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Chapter Text

❤Authors Note❤

Hello! I am the author, Maple (MapleSugarCookie), of this work in progress, Hello Neighbor - Wally Darling X Reader.

In this book, I will be writing the Reader with the name "You".

You will be in the age range of 14-18, but I'll try to be as vague about your living situation as possible.

The point of view is from a gender neutral person with some light anxiety. Also, most likely an introvert (I'm sorry to my extroverted readers)

The Wally Darling in this book with be a taller than the reader for the obvious romance plot and he will be very possessive. This book will also (hopefully turn out to) be a slow burn.

We enter the Welcome Home world in "Why Were You Sleeping Under A Tree, Kid?", so if you're impatient and don't care about your life from before, then please feel free to skip to that chapter!

I will absolutely not be writing NSFW as Clown has specifically asked for the fans to not write NSFW.

I would like to note that I will take any suggestion you have to help inspire me the finish this book because, after all, finishing this fanfiction is the biggest priority!

Thank you for clicking on Hello Neighbor - Wally Darling X Reader and I hope You enjoy the story!

Chapter Text

❤ The Prologue ❤

It was late one Saturday night when You gathered your bags- filled with hygiene supplies, clothes, and a few stuffed animals your friends got You, including a rock star bear with a top hat, a fluffy blue monster with a big red smile, and an apple in overalls- and squeezed into your car.

You were invited to your best friend, Sadie's slumber party. Sadie was your bubbly and loud friend with a big fat dictionary of swears. She had been your friend ever since she gave You a pack of animal cookies in first grade. You hadn't seen Sadie as often since she had switched schools in 8th grade and this was the first sleepover you would have since then. Sadie had told you that she was inviting a few of her friends as well as Reese, who was your adopted cousin.

Your older adopted cousin, Reese, was a year older than you, the gayest person You knew, and had always been the mom friend. He was the kind of person who would fuss over his friends with safety and sanitation. Reese was always specifically concerned with your safety and You appreciated that Sadie invited him to look out for You. He could be a little over protective, in your opinion, but You didn't mind.

You were so anxious to arrive, that your leg wouldn't stop shaking impatiently as your car zipped and zoomed through the streets.

When You finally arrived at Sadie's house, You scooped up your bags and forced yourself out the car door. You yelled as You tripped and fell onto the driveway, bags flying everywhere.

"Ah, shit!" You wince and rub your chin which You hit rather hard. As if your fall was actually an alarm announcing your arrival- or maybe they heard You yell "Ah, shit!" in the awfully quiet neighborhood- the front door swung open and Reese ran to You.

Reese was a rather scrawny, olive skinned boy with fluffy and chaotic dark hair. His eyes were brown, resembling milk chocolate and his expression seemed to be in a constant state of worry and concern. Every step Reese took sent him flying as he bound across the front yard to You.

"Hey! Are you ok?!" He asked, frantically scanning You for injuries. Before You could respond, he pulled You up and pushed you into the house. "Hurry hurry, sit down, I'll get band aids and neosporin and water!"

You walked out of the front hallway into Sadie's living room and scanned the room. There were too many people. And by too many people, You meant literally 13 people, 14 including Reese. They all ignored You, either chattering amongst themselves, gossiping about this and that, or their eyes were glued to their phones as they scrolled down whatever site they were on. All were too preoccupied to notice You, except a familiar round face.

"Heyyyy you!!!" Sadie chirped as she ran to You and engulfed You in a hug. Sadie had a particularly round face with the most beautiful facial features. Her skin was pale and freckled, her eyes were hazel, and her hair was dyed purple. Sadie was rather round, cute, and short, all the better to hug. She wore a pastel purple sweater with pale blue overalls.

You smiled wildly, pleased to see her. "Hey Sadie, Happy Birthday!" You began to search your pockets for the small gift you got Sadie. "I got you a little something, I'm sure it's around here somewh-" You stopped. Standing besides Sadie was a boy that you've never seen before.

He was tall and stocky with closely shaved blonde hair and tanned skin. His eyes had red contacts in them and were trained on his phone as he seemed to be watching some stupid "Try Not To Scream Challenge" video. His face was as round as Sadie, but it didn't compliment him as much. This boy wore emo clothes, completed with spikes, chains, and piercings.

Sadie seemed to notice your gaze, because she giggled and looked up into his eyes, smiling like an idiot.

"This is my bf, Davis~ Isn't he dreamy?" Sadie sighed happily as she hugged Davis's arm, snuggling up to him. "But, like, he's mine so fuck off." Her tone was casual and her eyes never left Davis's face.

'Believe it or not, I don't even wanna be near him.' You thought before smiling and giving her a big double thumbs up full of fake enthusiasm. "Yeah, he's... cool... I guess..." You half mumble to Sadie.

Sadie giggled again and kissed Davis's cheek who waved her away with a whine. "I know, he's SO handsome! Like Prince Charming!"

'He looks like a big bald baby.' Your thoughts responded but You simply smiled awkwardly at Sadie.

"Here ya go!" An out of breath Reese skid to a halt by You and began plaster neosporin on to your chin and other area's you might've scratched. You backed away a little, scrunching your face up at the weird texture and burn. "You have to be careful, dude, don't want 'cha to get any worse injuries!" You didn't want him to touch you but reluctantly let Reese fuss.

"What the fuck happened to you?" Sadie asked, eyes looking from Reese to you in alarm.

"Skid out of the car after they tried to carry all their bags inside." Reese responded, putting bandaids on the globs of neosporin.

'And I would've gotten away with it, if it weren't for you meddling kids!' You thought, good-naturedly, cringing at the large amounts of neosporin on your body.

"Babe, can you go get their bags from the driveway? Thank you, love you shnookins, mwah!" Sadie kissed her boyfriend's cheek and then she pushed him lightly towards the door. Davis walked out, grumbling about how unappreciated he was. "Oh yeah, let's get you connected- you don't know anyone. Everyone shut the hell up!" Sadie exclaimed and clapped to get everyone's attention. They all looked over at her, ceasing their activities and giving their full attention to her. "This here is my bestie! I want you to introduce yourselves to them!"

Most of the people there had the forgettable faces and personalities of cucumbers. You were able to connect names to face, however. There was Gabriella and her twin Gabriel, Katie and her boyfriend Charlie, Daisy and her boyfriend Steve, and Sharon.

"You can call me Cherry~, it's a nickname. She/Her pronouns." Said a girl with black and red pink hair who had been laying on the couch, reading something on her phone. "Davis is my brother." She pointed at Davis who'd come back in with your bags and was now guffawing at some failed skateboard tricks on his phone.

'Really? Him?' You thought, 'Sucks to be Cherry.'

Perhaps your expression had given your thoughts away because she laughed and added. "He's a dumbass, but unfortunately family is family!" You simply joined in her laughter, laughing softly and awkwardly.

"Alright, alright! Now, what should we do?" Sadie asked, looking sheepish that she didn't plan anything.

Everyone began pitching in ideas.

"So, I was thinking that we could do a ton of TikTok dances. There's this new one that needs, like, five people and I wanna try it."

"LET'S MAKE AN AMONG US IMPOSTER POTION AND DRINK IT AT 3AM!!!"

"I think we should play Pictionary. I wanna stay on the couch."

"We could watch that one movie from that one place with that one guy doing that one thing."

"I think we should look for secrets on this new website I found." Cherry chimed in, holding her phone out to show a colorful looking website with a puppet, who stared directly at the viewer and seemed to be smiling in an inviting manner.

"Pfft, Cherry, you're so dumb." Davis snorted, rounding on his sister. "No one wants to read your stupid restoration project from some crappy puppet show."

"It's an ARG and I'll have you know that it's much better then your "noob vs hacker vs pro vs god MineCraft" videos so shut the fuck up." Cherry snapped, glaring at Davis. She turned to Sadie, expression going from furious to sweet and pleading. "Please? It'll totally be super fun!"

Sadie shrugged. "I don't see whats so wrong with a website about old puppets, do you?" She looked over at you with a grin.

You shrugged back with a smile. "Me neither. Let's check it out? What's the website called?"

Cherry smirked, before speaking in an ominous tone,

"It's called... Welcome Home."

