This Time Around - Wally Darling x Reader

4 - Afternoon

      "Barnaby...? Do you have a minute to talk?" The much taller figure stopped writing at the sound of his best friend's voice, though he did not recognize the hesitation that laced his words. Slowing his pencil, Barnaby turned to look at Wally, though he had to look down a considerable amount. 
     "Sure. What's got your pantaloons in a knot?" He questioned, laughing boisterously at his own jokes. Although Wally let out a chuckle of solidarity, he never understood what his friend meant when he said that. He moved to straighten out his pants before responding.
     "It's about (Y/N). Well, kind of. I need to ask you a question, and you need to answer me seriously." Wally's eyes darkened as he spoke, eliciting a concerned expression from Barnaby. Wally had never used the word 'seriously' before, and Barnaby doubted he knew what it meant. 
       "Ask away." Even though Barnaby's joyful tone never faltered, there seemed to be a hint of worry in his features. Wally pulled out a chair beside Barnaby and placed a pillow on the seat, making a makeshift booster chair and allowing him to see eye-to-eye with his blue best friend. He hoisted himself up onto the chair and continued,
     "Does this... seem familiar to you?" Silence crept into the air between the two, infecting it as if it were a deadly virus. Barnaby sat motionless, almost as if he was afraid to move. Slowly, he met Wally's eyes. 
     "What do you mean, shortcake?" Wally wanted to laugh at his pestering, but found no air available in his lungs. 
     "I mean... (Y/N). Is this..." Wally looked around, almost as if he was unsure of his own words.
     "This isn't... the first time we've seen them here." Barnaby dropped his pencil, but quickly picked it up in an attempt to save face. But his wordless response was all Wally needed to confirm his suspicions. He wasn't the only one reliving these three weeks. 
      "Has Sally ever made you watch that weird movie 'Groundhog Day,' Wally?" Barnaby questioned. The shorter puppet stared at him inquisitively, unsure of his intentions.
      "I think a few times, why do you ask?" Barnaby sighed at his response. The dog puppet pushed his chair away from the table, moving to stand up. 
     "I've always liked that movie. I'd hate it though, having to relive the same events over and over again. It'd be a real bore after a while." Barnaby stared down at Wally, begging him with his eyes to merely understand what he meant. The two sat there for what seemed like hours before a lightbulb of sorts went off in Wally's head. 
     "I don't remember how it ended," Wally stated, pleading with his best friend for some sort of clue or answer. Barnaby walked over to his window, staring outside aimlessly as if he could dissociate from this conversation. After a few moments, he answered, 
     "I don't either. But I think this time around, we'll find out." Wally hoped he was right.

     The orchard was quiet, deathly so, and Wally could no longer hear the soft thudding of your steps as you followed behind him. He had, perhaps, gotten much too ambitious upon seeing the delicious selection of apples, though he had been positive that you were following just behind him. As he turned around to investigate the silence, he was met with an entirely empty orchard. It was just him, the trees, and the apples; and absolutely no sign of you. Fearing the worst, the yellow puppet raced in the direction he came, hoping that he was not too late. 
      'I can still move' He thought, running as fast as his little legs could possibly take him. 'There's still time. There's still time.' Time, in retrospect, seemed to be inconsequential. As he exited the orchard, no sign of you in sight, he began frantically calling out after you. Maybe you were just lost and couldn't find your way back, or maybe you had simply become distracted by talking to a neighbor. That had to be it. He couldn't lose you again, or else he was sure that he would unravel at his seams.
       "(Y/N)!!!" His voice was growing hoarse, leaving the bitter taste of the familiarity of begging in his mouth. Many times before, he had screamed for you not to leave him like this, just as he was now. The only difference was there was no Cain, no voice offering him a second chance, and no you. Maybe this was it, the last chance he had, and he had blown it.
      "Wally...? Oh, my! You look terrible!" Howdy exclaimed as he stumbled upon the puppet, who was now lying dejectedly in the dirt. His body had lost all of its strength, and the only thing he could muster up enough energy to do was to cry. Wally didn't bother looking up at the caterpillar, only burying his face in his arms. 
       "They're gone!!! They're gone and it's all my fault! I couldn't save them, Howdy! I couldn't save them!" He wailed, a strange, unnatural sound to the store clerk. Sighing deeply, Howdy lifted the smaller puppet into his arms. Wally could offer no resistance, rather, he continued to sob into Howdy's shoulder. 
      "Let's get you to Home, okay? I'll call Barnaby." Howdy attempted to smile reassuringly, but he too feared the worst. Maybe this time around had been the last, and none of them could save you.