Summary: Stressed, Y/N finds comfort in Welcome Home's star, Wally Darling. When they've overworked them-self, Wally decides there's no harm in being honest with Y/N. Even if, when they wake up, they won't realize it wasn't a dream.
*Can be read romantically or platonically
You typed nonsense onto your computers/phones keyboard, laying in your bed, finishing another assignment as you lay between awake and asleep. The least you could call it was hard. Despite procrastinating enough, what else could you do? If you continued like this, you'll fail anyways, what you're writing makes no sense! If you give yourself a moment to reboot, you'll surely make it through.
You type in 'Welcome Home', watching with a light heart as the colorful shapes and characters slowly appear on the screen, greeting you.
"Hello neighbors.." you mumble to the screen, a smile slowly creeping its way to your face, the light in your eyes no longer just a reflection from the screen.
You move to the guestbook, checking to see if any of the digital puppets responded to your latest message. After some scrolling you finally found it! Thankfully, this whole thing wasn't too popular, so website traffic wasn't crazy.
Next to your message was a doodle of Wally holding out an apple... to you? How sweet. You give a lighthearted laugh. In the upper corner there's a drawing of a little book. You click 'open image in new tab', excitedly waiting for to find the characters hidden message which you quickly do.
"don't work too hard neighbor!"
Huh... you hadn't said anything about all this work you'd put yourself through. Must be a silly coincidence. You kick your feet in joy, feeling recharged with joy, with worth and anticipation.
However within the next two hours it was completely run thin. Your sore eyes look to the clock, squinting to make out the hour, that being 2:30 a.m. You mutter something under your breath. Despite how much you want it, you can't sleep yet. Maybe if you check on your neighbors, maybe then you can.
Again you type the website name...
Why is it only Wally?
"Wally?" you ask aloud. The cutely (yet poorly) crayon drawn version of him begins to walk all over the screen, before leaving.
Your back straightens. Maybe this is a new update? How exciting!
You wait in anticipation.
"Hello, Y/N, dear."
Your mouth drops, your eyes widen. Surely, this was no update.
"Wally?" Your hands grip the table, your full attention on the handsome man? puppet? what exactly are you talking to right now? It must be Wally, though it doesn't entirely look like Wally.
He gives a chuckle, "Yes, I'm Wally." His hand reaches out... you see it touch yours. But how can you question it? you're in no place to right now.
His smirk widens, noticing your shocked (and possibly frightened) expression.
"I'm here for you Y/N. It doesn't matter what I am." He says, his monotone voice almost static-y, yet somehow soft and comforting. Fuzzy, like white noise or the rain even. The sensitivity of the entire moment makes your once strained eyes fill with tears, your lip bitten back to hold your sobs in. Wally looks at you with a care you've never seen mustered by anyone. He rubs circles around the top of your hand with his thumb. It feels smoother than skin, but not exactly plush either.
You let a few tears come pouring out, the feeling of your body completely and awfully returning making you no less than vulnerable.
"Oh, Wally...!" You cry, not knowing where to start.
Suddenly, it's not simply his hand that's out the screen.
He pulls you into a sort of hug, one of his hands wiping away your tears.
"You've done more than enough" he assures, and as it grows closer to three you find his eyes have drooped a little more, filled with an indescribable emotion. Perhaps it was more than a simple emotion. A being, a knowing.
As his eyes reflect into yours, sinking in like ice poured into water, melting into it, he feels for you. He senses those feelings of longing, or tiredness... the questions.
"I am real." he states.
He says it as if it were nothing more than a greeting, something unnecessary, something painfully obvious yet ignored. Wally tells you this with love, with fondness.
He moves a piece of hair from your face. As he retreats into your device you find your eyes slowly closing at the same time.