Chapter Text

❤ Chapter One ❤

Everyone sat in a semicircle around the TV screen, after grabbing snacks from the kitchen. You weren't too hungry but decided to have some water and a bag of your favorite chips. You listen as the others chatter while Cherry struggles with Sadie and to project her phone screen onto Sadie's impossibly big TV.

"Alright, shut up and listen up." Cherry barked as soon as the website began to load up onto the TV, "This is about a puppet show from the 80s- no, wait, it was the 70s-"

The website loaded and went to the home page. Words wrote, "Hello Neighbor." A cute red house with eyes appeared underneath the words, with steam puffing out of it's yellow chimney. Cherry cut her ramble off excitedly and tapped the screen to go to the home page. It opened, revealing that smiling, staring puppet once more. Now that You got a better look at him, You were able to see how colorful he was and how... vaguely familiar he was to You. His eyes were relaxed and his smile reminded You of a cat. This puppet lacked a nose and eyebrows on his yellow face. His hair was a royal blue and was up in a big cinnamon roll swirl. He wore a blue cardigan with yellow bordering and buttons, a white undershirt, and vertically striped rainbow pants. This little man also wore a red necktie and white-and-black dress shoes. Why was he so familiar?

"Um, Cherry?" You spoke quietly, but somehow managed to get your voice to reach Cherry's ear because she looked over at You. "What exactly is this? Was this a real show? I feel like he looks... familiar..."

Cherry laughed before looking at You with a confused smile. "This is an ARG- that stands for alternate reality game, obviously- in other words, it's not real. It's actually a fairly new concept IRL. Maybe you think he just has a familiar design. I think he kinda looks like a 3 foot tall Elvis Presley" She snickered before turning back to her phone.

"Oh." You respond with one word, only for the sake of a response. Perhaps your brain was being dumb again. You sighed heavily. Reese gave You a concerned glance and put his hand on your shoulder.

"Are you doing alright? You look faint.." Reese whispered beside You, looking at You in concern.

"I do? I'm fine, I'm sure..." You grumble, waving off this comment from Reese as him just being over protective.

"So what should we do first? We could look at the gallery! The artwork is so fucking cool and I very sent a comment to them saying so." Cherry announced proudly.

"Oh, the gallery!" Sadie clapped, bouncing next to Davis, who was still looking embarrassed by Cherry's teasing from before. "Hey, weren't you into art for a bit?" Sadie nudged You, her wide eyes peering into yours.

You look away at the floor and nod, smiling. "Yeah, I do art sometimes." Of course, that didn't mean You were super great at it.

"But who even are the characters?" Gabriel asked, leaning on his sister, Gabriella, who was tapping away on her phone, obviously not interested in the ARG about puppets from a 70s children cartoon show.

"There's a page for that, actually!" Cherry chimed and clicked on the "Meet The Neighborhood!" tab. The page opened up to a cute little cartoon neighborhood with seven colorful houses around the house from the home page. Each house is unique in it's own way, all in different shapes with their own personality and colors reflected on them. But the house in the middle looked so... simple. It was a simple red rectangle with a blue roof, yellow chimney and door, and green bushes hugging it's sides. The only feature that made it stand out was it's rolling eyes. It's windows had black pupils that spun around, looking everywhere, in almost an impatient manner. "If we click on one of these houses, we get a character description for the puppet that lives there! There's Barnaby, Julie, Frank, Poppy- she's my favorite puppet, actually."

She clicked on a barn house and a page appeared with a big red bird with rainbow feather called "Poppy". She was holding a tray of cookies and her mouth was open in what could be assumed to be a smile.

"Cherry... Can I try messing around with it?" You asked. Cherry nodded and handed the device to You with a smile.

"Yeah, sure, go crazy!" She laughed.

You touched the screen, trying to click the top but your fingers slipped and You ended up highlighting a single word.

You.

Underneath that single word, text began to slowly appear, "Wally is your best friend".

"I am Wally's best friend?" You question aloud, eyes wide. Was that why he was so familiar? Was he a friend from the past, perhaps? Your mind was filled with questions like, "Who is Wally? Why were You so concerned about this website? Why did it bother You?..." That's when Sadie laughed and pokes your cheek.

"Remember this is just a silly little... er.. A-R...G..." She looked over at Cherry as if worried she said it wrong. When Cherry didn't correct her, she went on. "It's not real. Don't have to look so spooked." Sadie paused before gasping and smirking. "Or are you scared~? I thought you liked this stuff?" She snickered, joined in by a few other her unimportant friends.

You blush from embarrassment and shake your head, handing the phone back to Cherry. "Just forget about it."

"Hey, don't worry about it!" Cherry shot you a reassuring smile. "I found that glitch earlier and it surprised me too! Hold on..." She occupied herself with her phone.

"Or maybe they're just a wimp who can't handle that boring jump scare, if you can even call it that." Huffed Katie as she shifted herself to be closer to her boyfriend, Charlie. "Come on, stop being a pussy."

You glared at Katie for assuming such a thing and she simply lifted her chin and smirked back.

"Yeah... maybe that's enough Welcome Home for one night." Cherry mumbled, closing on the tabs on her phone and shutting it off, before looking around the room. It was 10 o'clock already. Gabriella looked up from her phone briefly and Gabriel booed before getting up to get a glass of water. Katie and Charlie were smug and acted as if they were above this ARG anyways. Daisy and Steve had fallen asleep together and Sharon was simply watching everyone, looking bored out of her mind.

Sadie bounced up, clapping her hands together, smiling warmly. "Alright, now who wants to order pizza and do makeovers on all of the boys?"

Chapter Text

❤ Chapter Two ❤

The rest of the birthday sleepover goes by smoothly. Katie was still poking fun at You every time anything having the potential to be scary popped up. Sharon was trying to talk to Reese, but every time she came over, Reese used your health as an excuse, saying things like, "Hold on, I'll get us a glass of water." or "Oh no, your band aids are coming off! Let me get some more!" Sadie was having an excellent time drawing pictures with her lipstick on Davis's face, who simply let her and continued watching his video. After everyone sang happy birthday to Sadie and got cake, Cherry and Gabriel had begun to smear frosting on Gabriella- who'd been taking selfies of herself after makeovers- every chance they got, laughing when Gabriella finally screamed and tried to hit them with a chair.

As mentioned before, everything went by very smoothly.

By the time everyone went to bed, it was 2am in the morning, and your mind continued to draw back to the Welcome Home site. Every time You tried to think of something else, your mind would immediately remember the colorful site full of fake fictional puppets. You were sure that your brain was just being silly goofy or perhaps calling out to a new potential obsession.

You got up from your sleeping bag on the floor, climbed over a snoring Katie, and crept to Cherry's spot on the couch. Cherry had wrestled everyone for couch spot and eventually everyone else gave up. You tapped Cherry's shoulder lightly and she grumbled.

"Psst, Cherry!" You hissed, being quiet so You wouldn't disturb the others.

"Wh-?" She asked as she rolled over to face You. "Oh, it's You. Whats so important that you had to ruin my beauty sleep?"

'Grumpy much?' You thought before saying, "Where can I find the Welcome Home site? How do I get there?"

Cherry blinked. "That's what you woke me up for? You couldn't have just searched up 'Welcome Home ARG' yourself?" But before You could respond, Cherry was already shoving her phone into your hands. "Just take my phone and check out the site for yourself. Do NOT forget to charge it or I'll fuck you up in the morning." Her words were surprisingly lighthearted and after she spoke, she rolled back over and immediately went back to sleep.

You looked down at Cherry's phone, which was already opened up to the Welcome Home site. How fortunate. You take the phone and click on the little red house icon after the words "Hello Neighbor, Come In!" appear, going back to the home screen. You go to the "Meet the Neighborhood" tab and begin to read all the unique little character descriptions.

There was Julie Joyful, who was a cheerful rainbow monster girl dressed in a pink dress with big blonde hair and small orange and yellow horns.

There was Sally Starlet, who was a theatrical star girl dressed in overalls and a colorful checkered sweater who apparently fell from the sky.

There was Poppy Partridge, who was a big shy red bird with additional rainbow feathers and a passion for cooking.

There was Eddie Dear, who was the forgetful mailman carrying flamboyant packages and letters in all shapes and sizes.

There was Howdy Pillar, The town's grocer caterpillar who didn't charge anything for his goods and services except jokes.

