Bendy pouted, his tail lazily swishing back and forth behind him as he looked at Linda with his big eyes, the yellow parts sparkling slightly. "Can't I just leave it? And maybe get to use my wings as well…"

"You know the rules," Linda gently shook her head, offering a small smile as Bendy drooped sadly. "You never know when someone that doesn't know could be passing by…"

"Fine…" Bendy grumbled in disappointment. He closed his eyes for a second and his tail melted back into his body.

"There you go," Linda assured, adjusting Bendy's hat to make sure his horns were covered. "And if you are extra careful for the rest of our time here, you'll get a big dessert tonight!"

"Deal!" Bendy beamed before focusing back on Henry. "Come on dad! We're 'it' and we have to go catch the others!"

Henry just chuckled and obliged the demon, joining the others in their game. Linda laughed at their antics before she ended up being dragged in as well. They spent a few more hours, just having fun in the sun, playing all sorts of games from playing tag to watching the clouds and telling each other what they saw. Saying goodbye to the neighborhood kids, the Stein family headed home.

Once inside, all the toons and ink creatures shed their disguises and passed the time in idle chatter. The two couples were busy making dinner in the kitchen (and fending off the occasional toon trying to sneak a snack) while Sammy and Norman watched over the toons, playing music and movies to help keep the toons entertained and calm. Dinner was a lively affair as it usually was with a houseful of toons followed by ice cream for dessert (of which Bendy did get an extra scoop). The group found their way into the backyard to watch the sunset, the toons still in awe as the sky was painted many colors.

They talked for a little while longer before some of the toons started to fall asleep. The Butcher Gang was nodding off in a pile around Linda's feet While Bendy was curled up on Henry's lap, purring softly along with the cat in his arms. Figuring that it was time to turn in for the night, Tom and Alice said goodbye and left for their own home. The adults helped the toons get into bed with Henry and Linda tucking them all in. As Henry settled down himself, a smile was on his face as he pulled Linda close.

Today had truly been a perfect day…

AN: I plan to update this story every other week and don't let this chapter fool you. This story is going to get dark and it's going to get dark fast.