Bertram marched out of his room and roughly grabbed Wally's wrist, dragging him along towards Joey's office.
"Rude, and disrespectful, Mr.Drew is going to have a word with you. Possibly get rid of you." Bertram scoffed.
Wally whimpered and tried wrenching his arm away from the strong grip, but the janitor was like a human cheese-string.
"H-hey, let go, that hurts!" Wally whined. "Shut it." Bertram snapped. "Bertram stop it! You can hurt him like that you'll break his wrist!" Jack yelled at him.
"Shut up!" Bertram roared, turning around and twisting Wally's whole lower arm in the process. The janitor yelped in pain and tears pricked the corners of his eyes.
"LET GO OF HIM!" Jack yelled. Bertram turned and left in a huff, dragging Wally along. The janitor cried out in pain with every overly exaggerated swing of Bertram's arms.
They went into Joey's office and Bertram angrily shoved Wally into a chair, and stood beside him at the front of Joey's desk.
Jack stumbled in behind him. Joey glanced up. "What's wrong Bertie?" He asked. Bertram's eye twitched at the nickname.
"This little twit is being incredibly rude and disrespectful towards our staff!" He huffed. "Henry was wrong to have wanted to hire him for janitor." Joey half muttered.
"You can't just replace him he just got here!" Jack argued. Wally rubbed his sore wrist. "I wasn't doing anything rude to anyone!" He said.
"Fain we can replace him easily, he's just a lowly janitor, easily replaceable and nobody would even notice nor care." Bertram spat.
Wally winced at his harmful words. Jack set his jaw and tried to hold back his anger, but didn't do a very good job of it.
"You grabbed his wrist and hurt him, all he was doing was asking you what your job was and making a joke, I suggest that if you can't take a joke you shouldn't be someone who makes entertainment for children!" Jack shouted.
Bertram gasped in offence. "How dare you! I have my job because I am a genius! Not because I know how to make rhymes!" He growled.
"ENOUGH!" Joey shouted. The two quieted down. "How about this; we go around and ask for people's honest opinions on the new janitor, then a vote for if he should be fired or not, tell me the results of it after." Joey instructed.
The three left, Jack making sure Wally was on one of his sides away from Bertram. "Alright, let's go to the toy department first since it's closest." Jack said.
So they met Shawn inside and asked him his opinion on if Wally should be fired or not.
"No way! This guy knows how ta make a good joke, we need that around here, hey Jack, what would your opinion on it be?" Shawn grinned teasingly at him. Jack rolled his eyes and walked out.
Next was he accountants office. Grant was seated at his desk working. "I know you wouldn't like this idiot around." Bertram growled.
"Actually, he's honestly a pretty friendly guy and I'd like if he'd stay around rather than a janitor more like you." Grant gave Bertram a fake and cold smile, his eyes full of hate.
"Hey Jack did you-" Grant was cut off. "No! Stop it." Jack said. Grant laughed. "You can't hide away from it forever." He said.
"Neither can you, I think Shawn is suspecting something." Jack said. They wandered around the studio and everyone voted for Wally to stay.
Bertram was pissed and left.
"Any idiot could've replaced you!" He snapped before leaving to his office. "Don't listen to him, you're irreplaceable." Jack said.
"Aww, thank you." Wally smiled warmly at him. Jack blushed lightly and looked away, smiling. "So I'm guessing it isn't Bertram whom ya like." Wally teased.
"Of course not!" Jack laughed. "So it's not Sammy or Norman cuz their together, it's not Grant or Shawn cuz they know who it is...that leaves Thomas, Henry, and Joey!" Wally said.
"Thomas has a girlfriend." Jack said. "Oooh, I wouldn't think it was Joey- is it?" Wally asked. "Gross, honestly just gross." Jack shuddered.
Wally chuckled.
"That means you have a crush on Henry!" Wally grinned. "Nope." Jack said. "I must've not met them yet then..." Wally thought of all the people he met.
"Y'know, I never said I did like anyone, you just kind of accused me of it." Jack said.
"Oh, so ya actually don't like anyone?" Wally asked. Jack shook his head. Lying. "Oh, alright then." The janitor shrugged.
Jack cursed mentally at himself for not being able to tell Wally how he really felt, but then again, he just didn't have the guts.
Jack walked home sadly that day, and since it was winter it was already dark out in the streets of the city.
He shivered in the cold, wrapping his jacket more securely around him. His mind couldn't get off of Wally, everything reminding him of the janitor.
That lamppost was as bright as his smile, the falling snow as fluttery as his stomach got around Wally. The blood pumping to his face to warm him from the cold reminding him of how much he blushed around the janitor.
Jack sighed. He'd known Wally for a day and a half and was already deeply in love with him. But was scared of telling Wally.
Jack had to go to the store before going home, and was in the building for less than five minutes when a rough looking group of guys with masks on ran in grasping guns.
Jack was froze to the spot in fear. "ON THE FLOOR, ALL OF YOU!" One of them shouted. Jack did as he was told and shivered in fear.
Since it was late there was only about three or four customers in the stood and one cashier.
Not only did the men Rob the cashier, they went around to each customer and robbed them too. Jack sat up against the shelf and leaned against it before they found him.