There was Barnaby B. Beagle, who was the local jokester who happened to be a huge blue dog with different colored spots.

And, last but certainly not least, There was Frank Frankly, who was, frankly, not as colorful as his neighbors and wore a permanently grumpy expression.

And then there was Wally Darling.

The town darling- and seeming main character of the show- was Wally Darling. There wasn't much on Wally and his description seemed more dedicated to his house, Home, rather than Wally himself. You read through his description multiple times and came out with this simple conclusion about him. Wally Darling is the friendliest neighbor with a hobby for painting. Yup, that was it. 'Wait, what's with the tense change? Perhaps it was just editor problems.' You thought. Or perhaps you were so tired that you brain wasn't functioning while trying to overthink.

You stand up and yawn, head aching. You viewed through all the character descriptions, all the Guestbook comments, and all the art pieces in the Gallery, and while they interested you, they gave you more questions than answers. Who was the WHRP group restoring this old childhood wonder? Why did the Welcome Home show stop so abruptly and where did all the evidence of its existence go? Who was this Wally Dar-

You tripped on something and then-

THUMP.

Chapter Text

❤ Chapter Three ❤

"Kid..."

"Hey kid..."

"Kid, time to wake up!" A voice spoke and broke your restfulness. Something was on your shoulder, something fuzzy that was surprisingly heavy and bulky.

"Ugh..." You groan, sitting up and holding your head. The sound of birds chirping was a little louder than usual and was agitating. You slowly opened your eyes to look directly into the face of a big blue dog standing up on two legs. "AH!" You yelp and jump to your feet immediately resulting in a head rush. "Ah! Ooh..." Wincing, You hold your head while trying to focus on the dog at the same time. "Wha..?!" You gap in confusion, looking around. The world around you seemed much brighter, colors more vibrant. You were sitting against a tall and wide tree with crisp green leaves, colorful flowers all around. The grass wasn't as itchy as normal grass and you would go so far to say it was fluffy. To your right was a rock covered in colorful paintings of a tic-tac-toe table, a rainbow paw, and a single eye hidden in swirls of paint.

The big blue dog seems a little startled as well and withdraws his paw from your shoulder, eyes widening ever so slightly. "Uh...you ok, kid?"

"AH! A- a.. T-talking... dog!!!" You backed into the tree so fast that You hit your head on the trunk and let out another pained shriek. You rub your head pitifully, staring at the dog in shock. You can't be blamed for being surprised. After all, who wakes up expecting to come face to face with a big talking dog?

"Ah, a talking puppet!" He yelled back, mocking your surprise. Then, he laughed, arms wrapped around his stomach to steady himself. Ok, maybe your reaction was a little dumb. But... puppet? You weren't a puppet. You look down at your fleshy hands and sleepwear. You wiggled your arms to check for strings, but there was still nothing. Then, you stuck your tongue out, licking your lips to feel your saliva. Yup, definitely human.

"Where... Where am I?" You asked, looking up at the towering dog nervously.

After a moment, he chuckled, "You're in Welcome Home, kid, so... uh... welcome!"

"... Welcome... Home?" You breathed, looking up at the tall dog. Now You recognize him. This was Barnaby B. Beagle, the local jokester who happened to be a huge blue dog with different colored spots. But... How was he- this... fictional character- here? You stared at him and he simply smiled at you patiently. "I see..."

"Uh, what made you think sleeping under a tree would be such a good idea?"

"I... I don't remember falling asleep here.. In Welcome Home. To be honest with you, I'm not sure how I got here...sleeping under this..." You looked over at the tree before glancing back up at Barnaby. Everything felt so big, as if you'd shrunk in your sleep. "... under this tree..."

"Well, it happens to the best of us." Replied Barnaby, casually, with a shrug, a wink, and a grin. "Sometimes I fall asleep under trees and forget how I got there too."

Before you could respond, the big dog leaned over You to get a closer look at your face, one of his "fingers" poking your cheek lightly. "Say, I haven't seen you around here. Are you a new neighbor, kid?"

You thought about this for a moment. Obviously you shouldn't stay- you kinda had a life to take care of- but this was meant to be a children's cartoon, wasn't it? Perhaps it wouldn't hurt to play along with the whimsicalness of it all, especially if you might be staying here for a while. You wouldn't want to taint this beloved cartoon with reality.

"I... er- YES!" You spoke rather loudly, tone abrupt and rushed, holding up a finger in a very matter-of-fact way. "Yes, I am your new fellow neighbor, Bar- er- neighbor!"

You groan internally, plastering a fake smile on your face and folding your hands together. 'Please... he's going to realize it's an act, he's going to think I'm sus-'

"Oh, heh," Barnaby chuckled with a lazy grin on his face. He was watching a butterfly drift from flower to flower before he looked back at You. "I'm Barnaby B. Beagle, by the way. The B totally stands for best buddy." He winked, grinning at You. Perhaps that was meant to be a joke and you were supposed to laugh, but the punch line went over your head. He cleared his throat in an embarrassed way before continuing. "Since you're new, I suppose it's fine to assume you're homeless?" He paused before patting your head. "I mean that in the nicest way possible."

'Geez. He's certainly got... character...' You flinch a little when he pats your head, a little startled, but smile up at him. "No, it's fine, I guess... but yeah. I don't have a home here in.." You looked around the area, spotting houses in the distance. "Home..." Who even named their neighborhood "Home" anyways? You sigh and shake your head a little, going unnoticed by Barnaby, who was getting down on all fours.

"Well then, come on. My good pal can help us." Barnaby padded away, not looking to see if You were following. His footsteps were large and You were practically jogging next to him to keep up. Together, You and Barnaby walked towards the red house that was behind the tree You woke up by.

"Your good pal?" You repeated, breathlessly, but Barnaby didn't respond

When You were in front of the house, You realized this was "Home" from the Welcome Home website. Perhaps this town was named after him since he appeared to be in the middle of it all. Home appeared to have eyes in it's windows and they watched as You got closer, it's chimney puffing in a manner that almost appeared to be.. Excited? You wave nervously before scooting closer to Barnaby and whispering, "Is... Is that house alive?"

Barnaby looked over at you, briefly, with a patient smile. "Of course he's alive, kid, he's Home for crying out loud!" His tone suggested that it was perfectly normal for a house to be sentient.

"Now watch this. He always knows when I'm about to knock, it's so funny." Barnaby threw back his head and barked with laughter. He stood up on his hind legs.

"I... he who?" You looked at the big blue dog in confusion, your mind racing as You tried to remember the resident of Home. Also, wouldn't knocking on an animated house hurt it? You looked at Home's left eye, which was innocently watching You. You looked back at Barnaby who had raised his paw to knock on Home's smooth, yellow, wooden door. As soon as he did, the door opened and You remembered who lived here.

Wally Darling.

Chapter Text

❤Chapter Four❤

The man who came out wore a blue cardigan with yellow bordering and buttons, a white undershirt, and vertically striped rainbow pants. He also wore a red necktie and white-and-black dress shoes to accompany that. His eyes were half lidded in a relaxed manner, as if he hadn't a care in the world. This puppet lacked a nose and eyebrows on his yellow face. His most noticeable feature was his hair, which was a lovely shade of royal blue and was up in a big cinnamon roll swirl on top of his head. While he was pretty short, You were actually his size. Yup, You definitely shrunk when you came here. Your head pounded painfully at the thought.

Wally came out of Home, looking up at Barnaby saying, "You ready to get hot dogs at How-" but he stopped when he dropped his gaze a little and saw You. His eyes widened with surprise and his pupils shrank. His permanent smile dropped a bit, obviously shocked. "-dy's?"

"Aren't they neat?" Barnaby asked, patting your head. "I found 'em under a tree. That tree over there." He points. "I thought the whole situation was pretty shady..!" He laughed heartily at his own joke while Wally, who was still staring at You, joined in with Barnaby's laughter a few seconds later. His laughter was monotone and forced.

"Ha... ha... ha... very funny, Barnaby." Wally says, looking up at Barnaby, composing his face to become calm and relaxed. Looking back at You, Wally widened his smile, resuming his cool demeanor. "Hello.. new neighbor. My name is Wally. It's so nice to meet a new neighbor!"

