This Time Around - Wally Darling x Reader

2 - Morning

      "You mean nothing to me, you know?" The room you were in was frigid, not to mention pitch black. You tried to reach your hands out to the sides to grasp onto something, anything, but your grasp found no resolve. There seemed to be a lack of oxygen, as every breath you took felt incredibly finite. You gasped once more, willing your lungs to capture enough breath to speak, but you were again met with ineffable silence. Useless.
      The figure, indiscernible at best, moved closer to your position on the floor, leaning over you with a wayward authority. They grasped your flailing wrists, holding them above your head in the air and rendering you immobile.
     "Your existence-" The figure grasped your wrists tighter, digging the tips of their fingernails into your skin, drawing blood. They lowered their face to yours, presenting you with an amalgamation of features you could not comprehend.
      "is equivalent to a piece of trash on the sidewalk." They let go, causing your limp arms to come to a screeching halt near your sides. You willed your body to do anything, run, move, something, but nothing happened. Fear grew inside of you once more, much too similar to the one felt on your kitchen floor that previous night where Wally found you. You wanted- no, you needed to run, to escape.

      Wally. Where had he gone? Surely he would not have left you here in this desolate room, in the care of a stranger that thought nothing of your life, would he? It occurred to you that you did not know the puppet man very well, and that may indeed align with his actions. But why would he have been so kind to you, so doting and caring, if he planned to toss you aside to a malevolent stranger?
      "He will never love you. Not the way I do." The figure crouches down to your height one more, their features suddenly not as indiscernible as they first seemed. Their eyes were cold and calculating, their frigid smile upturned in a malicious grin.

     Your ex-husband.

     You could not remember the last time you had the displeasure of gazing upon his wretched face, though you guessed it was sometime around your divorce proceedings. But yet, here he stood, towering over you with the same feigned authority that had always left a sour taste in your mouth. He grinned as recognition flashed over your face, trying to exude some vein of charm, though his attempt was futile. Finding a newfound strength within your body, you pulled away from his wicked grin. He only inched closer, suffocating you just as he always had.
     "I'll find you, you know. You can't hide." He was now annoyingly close to your face, leaving no room for misinterpretation of his words.
       "He can't save you." He raised his fist, eyes flashing with fury. In a panic, you yelled-

     "WALLY!"
      You sprung up in terror, hurriedly glancing around you before your eyes settled on Wally's familiar face. In no time, he had made his way over to you from his position across the room.
      "(Y/N)? What's the matter?" His face was etched with concern, though the only way you could discern this was from the constriction of his pupils and the downturned corners of his mouth. Terrified, you grasped onto his sweater, pulling his rather small, and now limp, body into your embrace.
     "Bad dream." You mumbled into his chest, hiding as if you were a scorned child. To Wally, this was quite an upsetting sight, as he understood the effect nightmares often had on a person. From his position beside you, he wrapped his hands around your waist, allowing you to take refuge in his plush exterior. One of his hands moved up and through your hair, raking through it in slow, melodic motions.
     "Shh, shhh, shhh. It'll be alright. I'm not going anywhere, neighbor." His soft voice cooed. You berated yourself for being such an emotional mess, though there seemed to be no stopping the terror that had flown through your body. And so, you sat encapsulated in his embrace, listening to his soft humming as the morning light streamed in through your blinds.

     It was quite a while before you sat up again, though when you did, you were greeted by a jovial smile. Despite the disturbance of his plans, Wally had remained by your side the entire morning, not daring to coax you from your hiding spot. He was rather content with you in his arms, as that seemed to be exactly where you were supposed to be. His smile faltered as he noticed that the vibrancy that he could've sworn returned to you that sunrise was now gone, erased by the fear of this nightmare.
     "I'm sorry." It was the only apology you could offer, much too disturbed from your dream to muster up another one. Wally let out a small laugh, and although it was monotonous in nature, it was warm in intent. He noticed the light return to your eyes as you gazed up at him, involuntarily entering yourself into an impromptu staring match.
     "Don't be silly! You don't have to be sorry." Sincerity flooded his voice, allowing you some reprieve from the anxiety that bubbled inside of you. His goofy grin cheered you up in no time, allowing you a distraction from the truth that knawed at the back of your mind: your ex-husband was still out there, and he was hell-bent on finding you.
      "I know, I just..." You paused for a moment, your lips folding into a thin smile.
      "I really appreciate you, Wally."