This Time Around - Wally Darling x Reader

5 - Evening

     "Wally! Wait!" A shrill voice cries, grabbing pathetically at his cardigan as he storms out of Home. Julie grasps him desperately, eyes filled with tears as she holds onto one of her dearest friends. 
     "You can't just go out there! You've never been outside of this neighborhood! Do you even know what's going to happen? What if it's absolutely disastrous?" She rambles, staring into Wally's unfaltering eyes as he gazes coldly down at her. All of his friends... all of his neighbors were gathered around him, faces filled with an unforeseen sense of worry. 
      "I'm willing to take my chances." His voice is cold and unforgiving, ripping away from Julie as he marches out of the house. In fact, he marches straight through the neighborhood, dark eyes set ahead of him as he makes his way through the lush forest. The sun dances on the horizon, not quite having begun to set but promising that it will depart soon. 

     Wally was never quite sure how he could communicate with those in the outside world. It always seemed to be a matter of coincidence rather than intentional, however, Wally's intentions were quite clear as he made his way into the forest. He traveled for what seemed like hours- but was really only thirty minutes- eyes growing weary and tired as the sky became shaded with brilliant colors of orange. If he had not been so intent on finding you, he may have noticed the slight black edge that had begun to tint his vision. Rather, he simply ignored it as the evening air grew cold and the fireflies buzzed languidly around the grass. He had to find a way to you, he promised.

     He let out a grunt of frustration, hands grabbing at his perfectly styled blue hair as he ran just a little bit faster. Wally was growing desperate, unsure if he would ever find a way to you in this ever-dense entanglement. But as he began to slowly lose hope, he spotted something out of the corner of his eye. An old television, quite misplaced in the middle of the foliage. It had a cracked screen and chipped exterior, but still seemed to work despite its age... and its lack of a power source. Wally ran to it with inhuman speed, falling on his knees in front of the screen as he desperately grabbed at the TV. This was it, this was his way to you. He took a deep breath, and his vision went black.

     The house was impossibly cold, the windows frosting from the inside as you made your way up the stairs. Cain lay asleep on the couch, passed out drunk with a cheap beer bottle in his hand. An alcoholic and a cheapskate? Disgusting. You took a deep breath as you made your way slowly up the stairs, careful to not make a sound as you held your breath. One step at a time, you reminded yourself, the stairs creaking slightly underneath your weight. Shit.
     You looked to Cain, who stirred only slightly at the sound. He sat up, eyes barely ajar as he coughed.
    "(Y/N)? Is that you? Come onnnn... let's have some fun!" He slurred drunkenly, before passing out once again. You let out a breath, gripping the railing harder as you made your way up the stairs. You were almost there, almost to someplace that you could hide until Wally found you... that was, until, you stepped on a particularly creaky floorboard. Cain shot up, eyes wide as he stared at your trembling body. He grinned, a foul sight that sent a shiver through your body, and you ran. You ran as fast as you could up the remaining stairs, slamming the bathroom door particularly loudly as you struggled with the lock. He followed up after you, breath reeking of alcohol as he grabbed furiously at the door's handle. You pressed your entire weight against the door, willing Wally to hurry the hell up. 
      "Let me in you bitch!" Cain grunted, slurring his words as he yelled. It was a terrifying and disgusting sight all in one, sending a shiver along your spine. 
       "Over my dead body!" You screamed, voice shaking slightly as you used all your strength to hold the door closed. Cain, however, was simply just stronger than you. There was nothing you could do but cower as he slammed the door open, forcing you to press your entire body against the shower wall as he came terrifyingly close.
     "That... can be arranged..." He heaved, the drunkenness evident as he swayed with every step. He made his way over to you, pressing grimy hands to either side of your face as you shut your eyes tight. His face hovered over yours, reeking of cheap beer.

     There was a sound downstairs. 

     At first, it sounded just like a cup falling off of a counter or something falling out of place. Something rather natural, rather than the unnatural fears that quickly filled Cain's mind. He froze in horror, his drunkenness seemingly amplifying his fear. You could do nothing as his body hovered over yours, frozen in place.

    There was another sound, but only closer this time. 

     It was at the base of the stairs, a sound of metal against the paneling of the wall as someone took a step onto the stairs. Cain didn't move, his pupils horrifyingly constricted as his breath shook. The sound made its way up every stair, stopping only for a moment as it made its way up to the top.

   It was outside the bathroom now.

    The figure was... taller than you expected. And much less yellow. But still, undeniably him. He stood twice his usual height of 3 feet tall, blue hair seemingly much more saturated and natural as he loomed at the doorway. His skin looked as if it had been kissed by the sun itself, a beautiful shade of amber that would've complemented the most beautiful leaves in autumn. His face was thin and structured, wide eyes dark as he stared down Cain. And he had eyebrows and a nose, which was quite a welcome change. He was as undeniably human as you were.

     You could only stare, corners of your mouth lifting slightly as he loomed in the doorway. The knife in his hand was almost cartoonishly large, but Wally held it with such a firm grip that it struck terror into you all the same. 
    "Miss me, neighbor?" His voice was as welcoming as ever, a hint of animosity underlying his tone. Cain turned around suddenly, his shoulder hitting your nose harshly and giving you a rather uncomfortable nosebleed. Ow, bitch.
     "You." Cain's voice was dark and heavy, and he barreled towards Wally without a second thought. The puppet... human... thing stepped out of the way, staring at him dismissively as Cain ran straight into a wall. Wally let out a low laugh, walking towards him as he sat up from the ground. He grabs Cain's chin harshly, eyes growing darker as he speaks. 
     "Do you really think you can just take my neighbor and get away with it?" Wally laughs, letting go of Cain's chin harshly. Wally looks back at you, a soft smile on his face. 
     "Maybe look away, darling."