You were a little caught off guard by Wally's random mood swings, but You simply smiled. You got it into your head that You had to pretend to be a part of this act as well. "Nice to meet you, Wally!" You looked over at Barnaby, a little anxiously.

"Anyway... why did we come over here? Ah, right. Hot dogs!" Barnaby spoke in a cheerful tone as he got back onto all fours. "Our new neighbor can join us, right Wally? What'dya say, kid?"

"It'll be nice to have a new neighbor to spend time with." Wally's voice was soft and slow. To hang out with." Wally chimed in with his slow, monotone voice.

'But what about my house? Where am I gonna live? Under that tree?' Your thoughts were annoyed and You narrowed your eyes at Barnaby, as if it were his fault You were in the predicament anyways. "Alright, but-"

"Cool! Let's go!" Barnaby interrupted, padding down the road. You stare in confusion and look over your shoulder at Wally. Wally blew a kiss to Home and waved bye bye.

"Bye bye, Home. Be back to visit you again soon." He said, speaking in a slow and affectionate tone. You raised an eyebrow. 'Visit? Doesn't he live there?' Wally looked directly at You with that terrifying intensity, and You whirl around and scramble to catch up with Barnaby.

"So, where are we going?" You ask, looking over at the colorful dog.

"To Howdy's Place, of course." Wally, who walked alongside Barnaby at a slow pace- and was miraculously able to keep up- responded, startling you once more. You nodded at him slowly before looking away awkwardly, face red and slightly wet with sweat.

Together, You, Barnaby, and Wally entered the shop. Inside was.. everything! From produce to pantry food and art supplies to books, this place seemed to have it all! Barnaby and Wally headed for the cashier counter towards a tall green man with- with four arms?! Your eyes widened and You clung onto the first person's arm You could reach. Unfortunately, that happened to be Wally. Wally's eyes widened in surprise at this contact, but he simply smiled at You. "Don't be afraid, neighbor." He whispered, tone cool and soothing, and he patted your hand in a comforting manner. "That's just Howdy. He's a caterpillar." You let go of Wally awkwardly, mumbling a soft "sorry", to which Wally responded with a closed eyes smile. "Don't worry about it, neighbor, I completely understand."

Wally put a single rectangular piece of paper on the counter and looked at Howdy with an expecting smile. You scooted a little closer and tiptoed to see the paper. It was covered in stickers of smiley faces, flowers, rainbows and apples along with words painted in a vibrant red "Wally Buck". You snorted. He created his own money? Surely he must know that stores required actual currency, not just money you created during arts and crafts-

"Ah, I see! One hot dog coming up!" Howdy laughed, one of his hands grabbing the Wally Buck while another grabbed a hot dog from underneath the counter? You weren't sure if You should be shocked by the Wally Bucks or the fact Howdy just pulled a hot dog out from under the cashier counter. You felt Wally's eyes on You as You watched Howdy. "And what about you, Barnaby?" You noticed his voice had a high pitched twinge of excitement.

"Hmm... well... What did the ocean say to the pirate?" Barnaby asked, leaning on his elbow on the counter with a smirk. Howdy hummed as he grabbed another hot dog and heated them both up. Then, he added an impossible amount of toppings to both of them making your eyes bulge. There was whipped cream, mustard, cheese, and even glitter. Was glitter even edible?!

"Ah... let's see...." After a moment, Howdy chuckled, glancing up at Barnaby. "Golly, I'm not sure Barnaby. What did the ocean say?" Barnaby's grin grew wider as he held back laughter.

"Nothing! He just waved!" Barnaby and Howdy simply burst out laughing, as if this was the funniest thing they'd ever heard. Wally laughed too, although You were pretty sure he was just saying "Ha. Ha. Ha. Ha." over and over.

Howdy wiped away a tear of joy before chuckling to himself and handing the hot dogs to Barnaby and Wally. Barnaby started eating his immediately, while Wally just smiled to himself in a content manner, holding the hot dog in one hand. His eyes were still on You. How unnerving. "And what about you, new neighbor?" Howdy asked, peering down at You.

"Yeah... a plain hot dog, please..." You looked over at Barnaby and Wally. Barnaby gave You a big thumbs up before licking more whipped cream and mumbling something to Wally. Wally then patted himself with his free hand, upturning his pockets. He shrugged at You, before giving an encouraging wink. Looked like you'd be paying on your own. Turning back to Howdy You said, "Um... hm." You looked over at Barnaby before turning to Howdy with a smile. "These kids in my kindergarten class laughed at my crayon drawing..."

Howdy's eyes widened and he walked around the counter to give You a big four armed hug. You felt bad about the punchline now.

"So I laughed at their chalk drawing. Ba da TSH!" You mimicked the sound of comical drums and grinned, looking around for reactions.

Barnaby looked confused but Howdy simply replied with a, "Oh no! It's not nice to bully people, even if they bullied you first! All issues like these can be solved with a little bit of love!" Howdy wrapped his arms around You and hugged You. Barnaby, despite his sticky mitts, joined as well. You saw Wally watching you, still holding the hot dog. He glanced at the hot dog briefly, putting it down, carefully, on the counter and approaching the hug. As soon as he did, Barnaby and Howdy swooped him into the hug, making Wally squish next to You and go limp. You laugh. They didn't get that your joke was just a joke, but it was nice to feel so loved. After a moment more of being sandwiched with a limp Wally by Barnaby and Howdy, you spoke.

"So... Can I have a hot dog now?"

Chapter Text

🧡Chapter Five🧡

The three of You walked out of Howdy's, waving and thanking him for the hot dogs. You squint your eyes as the sunlight and bright colors practically blinded You. Lime green grass ran along the beige road, surrounded by multicolored flowers in all sorts of shades of red, blue, and yellow. Barnaby and Wally lead You down the path towards a blue doghouse with colorful spots. Using your most intelligent brain cells, You decided that it was safe to assume that this was Barnaby's house.

Taking a bite of your hot dog with your toppings of choice, You look over at Barnaby and Wally who are both walking on your right. Barnaby was walking up right in order to carry his hot dog and eat it and Wally was simply holding the hot dog in his right hand, not giving it a second glance. Their hot dogs consisted of the same unusual condiments of whipped cream, mustard, cheese and pink glitter. You also noticed that Barnaby didn't have teeth to chomp up his food. He simply closed his mouth around a portion of the hot dog and- poof! It was gone!

"What did you think of Howdy, neighbor?" That monotone and friendly voice asked beside You. You looked over at Wally, who was watching You very closely. You cracked a smile.

"He was very nice and... uh..." You lower your voice a little. "Was he a caterpillar?"

"Yeah, he sure was!" Barnaby laughed a belly rolling laugh. "Frank's pretty sour that he hasn't turned into a butterfly yet! He's been tryin' to inform him how ta make a cocoon for the longest time.

"Frank? Who's he?" You ask, still having a really hard time remembering the character roaster. You took a bite of your hot dog, thoughtfully.

"Don't worry about it. You'll be sure to meet him later, neighbor, won't You?" Wally asked, tilting his head and widening his smile. If he was trying to ask an innocent, but he failed miserably and came off as more sinister. How unnerving. You couldn't help but scoot further left, away from the two puppets.

"Hey, you gonna finish that?" Barnaby asked, pointing to Wally's cold hot dog and popping in the last of his own hot dog into his mouth. Wally smiled, shook his head, and held it up to Barnaby, who took it with a grin.

Wally pointed at the hot dog. "Are you going to finish that?" He repeated, then laughed with Barnaby at some inside joke between them. His laughter caught You off guard. It sounded... genuine? Not like those hollow "Ha. Ha. Ha. Ha"'s he normally responded with. Sure, he still laughed with "Ha. Ha. Ha. Ha"'s, but these were more musical and soothing, like a big comforting hug.

'Makes sense, since he was a character for a children's show.' You thought before realizing you were staring at Wally after he made eye contact with You, gazing back at You with that cheeky and smug smile of his.

"Are you ok, neighbor?" He asked, making Barnaby look over at you as well. You had finally arrived at Barnaby's house and were now standing

"Ah- yeah, I'm fine!" You laugh, before biting your hot dog, chewing and swallowing it. You then licked hot dog crumbs off your lips, absentmindedly. Barnaby was looking at you, mouth gaping in shock.