He took out his phone (this is the years of flip phones btw) and dialled the police. He quickly put his phone away just in time as two of the men rounded the corner of the aisle he was in.
"HEY! WE SAID ON THE GROUND!" One shouted. The other shot. A bullet dug itself painfully into Jack's shoulder.
The lyricist yelped and writhed in pain as he quickly lost blood. Then the sound of sirens. Jack's head pounded as blood rushed out of his arm, his vision becoming blurry.
He heard yelling and gunshots. Then he blacked out.
—————————-
Wally woke up the next morning with a calming cheery smile and a stretch. He sat in his apartment at his table and drank coffee.
He was reading the newspaper to see what all the city was up to. Then one heading caught his eye.
Local man saves lives by calling police in store.
There was a shootout in the store on 7th alpine road-
Wally's eyes widened. That was the store near the studio. He kept reading.
Since it was after dark at the time, there was only four customers and one cashier, totalling to five people.
A group of men wielding guns invaded the store and robbed everyone inside. One of the local men in the store at the time managed to call the cops and save everyone.
In the process he ended up getting shot and it is still unclear whether he will survive or not. He is currently in the hospital under surgery to remove the bullet.
Doctors say the bullet went through his shoulder and into his chest, and they're hoping it didn't hit his heart.
The name of this heroic man whom we hope will get better soon is Jack Fain. Sadly, Doctors say it's a good possibility he won't make it.
Wally sat stunned for a minute. He must have misread the name. But no, there it was as clear as day, Jack's name in the paper.
Wally felt a lump in his throat. He'd been shot. Wally started hyperventilating. Jack couldn't die! This couldn't be happening!
He felt tears in his eyes and he tried calming himself down. He wasn't thinking clearly as he rushed to the studio to see who else knew what happened.
Apparently nobody else read the newspaper but him, so he brought it with him. He raced into the projector booth.
Norman was fidgeting with a projector while chatting with Sammy. "Hey Wally, what's up?" Norman asked.
"READ THIS!" He shouted, his hand shaking as he held out the newspaper to them. The two flinched from Wally's panicked aura.
They both quickly read through it and gasped. "Our Jack Fain?" Norman asked. "The one that works here?"
Wally nodded. "He might...he might..." the janitor felt tears well up in his eyes. He couldn't say it. "Let's go." Sammy said, racing down the stairs.
The other two were quick to follow. "We can go in my truck." Norman said. Sammy and Norman went in the front and Wally clambered into the backseat. Norman drove as fast as possible without getting pulled over.
Soon they arrived at the hospital, and Wally was quickest to run up to the receptionist's desk. "Emergency or visit?" The woman asked. "Visit." Wally answered.
"What's the first and last name?" The lady asked, opening a drawer of files. "Jack Fain." Wally answered.
The lady slumped. "Look, we've had a lot of people try and come in to see him today because of the newspaper, and I'm not letting some random stranger visit him." She sighed.
"No, I work with him at Joey Drew studios! Please just let me know if he's okay?" Wally cried. The lady looked taken aback at Wally's panicked attitude.
"Yes, he's recovering, should be alright." She said. "Can I please see him? You can ask him if you want but he does know me." Wally said, a huge wave of relief washing over him.
"Name?" The lady asked. "Wally Franks." The janitor said. Norman and Sammy stayed behind because she definitely wouldn't let more than one person in.
"Alright sir come with me and I'll ask him if he knows you before I let you see him." The lady started walking down a hallway.
She stopped in front of a door and gestured for Wally to wait. He heard her voice inside. "Sir, do you know anyone by the name Wally Franks?" She asked.
"Wally? Yeah I work with him, why do you ask?" Wally heard Jack's tired voice answer. "He's here to visit you. But just for safety measures explain to me what he looks like so I know it's not someone pretending." The lady said.
"Oh well, he's got this cinnamon coloured hair that sticks out in every direction, he's got green eyes, and an accent like bugs bunny." Jack said.
Wally pursed his lips at the bugs bunny thing. Did he really? The lady opened the door. "Mr.Franks you can see him." She walked out.
Wally closed the door behind him and gingerly stared at Jack. His arm was all wrapped up and his hair was messier than usual.
Relieved and overwhelmed tears pushed their way out of Wally's eyes and he collapsed into a hug with Jack.
Jack only hugged back with one of his arms. "I-I thought t-that ya were g-goin t-t-ta..." Wally sobbed, not being able to finish his sentence. Jack's heart swelled at how much Wally cared.
"Hey, it's okay Wally, everything's fine." Jack said softly, running a comforting hand through Wally's hair.
Wally cleaned down a tiny bit, he loved when Jack touched his hair. "You're being a bit emotional for someone you've only known for a day and a half Y'know." Jack teased.
"T-that's b-because I l-love you!" Wally cried. Jack thought he misheard him. "W-what did you say?" He asked.
"IloveyouIloveyouIloveyou..." Wally repeated over and over again. Jack hugged him tighter. He gently put a hand under Wally's chin and leaned down to kiss him.
"I love you too Wally." Jack smiled at him. Wally grinned happily back. Jack pulled Wally up into the hospital bed and cuddled Wally in his good arm.
Jack kissed his forehead and snuggled his face into Wally's soft hair.
