Just hours ago, they'd been desperate for a roof over their head, and now they were... well, stuck here. And judging by Hunters dead-serious tone, this wasn't some temporary arrangement.
As they were grappling with this, two figures bounded into their line of sight, beelining for the bags they'd left at the edge of the room.
"What do we have here?" A voice practically dripping with syrupy sweetness chimed.
Y/n looked over to see a the disheveled Wally from before, dressed in a pink bathrobe, already elbow-deep in their belongings.
"Ohhh, darling." Lovesick cooed, looking up with a dreamy, almost dazed smile. His eyes practically sparkled. "The more I know, the more I can love."
"What—wait! Stop!" Y/n lunged forward, trying to intercept him. Before they could pull him away, another voice joined in, this one smooth and amused.
"What's this?"
A second Wally, wearing sleek, modern clothing and exuding an air of cocky charm, plucked a small book out of their bag. He flipped it open, a smirk spreading across his face.
"This is gold. 'And then he brushed her hair back, his fingertips grazing her cheek...'" Reboot raised an eyebrow, grinning at them. "Fanfics? A little romance in your life, huh?" He feigned a swoon, clutching the notebook to his chest in mock passion. "So dramatic! Tell me, do all humans write like this?"
Y/n's face flushed crimson. "You—you put that down right now!"
He chuckled, flipping through a page or two with growing amusement. "I'm just getting to the good part. You and..." His smirk grew as he skimmed the lines. "Oh, someone's got a type, don't they?"
"Give it back!" They tried to snatch it, but he lifted it just out of reach.
Lovesick, meanwhile, was rummaging through Y/n's toiletries, cooing over a tiny travel-size lotion.
"It's a heart shaped bottle, how pretty~" He sniffed the lotion with a dreamy sigh, then pressed it against his cheek like he was cuddling it. "Oh, Y/n, I love discovering these little details about you. I want to learn everything about you."
"What is wrong with you two?!" Y/n exclaimed, feeling both embarrassed and violated. "That's my stuff, personal stuff!"
Personal?" Reboot grinned, winking. "Looks like I'm getting to know you pretty personally, then."
Before they could properly reprimand either of them, a new voice cleared its throat.
"Ahem."
They turned, and there stood a Wally dressed in dark, formal attire, looking like he came from a church sermon. His hands were clasped reverently in front of him, his gaze soft yet intense, as though he could see right through to their soul.
Priests eyes were fixed on Y/n, disturbingly calm.
"Y/n." He said, his tone both reverent and slightly unsettling, "Might I ask about your beliefs? I'd like to know where your soul stands. We can't live in harmony until we are... religiously aligned, you see."
"Oh, um..." They blinked, caught off guard as he slowly approached, his eyes never leaving theirs. "I... don't think that's really relevant right now..."
Priest Wally tilted his head, unfazed by their discomfort. "Ah, but don't you see? It is. Your soul is tethered to this house now, to Home. This arrangement is... sacred. I just need to know if you believe in a higher power, if you're prepared for what eternity has in store..."
"Uh, um eternity... I don't know if I—"
Priest Wally leaned closer, gaze unwavering. "Are you willing to seek enlightenment, Y/n? To embrace the path that we now share?"
"Uh, wow, I—uh, I..."
Y/n's mind scrambled for an answer as they searched for an escape route. They could feel a bead of sweat forming on their brow.
"Neighbor!" Original chirped from the corner. He smiled, his expression open and genuine as he waved to them with an enthusiastic little wiggle of his fingers.
Perfect, they thought, almost sagging in relief.
Y/n walked up to the other Wally, dressed in a classic primary-colored outfit. He beamed as they approached him.
"Hey." They felt an overwhelming sense of relief at the sight of him. Normalcy, or at least the closest thing to it. "I, um, I was just... checking in. Wanted to say hi. To you. Specifically."
Priests voice still lingered softly from behind them. Looking slighty disappointed they strayed away so soon.
"You'll be back to continue our discussion, yes?"
"Yeah... totally..."
Y/n replied, trying not to look directly at him, taking Originals hand and taking him toward the corner of the room they had to slightly bend over as he was so short. He thankfully didn't seem to mind the action, his soft hand squeezing theirs back.
"Everyone here's just really excited to meet you." He happily spoke up.
"Well, you seem nice." They whispered, lowering their voice.
Originals eyes twinkled. "I just want you to feel welcome. I think it's great you're here."
Y/n let out a shaky sigh, comforted by his sincerity. "Thanks. I just need to process it, didn't think it'd see myself taking care of others. I'm hardly able to look after myself..."
They let out a bitter chuckle, recalling moments of stress and struggles with money, trying to secure a roof above their head, like they had in the past.
As they got lost in older memories that resurfaced, their eyes watered. Subconsciously triggered from the new environment and overwhelming new job that were stuck with.
They had been on their own for a long time, used to the loneliness that came with it. But now they were surrounded from everywhere, new faces, that seemed to demand attention at all times.
The short puppet leaned their leg upon seeing their expression, he wasn't good at hugs but he could certainly see that the human wasn't doing so well.
Y/n felt the weight against their leg, it took a few seconds before they gave into the intrusive urge to pick Original up and cuddle him like a stuffed plushie.
He smelled like apples and paint. Oddly comforting.
From across the room, another Wally, the angry redhead watched with a frown giving a loud, exaggerated sigh at the affectionate display.
"I need no damn caretaker telling me what to do. And beside, they look pathetic."
But as Opposite muttered those words he couldn't help but feel a pang of jealousy seeing his blueberry counterpart getting so much attention.
Hunter sat on the apple themed sofa, drowning out the background noise, writing down notes about how things were unfolding. So far he wasn't displeased. Could be worse.
The others seemed to be engaged with the caretaker and too distracted to bother him again with complaints about wanting to go back to their own universe.
He couldn't deal with that headache right now. His personal projects had already been put on hold and he had a whole list of AU Wally's he had yet to hunt down. He couldn't afford to let any of them go till he found a solution to keep them from straying outside the bounds of their own world.