"Er... Kid? There was this pink thing that came out of yer mouth. Wus that yer... tongue?" He asked, eyes wide. Ah. Right. Puppets didn't have tongues.

'Then how are they eating? Can they even taste their food?' You wondered, but decided not to question anything anymore. You had to pretend You were a new puppet apart from their cast. You couldn't explain why You felt You had to cooperate with this urge, but You did. "Oh! It's a... special feature I have and-" You spluttered, trying to come up with a good excuse, when Wally, who looked unfazed by this whole experience, interrupted.

"Ah, that reminds me!" He clapped his hands together, his dopey smile widening. "You needed a home, didn't you, neighbor?" Wally looked over at You, shoulder lifted slightly so he could rest his head on it. You felt relieved for Wally's distraction and smiled back at him gratefully, although you doubted he knew what he just did. Wally seemed like the kind of person to be oblivious to pretty much everything. Wally's eyes narrowed at you a bit.

"Ooo, that's 'ight!" Barnaby took a huge bite of his hot dog nodding at Wally. Once he finished with that mouthful, he spoke once more. "I almos' forgot."

"Yeah, I do. But a house could take a while to build, right? So I should probably sleep in someone's house." You peaked up at Barnaby hoping he'd offer, but he didn't. Instead, Wally spoke up.

"Ha! Ha! Ha! Nonsense! Neighbor, your house will be ready as soon as tomorrow! As for your current sleeping arrangements... hmm..." Wally tapped his chin, looking to the side as if he was thinking, but it was clear he'd already made up his mind about his intentions. "You can sleep with me in Home." He looked into your eyes, smiling.

"Heh, have a fun sleepover!" Barnaby said aloud, grinning, before leaning down and whispering. "I hope you can per-hair to survive the mornin' with all of Wall's hair product fuses." He laughed at his own joke, straightening.

"Hey." Wally crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes at Barnaby. "I don't use that much."

"Kid, I don't mean ta be rude, but it's truly a miracle those hair products haven't killed ya yet." Barnaby pat Wally's shoulder in a friendly manner. "You use at least five bottles a day."

You laugh at this, laughing at the offending expression Wally wore.

"Alright, ya party kids. It's gettin' late and I need ta sleep. Good night!" Barnaby said before going into his house. Getting late? But it was just- oh. You looked at the darkening sky. Had the day really gone by that fast?

"Well then," Wally turned to You, his big black eyes staring into your own as he broadened his smile. "Are you ready to head Home, neighbor?"

Chapter Text

🧡Chapter Six🧡

After saying bye, Wally took your hand, smiling widely. He led You down the path, wordlessly, down to Home. You feel him tighten his grip on your hand and wince involuntarily, jumping a little. Wally waved at his neighbor to the left, a big red chicken who was peeking through her green and white striped curtains from her big red barn. She waved back, awkwardly, before shutting the curtains together, tightly.

"Hello Home. I'm back!" Wally released your hand and went to the door as it opened with a happy creak. He hugged the door frame, lovingly, and the door squeezed him as if it was hugging him back. You chuckled softly, smiling at this affection between resident and house. How unusual must it be to receive a hug from your house.

You waited patiently, looking around at other houses to give them privacy. You could see Howdy's Place, Barnaby's house, from where you stood, along with an extra building with a sign suggesting it was a mail office.

From the corner of your eye, You saw Wally watching you, waiting for you to follow him inside. You take a moment more to look at the mail office before meeting Wally's gaze and following him in.

Wally shut the door behind You, leaned on the door, and let out a puff of air, deflating a little. He looked at You, face covered in shadows. "You're one of them, aren't ya? You're not a new neighbor."

"Ha ha, Wally, what are you tal-"

"Silly, silly! Do not treat me like I'm stupid! I know what You are." His voice was slow and threatening. "You're a human viewer. I recognize you." He tilted his head down a little so his permanent smile seemed more sinister. "I was wondering who could be so curious about us. Where do you come from, stranger?"

You couldn't answer. You didn't want to. You weren't sure if Wally was out to help You... or harm You. You stared into his dark eyes for a moment before lowering your gaze, awkwardly."Fine, don't talk," Wally got off the door and walked away towards a door behind You. "but you have to prove your worth to me, neighbor, if you want to stay here comfortably." He was about to leave when he paused, remembering something, and turned back to You. "I have an apple for you in the cupboard. But don't take anything from the fridge: that's for tomorrow. Barnaby is coming over with Frank and Julie to bake." Wally began to head off to bed, but You spoke up with a whisper.

"... This can't be real..."

"Why not?" He asked, turning back around and tilting his head to the side

"You're fictional fiction!" You spat out, on edge, pointing at him.

"It doesn't matter if we aren't real. It's real to them." You followed his gaze to look at a picture on the wall. It was Wally, surrounded by Barnaby and Howdy, along with a grey puppet, a pink puppet, a star puppet, and the red chicken Wally waved to earlier, all in front of Home. They all wore happy smiles, except the grey one who seemed like he couldn't physically smile, hugging each other and posing playfully. "And I'm going to keep it that way..." Wally spoke, voice monotone, yet full of emotion. He looked over at You, eyes burning into your, which were still looking at the picture. "My friends don't deserve to be introduced to reality. Not quite yet. Your instinct to play your part is right, my dear."

You slump down against the wall as soon as he leaves, exhaling. No. Now was not the time to have a mental breakdown. Let's save that for another chapter, shall we? Standing up, You go to the cupboard to find a single apple waiting for You, expectantly. It was perfectly preserved, bright red and crisp. You took the apple, bit into it and listened to the nice crunch it made as you did.

You walked around Home, judging the mess while eating the apple. There were paint stains everywhere, a broken vase by the kitchen counter, and You spotted some rotting apples on a pedestal in the living room. There was a red phone next to a worn in arm chair that Perhaps one day you would help him clean this up, but your whole body suddenly felt as if there was a tremendously heavy weight You down. It took all your strength to drag yourself to the couch. Your eyelids drooped as You collapsed on the couch, out like a light.

Chapter Text

🧡Chapter Six🧡

It felt as if you’d closed your eyes only to wake up moments later in the morning. You felt groggy. A sharp, cool breeze tickled You and strong fumes made You sit up coughing. What in the world was going on? Waving your hand near your nose, to clear the fumes of course, You walked towards the room Wally had disappeared into last night. There were two doors and the door on your left was open. Wally sat there, fixing his makeup with his hair already perfected. On his desk were various hair products and- was that glitter glue? His hair seemed extra sparkly today. He noticed You immediately.

“Good morning, stranger. I’m sorry, did my fumes wake you?” He asked, innocently, smiling dopeily. You crossed your arms, not responding because you felt he already knew the answer.

Wally stood up and walked to you, looking cool and relaxed. “You need new clothes, stranger. I mean that in the nicest way possible. Let us go and buy clothes before Barnaby gets here with Julie and Frank.” He blew You a kiss, catching You off guard, and walked across the hall to the other room- presumably his bedroom- and shut the door behind him. You looked down at your clothes. They weren’t that bad. A little worn but- wait… there was a huge mud stain on your back and rear. You exhale harshly.

Wally comes back out, dressed in a new outfit today. His shirt had a vertically striped rainbow pattern and khaki pants held up by a brown belt. He still wore his signature red ascot along with his white-and-black dress shoes. He fluffed out the sleeves of his shirt before smiling sweetly. “Let’s go, stranger.” How could such a cute puppet have such a cruel and menacing undertone? Wally walked out of Home, hugging and blowing it a kiss as he did, and looked over at you to make sure you were still following. He turned and walked down the road towards Howdy’s Place, almost in a rushed manner that did not suit him well. You followed him quickly, only catching up with him when he stopped to open the door for You. His dark eyes stared at you, that smug smile cool and collected.

You walk in and Wally went to talk with Howdy, seemingly not interested in helping You choose out clothes. Looking around, You spotted a sign pointing in different directions: “Produce”, “Pantry”, “Apples”, and “Clothes”. You narrowed your eyes at the “Apples” sign. Did people here really like apples so much that they separated it from the other produce? You giggled to yourself before turning and following the “Clothes” sign. All of the clothes were brightly colored and kidcore style. You tried on some clothes your size and chose out your favorites.