    The next few things happen so incredibly fast that you almost miss them. Wally raises the knife, pressing it dangerously close to Cain's neck as Wally smiles sadistically. If you didn't know better... you would almost say that he was enjoying this. Cain then grabs hold of Wally's arm, using his entire body weight to throw your lover onto the floor. He hovers above him, using Wally's own knife against him as he forces Wally's arm closer to his own throat.
     "I'd actually prefer they watch, that way they can see you die." 

    You move without thinking. You stand up, running full speed at Cain as you push him off of Wally. You end up on the floor, knocking the breath from your lungs as you hit the ground hard. It takes Cain only a moment to recover, but in that time Wally is already up and pulling you up. He grabs your arms, eyes boring into yours as he pleads with you. It's weird to be looking up at him for once.
     "Go... run!" He yells, gripping the knife tightly as he pushes you away from him. But you can't. You can't just leave him here. You run into the bedroom, searching furiously through the drawers until you find just what you were looking for. A pistol, loaded and ready for whatever was thrown your way. You can hear the sounds of fighting outside, the spewing of curse words from Cain's mouth as Wally's knife drags against his skin. But since Wally is in a human body... he's just not as strong as Cain, and he's losing stamina fast.

    You leave the bedroom, gun pointed as the two men freeze. Cain stares at you in horror, and Wally looks as if he could just absolutely kiss you breathless, his eyes are filled with so much pride and adoration. 
     "Cain... if you don't stop... I'm going to shoot. I'm going to kill you. But... but if you leave us alone, if you just let us go home..." Cain interrupts your words with a curt laugh, causing you to furrow your eyebrows as he speaks. 
     "Home? This is your home, you ungrateful bitch!" He moves a step closer to you, and you re-aim the pistol. 
     "I will shoot you. You will bleed out on the ground and absolutely nobody will care." You growl, your voice dangerously low as you speak. You look over at Wally, who's just smiling at you with all the love in the world as you speak. Dork. 

     Cain nods, face darkening as you speak. He moves to kneel down, to surrender, before suddenly rushing towards you. 

     It all happens too fast. 

    You fire two bullets. One hits Cain square in the chest. He doubles over, falling to the floor as he lets out a loud and annoying cry for help. The other... was a little misguided.

     You were aiming for Cain's head... but in a moment of panic, as he rushed towards you, the second bullet landed right in Wally's side.

     You scream before Wally can even register it. You're at his side, eyes filled with tears as you throw the pistol off to the side. Wally stares down at you inquisitively, his eyes widening as he realizes what just happened.
     "Oh... neighbor-" You interrupt him with a sob, pulling up his shirt to get a better look at the wound. It's certainly not pretty. 
      "Oh my god... oh my god oh my god..." You repeat, fretting over him as he looks at you amused. He laughs lightly, and you look up at him with teary eyes as he takes your face into his soft hands. They're warm in comparison to his usual chill, and they almost distract you from the fact that you just put a bullet in the love of your life.
      "Wally... I'm so sorry, oh my god. We need to get you to a hospital-" He cuts you off with a deep kiss, smiling against your lips as you quickly shut up.
      "Oh my dear, I am fine. This body is merely something temporary, neighbor. Do you like it? I made it just for you~" Wally says as he pulls away from you, brushing a stray hair from your face. You blush, stammering as he speaks. You're interrupted by the feeling of something grabbing at your feet, and you look to Wally as he looks at the floor, annoyed. Cain, with the last bits of life left in his miserable body, grabs desperately at Wally's legs, trying ever so hard to pull him down. He leaves a trail of blood on Wally's clothes, and the blue-haired man grimaces as he notices.
       "Here. Let me help you." Wally says darkly, taking a step away from you and picking up the knife from the floor. He moves quickly, dragging the knife against Cain's neck as he lets out his last hopeless breaths. His blood absolutely covers Wally, staining his pristine clothes and perfect skin with an unpleasant red. It's just like an animal to the slaughter, fitting for the pig Cain was.

    Wally stands up, face splattered with blood as he looks at you. He really, really loved you. More than the stars loved the sun, more than the grass to the trees, and more than the Earth to the moon. He was truly and undeniably devoted to you, and his blood-stained appearance was nothing but evidence of that fact. He smiles, dropping the knife to the floor as he wraps his hands around your waist. He holds you close, forehead pressed against yours as he speaks.
      "He can never hurt you again. Never." Wally's voice is low and possessive, a stark contrast to his usual cheery tone. You laugh rather lightheartedly for having just killed a man, and you press a soft kiss to Wally's lips. You bring your hands up to cup his face, wiping away the blood as he pulls you tighter. 
     "Wally, look at me." You command, speaking softly as he stares at you with pure, unadulterated love.
      "Yes, neighbor?" He asks gently, smiling lovingly as he looks deeply into your eyes. You kiss him again, only pulling away when you absolutely have to breathe.

     "Let's go home." And for the first time, Wally was absolutely sure that this time around, he had saved you.