Heading to the front checkout, noticing that Wally was gone. Did he really just abandon You in the store? You huffed angrily before smiling at Howdy as You approached him. “Good morning, Howdy!”

Howdy smiled back, before looking around hastily, looking a little worried. Then, he beckoned you close, whispering, “If you need anything- anything at all- do not hesitate to come to me. Do you understand?” Howdy asked, looking as scary as Wally was when he was serious. But… with more care. You nodded a little taken aback. All you wanted to do was buy your clothes.

“I- um- ok…” You mutter and Howdy smiles widely before scanning your new clothes, humming a sweet little tune to himself. You feel a chilly sweat drip down the side of your face. ‘Why did that feel ominous? And scary?’ Oh! You remembered. This was supposed to be similar to a horror ARG… there was bound to be some creepy stuff, right? You take a deep breath as Howdy hands back all your clothes. “Thank you Howd- ah!” You fell onto the follow, face first, landing painfully. Apparently, several outfits was too much for You to hold by yourself…

Howdy laughed lightly. “Careful.” His tone was playful as if you didn’t just fall down and potentially injure yourself.

“Oh dear, here, let me help you, neighbor!” Wally appeared at your side and picked up some of your clothes. You were surprised to look up and see that he had an apple in his mouth that didn’t seem to affect his speech at all. He spoke perfectly normally, in his slow, dazed voice. Wally gave you a closed eye smile to the best of his ability, before waddling out, still struggling to hold it all up. You snickered before picking up the rest of your clothes and following him quickly.

You didn’t even notice the dark and worried expression on Howdy’s fa-

“Neighbor.” Wally addressed You as soon as You were both outside of Howdy’s Place in the sunshine. “You need a place to put all these clothes. Don’t worry, though! I’ve gotten a house all ready for you, neighbor! It was built last night. This way, neighbor.” Wally turned and hobbled down the street, still struggling to hold the clothes properly.

You followed him, giggling to yourself, and stopped when he stopped at the bottom of a hill.. Several new neighbors, including Barnaby, were huddled around a house that was behind Howdy’s Place. It was just a little farther, towards the forest, separated up on a hill… but there it was. Your new house in all its colorful and splendid glory that was so vibrant that You found it rather difficult to rip your eyes away from it. You felt Wally brush your arm.

“Welcome Home, neighbor.”

Chapter Text

🧡Chapter Seven🧡

You walk up to your new house, look at it in utter awe. How was it built so quickly? Wally wasn’t lying when he said he’d have it “as soon as tomorrow”.

The path leading to the house went from the normal pale yellow to a warm rocky beige, filled with different colored and shaped rocks. The path was surrounded by rather big blue flowers and, to your left, there was a big apple tree with a purple truck, orange leaves, and vibrant red apples.

The house itself was a yellow rectangular prism, a square shape in the front, but you could see it was longer when viewed at side angles. It was adorned with different shapes- a circle, a diamond, a triangle, an octagon- for windows that were beside a small blue door your size. The blue door had a circular window with four purple floor petals adorning its sides. There was an upside down rainbow heart that hung out, providing a little bit of shade and shelter at the front door. The roof was a red dome, topped with cream cheese colored clouds that stacked on top of each other to create a platform. You could see a navy colored telescope was already there.

You only realized You were gaping when Wally spoke up, softly. “Neighbor, don’t keep your mouth open like that, it’s rude. Also a butterfly could get caught in your mouth, like it did with Julie a few weeks ago.”

You blushed and closed your mouth harshly, embarrassed. But… did he just say a butterfly had gotten caught in someone’s mouth a few weeks ago? You didn’t even know there were butterflies here!

“I… I don’t know what to say…”

“Maybe we don’t have to say anything. Maybe, instead, we can go inside and put your clothes up, right, neighbor? Ha. Ha. Ha.” You looked over at Wally and burst out laughing. Wally was obscured by your clothes, practically a walking, talking lump of clothes.

“Alright!” You twisted the doorknob and swung open the door, immediately being hit with the warm scent of cinnamon and apple. Directly to your left were dark grey L shaped couches with colorful blankets and pillows adorning it. A furnished stump coffee table was in the center of the room, along with an apple pie on top and a colorful mug with Home on it sitting on a coaster. There also was a grey, yellow, and blue patchwork wing chair placed next to a wooden block side table with an old fashioned yellow telephone. Above the living room was a loft where you spotted a bed.

“I painted all the paintings myself, neighbor. Do you like them?” Wally asked, watching You so intensely, that he almost put your clothes down on the apple pie instead of the table. You looked at the walls. The walls were white but decorated in different artworks: a painting of a single Red Delicious apple, an abstract painting of a butterfly garden, a landscape painting of Home, and a portrait of You… sleeping? You shuddered a little. Wally must’ve painted that one while you were asleep.

“How.. nice… you really paid attention to detail!” You laughed awkwardly, before averting your eyes to the wooden floor, then up to look over at the kitchen. It was white and clean, an island in the middle of it with marble countertops and three cushioned bar chairs on the side. In the cupboards were plates, glasses, pans, cooking utensils, coffee mugs, and a jar of honey. The fridge was filled with different fruits, veggies, and juices. Next to it, there was a small pantry, which contained jars of flour, sugar, spices, and a loaf of bread.

Wally came to the doorway and smiled at You as he watched You. "You should try the pie that Poppy made for You. She worked really hard on it.”

“Oh, what flavor is it?” You asked, but immediately knew from the smell that it was apple cinnamon. “Mmm..”

“... Pie flavored.” Wally’s eyes widened at You as if it was obvious.

“I think it’s actually apple pie…”

Wally laughed. “Ha! Ha! Ha! Silly neighbor! There’s no apple in this pie. Do you see the apple? I didn’t think so.” Wally looked down at the pie, squinting at it suspiciously.

“I- alright.” You shrugged and picked up the apple pie, putting it on the kitchen counter. “I’ll eat it later. Tell Poppy that I’m grateful!” You heard a knock on your front door and realized You left the door open. You whirled around to see a salmon skinned puppet with big honey-blonde hair, held back by a white headband, and two small orange and yellow striped horns. She wore a light red dress with puffed sleeves and a white collar that had a golden bow attached to it. There was a white belt secured around her waist with a circular golden buckle. Underneath that were stockings with a blue-green gradient along with white Mary Jane shoes that had a golden buckle.

“Ooo!” The puppet wore a huge smile and her eyes were bright and curious as she looked around. Her four fingered hands were on her cheeks as she started around in awe. Once she noticed You, she skipped to You and shook your hand aggressively. “HI NEW NEIGHBOR!” She squealed, beaming. “I’m Julie, Julie Joyful, it’s so nice to meet you!” She whispered loudly, in a comical manner. “I’ve heard all about you from Howdy and Barnaby!”

Another puppet stepped in, wearing a prominent frown. He was tube shaped with grey skin and hair that was such a dark shade of blue that it could’ve been mistaken for black. He had a long, yellow nose, a thick unibrow, and red blush circles on his cheeks. The puppet wore a multicolored, gingham vest with dark blue lapels and red buttons, over a fluffy white long-sleeve button-up shirt, topped with a yellow, butterfly-shaped bowtie, tight-fitting dark blue pants, pink socks, and dark blue loafers. He also carried a red book with a green, orange, and blue butterfly on its cover and spine.

“Frank!” Julie cried and let go of your hand to greet the frowning, tube shaped puppet.. "Have you met our new neighbor? I know you've heard of them but have you MET THEM!? And look at their house, it's SO COOL!" Julie squealed and twirled around, excitedly.

Frank sniffed and spoke in a cultivated but nasally voice. “Yes… I see.”

"Julie, Frank! Hello friends! It seems to be my lucky day today." Wally spoke in a happy tone as he came in between You and Frank, placing his hands on your shoulders. "This is my neighbor. Our new neighbor." He corrected himself, smiling widely.

“OOH! THAT REMINDS ME WHY WE CAME OVER HERE!” Julie interrupted, clapped her hands together, gasping. “Me and Frank and some of our other neighbors are gonna have a picnic tonight! We’re going to go ‘star watching’!” She said, matter of factly, with a wide open-mouthed smile. “It’d be so amazing if you two could come!”

“Oh.. I don't know. Our neighbor has a lot to do, right, neighbor?" Wally looked over at You. You blushed and turned away, thinking to yourself. You really didn't want to disappoint her, but You also didn't want to get on Wally's bad side…

“I’d love to go, it’ll be good to spend time with new neighbors!” You spoke up before Wally could say anything else and immediately regretted it, feeling Wally’s glare burning into your head.

Julie squealed happily as she hugged You tightly. "Hurray!” She sang, “I can't wait for tonight!” She, then, sprinted out of your house, followed by Frank, who’d been trying to identify all the butterflies in the butterfly garden picture.

As soon as they walked out, closing the door behind them, Wally put a hand on your shoulder and stared into your eyes. It felt like he was staring into your very soul. He leaned closer and whispered, still making eye contact, “You better not cause any trouble, neighbor. As the… leader of this neighborhood, I’m allowed a little pest control every now and then. It would be a shame if such a lovely house went to waste on a pest. Do not be a pest, neighbor.” He, then, released You, making You stumble, and widened his smile. “Have a good time, neighbor. Call me if you need assistance!” And with that, he walked out of the house, shutting the door quietly behind him.

Chapter Text

🧡Chapter Eight🧡

You spent the afternoon sorting through your clothes and getting accustomed to your new house. The strange clock above the front door chimed and you saw that the night sky was starting to appear outside.

You threw on one of your new outfits and stopped by the mirror to check yourself. You wore a simple white t-shirt with a red apple design and a light purple plaid sweater with oversized sleeves on top. Your shorts were two different colors, one side blue with darker blue stripes and a rainbow patch while the other side was orange with a yellow smiley face both shorts ending with white bordering and starting with red bordering. Your socks were stripped neon green and yellow and your shoes were red sneakers with yellow tongues.

Frowning a little, You pat your hair. This outfit wasn’t too bad. You hurry downstairs and swing open the front door before realizing you didn’t have a key. Come to think of it, Wally never presented You one. It was hard to imagine anyone sneaking into your house to steal stuff or anything, but it was still better to be safe than sorry. But oh well.
You hurried out, not wanting to be late. In your excitement to defy Wally, you'd been stupid and completely forgot to ask where they were going. You stood on your front porch, awkwardly, until You spotted Howdy walking down the road.

You bolted down the hill, almost tripping downhill, hurrying to Howdy. “Howdy! Wait- Howdy!” You called out, making the green caterpillar stop and look over at You. He smiled as You halted to a stop, huffing and puffing, struggling to catch your breath.

“Oh, hello neighbor! Were You invited by Julie to go “star-watching”?” Howdy asked, chuckling with a huge smile. "And are you alright? You're.. making a very loud 'puff puff' noise..." But before You could catch your breath and respond-

“Hello neighbors.” A soothing and painfully familiar voice spoke up and your stomach pricked with anxiety. It was Wally, who’d appeared out of nowhere, walking up to Howdy and You, casually. He wore a red jacket with a bright blue necktie, opposite colors of his normal outfit, with navy blue pants and was carrying a red book rather closely. “You wouldn’t mind if I walked with you, right?” Wally looked at You hopefully before giving the same look to Howdy. With a soft, nervous chuckle, Howdy nodded. Wally looked pleased and walked in between You and Howdy, smiling.

"Anyways, that 'puff puff' noise you're making, neighbor..” Howdy turned his focus back to You, looking concerned.

“I- what?” You huffed, breathing slowing down. “Oh, I was just.. out of breath.. Because I ran down the hill.." And then You remembered. They were puppets, not humans. They didn't need to breathe. They just existed. You inhale sharply. "I mean, it's a special ability I have. Puffing out air and sucking up air. Don't worry about it!" You laugh, waving a hand cheerfully.

“Huh…” Howdy looked a little suspicious, but his attention was drawn by someone yelling.

"HIYA NEIGHBORS! Ooo, HIYA new neighbor!!!" Julie ran out from around a day and night themed house, waving frantically. "Over here!" You rushed over to Julie, to get as far away from Wally as possible, and Julie greeted you with a hug. "Are you ready?! Sit, sit! I saved a seat for you next to me!” Julie grabbed your hand and dragged you to a seat, sitting you down with a bright beaming smile on her face. You were confused. There were several colorful blankets down on the fluffy grass and You saw Barnaby and Frank were already seated and facing a medium sized stage with red velvet curtains. Barnaby was sitting against a tree in a comfortable manner while Frank sat with You and Julie, reading a book and not acknowledging anyone. You spotted Wally sitting down next to Barnaby, smiling and greeting him, while placing the book he had to the side, while Howdy sat a little further back, pulling a picnic basket out and setting out some treats to share. You looked back at the stage, a little confused. Were You going to go star-watching with your neighbors?

Then, the curtains parted to reveal a star puppet with a circular head ringed with yellow and orange rays. She wore a long-sleeve shirt patterned with red, orange, yellow, green, and blue checks, and white cuffs with a blue overall dress with three pockets on top. The pocket in the center was red, and had a rainbow on it, whereas the pocket on her left side was orange, and the one on her right was yellow. She had a flower on the overall button on her right side, and a cloud on the left-side button. She wore bell-bottomed blue pants, and red sneakers with yellow laces and a white toe box.
“Hello friends! It’s me, Sally Starlet, presenting to you another play written by yours truly! This one is called the Knight, the Dragon, and the Poet!!!”

Ah, so this was “star-watching”.

"I'm going to need two volunteers to play two of the main roles of the knight and dragon because I will be playing the poet as well as all the other more minor characters. Volunteers?" Sally asked, beaming brightly, which made sense because she's a star.

"OOO! Can I be the poet?" Julie asked, waving her hand in the air aggressively.

Sally narrowed her eyes at her. " Absolutely not. I'm the poet."

"OOO! Then can our new neighbor be the knight?"

"New nei-" Sally seemed to finally notice you and her smile fell a little. You could practically see the wheels in her head turning as she processed this new information. Then, she grinned. "Yes, you will be perfect!"

"Wait, don't I get a say in this?" You asked nervously as Julie tugged You to your feet, holding both of your hands.

Julie frowned a little and looked at You. "Oh... I'm sorry... Do you want to? It's alright if you don't..." She looked and sounded like she might cry and You felt Wally glaring at You.

You shivered, before laughing awkwardly. "Of course I do! That was a joke!"

Julie perked up again, smiling. "You had me fooled, new neighbor!" She laughed before leading You to the stage.

"Now... for our dragon..." Sally muttered, looking at the other neighbors.

"I volunteer my little buddy 'ere!" Barnaby spoke up, picking a surprised Wally over his head in a way that reminded You of the Lion King. "He'll be a great dragon!"

"Oh, I was looking for someone bigger." Sally spoke in a blunt tone, narrowing her eyes at the risen Wally. "Like Howdy or Barnaby... BUT OK!" She chirped, clapping her hands together. "Come on up here, Wally!... ya lil' show stealing midget..." She half muttered to herself as Barnaby carried Wally, still in Lion King fashion, to the stage, placing him down gently next to You. Wally still looked a bit frazzled and You couldn't help but laugh at the look of confusion and betrayal on his face.

"Alright, I need to talk with my actors! I'm sure we'll get down this little script within, um, say an hour? Ok, bye bye!" And with that, Sally pushed You and Wally backstage.

Chapter Text

💛Chapter Nine💛

“Ok, listen up!” Sally commanded as soon as she’d shoved You and Wally backstage. “The play is set in medieval times. I am the poet which basically means I’m the narrator.” She whirled around and pointed at You in the most dramatic way possible.

“You are the knight, new neighbor, so you’re our hero- ya know, our protagonist! You have to save me, the princess, from the dragon- that’s Wally, our antagonist- because he’s going to eat me if you don’t! However, the big plot twist is that the knight beats the dragon with the power of love and they kiss at the end.”

“Mhm…” You mumble, having spaced out in the middle of Sally’s explanation. You thought about what Sally said. You were the knight and Wally was the dragon. Wally kidnapped Sally- who was playing the role of both the princess and the poet/narrator- and You were on a quest to get her back. And the big plot twist was to defeat the dragon by kissing him because You used the power of l- wait. Kiss? You had to KISS Wally? The puppet man who was possibly trying to off you?! “Wait… what?…” Wally, on the other hand, looked more surprised than when Barnaby volunteered him as the dragon, if that was even possible.

“But Sally… We talked about this.” Wally spoke softly, keeping his voice as neutral as possible. “You can’t make our neighbors kiss each other if they don’t want to.”

Sally huffed. “But it’s so easy! Here, I’ll demonstrate what you have to do.”

She cleared her throat and composed herself before taking one of your hands and staring into your eyes passionately. “I’m sorry, my beloved knight, for you have revealed to me the errors of my ways! And now I shall hate no longer!” She paused, closed her eyes, dipping her head, before she gazed back up at you. “Instead…” Sally cupped your face and brought You close to her.

You felt your face burn as Sally spoke, her passion and confidence intimidating. As she leaned in, your eyes widened and you felt unable to move due to your own shock. Your lips pressed together firmly, the corners of your mouth twitching, and You felt that familiar sensation of eyes staring into You, intensely. “Instead I shall love.” And with that, Sally leaned forward to kiss You, but was interrupted by Wally, who’d managed to pull You away.

“No kissing the new neighbor.” Wally’s voice was firm as he held You tightly and close. You still felt surprised. How did You get yourself into this situation? Wally’s grip on You was surprisingly strong and You felt him shake against You. You peaked up at his face, examining that blank smile. It was hard to tell what he was thinking when he used the same monotone voice and same expression for every emotion.

Sally groaned and face palmed, picking up the script and looking over it. “But it’s crucial to the story! Otherwise how will the romance be clear? With a hug?” She lowered her voice, tone soft, serious, and pleading, eyes big and sparkly. “Please, Wally, this play means a lot to me. I need to have the knight kiss the dragon.”

“…” Wally considered Sally for a moment, staring into her eyes with a blank stare. Sally looked away, back down at her script, but Wally continued to stare as he thought. Surely he couldn’t be considering letting Sally keep the script as it was? Didn’t he realize that would just make things move awkward for everyone? You slumped a little before realizing that you’d gotten quite cozy in Wally’s arms. When was the last time you’d been held like this? He held You with such care and had a cozy warmth that made You want to cuddle him and fall asleep. Even though You knew he was hiding something and your brain and guts screamed that he was dangerous… your heart found comfort in him. How odd. You sigh, closing your eyes. “.. Fine, if it will keep you happy, Sally.”

Way to ruin the moment, Wally.

“WHAT?!” You exclaim as you wiggled away from Wally, looking at him with a bewildered expression. You felt your cheeks heat up as you spoke. “You’re alright with this?!”

“It means a lot to Sally, so we have to comply. I’m sorry if this makes you uncomfortable, neighbor.” Wally added, looking at You with random intensity.

“Yes! It does make me uncomfortable! I didn’t even want to be here!” Perhaps some of your emotions regarding Wally and the whole “being trapped in another world” thing was slipping through, but You felt strangely tense.

Wally’s expression darkened and his pupils shrank a little, sending chills down your spine. You stepped away, keeping his gaze and furrowing your brow. Perhaps You stepped over the line with that little comment.

Sally seemed oblivious to all of this and she wasn’t looking at You and Wally at all.

She slammed the script packets down, aggressively, making You jump and Wally look over at Sally with his tired smile. “Fine. I’m going to workshop this.” She snapped her head up to look at You and Wally, pointing at you both. “But! I expect to see you both two evenings from now to rehearse my new play. Understood?” Sally didn’t wait for an answer and swirled around, back through the curtain. You could hear her explaining the situation to everyone.

“At least we’ll have more time to practice. I have to admit, neighbor, I was nervous about performing before I was ready.” Wally spoke casually, head tilted to the side as he addressed You, as if he hadn’t just agreed to kiss You for the sake of Sally’s happiness. You scowled at him and followed Sally, ignoring Wally’s watchful gaze.

“… so instead, I’m gonna share with you all some of my most recent poems!” Sally exclaimed, cheerfully, waving four pages in the air before grabbing a microphone.

You sat down next to Julie with a sigh and saw Wally sitting down by Barnaby in the corner of your eye.

Wally didn’t make sense to You. Why was he so keen that You pretend that everything was all fine and jolly? Why did he give You a house after threatening You? … Why was he always there?

You were going to get to the bottom of this mystery if it was the last thing You did.

Chapter Text

💛Chapter Ten💛

You woke up in your new house to the sound of angry saturating showers beating against your roof. Thunder crackled in the distance and a flash of lightning followed soon after. You could hear the whoosh of wind hammering against the house, making getting out of bed a must less desirable goal. Groaning, You rolled over in bed and hid underneath your bed sheets, curling yourself up even more. It felt warm and safe, all wrapped up under the covers, and you felt you could momentarily forget your problems. Nothing else mattered except- growl.

Ah yes. You haven’t eaten in a while. When was the last time you’d eaten? Wally’s Home? The last time you’d eaten a full meal had been Sadie’s sleepover, You were sure. The thought of reality sickened You, the thought of all the people and responsibilities you’d left behind… so You- quite literally- rolled out of bed and landed with a thump.

You sat there, trying to untangle yourself from the covers for a moment, before getting to your feet. You spotted yourself in the mirror, with a bedhead and the same clothes from yesterday. Drool dripped from the corner of your mouth and you self-consciously wiped it away with your sleep before trudging downstairs.

Wally had stocked up your kitchen well with all sorts of ingredients, but You weren’t in the mood to cook. Instead, You pulled out the pie given to You by Wally and made by Poppy, whoever that was.

“Thanks Poppy.” You mumble under your breath as You cut a slice and put it on a plate. You take the plate and sit down on the couch, sprawled out shamelessly, and begin to eat. The rain was soothing to listen to in your first few moments to think. Can You believe that just two days ago when You woke up in a land filled with animated puppets and living houses? Or that You had only just met the unpredictable Wally? You felt like you’d known them for two weeks at the most and yet it had only been two days. You sigh and look out the window.

The colors of Home had toned down a bit, greyed by the rain, and looked gloomier than before. Perhaps the lack of vibrant neighbors also took away from the typically joyful atmosphere as well.

All was peaceful and perfect and good in the world, until your banana yellow phone rang throughout the house, startling You. You stood up, placing the pie down, and went to your chair and telephone. Who even had your phone number at this point? With a sigh, You answer. “Hey, what do ya want-“

“OH MY GOSH, YOU’RE ALIVE!!!” Shrieked the familiar voice. No… it couldn’t be… Your hand flew to your mouth as You gaped, mouth opening and closing as You struggled to find words to communicate.

“S-Sadie?!” You gasp, almost dropping your phone in shock. “Is that really you?!..” You get tears pricking the corners of your eyes and You tightened onto the phone as if holding on for dear life. Breath uneven, You whisper in astonishment. “But how?..”

“Yes, it’s me…” You heard Sadie getting choked up as she struggled to continue to speak. “And R-Reese is here too.”

“Can I speak to him?!” You began to pace, running a hand over your head, eyes bulging as You were still in disbelief. “I-I have so much to tell you both!”

“Don’t worry! We’re going to get you out of this, you’ll be just fine! Stay with me! Don’t-“ The line cut off suddenly and so did your breath.

“Sadie?… Reese?!” You scream into the phone with no response.

Finally, the phone started up again. You gasped and pressed it to your ear eagerly, eyes wide, begging, pleading for Sadie or Reese or anyone to speak to You.

Perhaps your wish for “anyone” was unwise.

“… Hello stranger.” Spoke the slow, monotone yet expressive voice of Wally Darling, making your breath hitch. “Were you talking to someone?”

You slid down the side of your chair again, at a loss for words. Someone from reality had called You here, in Welcome Home. You were contacted by someone from the outside world! Why did Sadie leave You alone again? To talk with sentient puppets? You remembered that Wally was waiting for your response so You brought the phone to your lips to sputter out, “N-No…” Gee, that sounded real convincing.

Wally chuckled on the other side. “Ha, ha, ha. Silly. Silly,” He sighed in a blissful voice, “if you’re going to be talking to anyone, talk to someone from the neighborhood! They’re your neighbors after all and neighbors look out for one another. Or, even better, you can talk to me any time you want.” He offered, voice quieting a little.

“Thank you, but no thank you.” You responded, flatly, before slamming your phone down, ending the call. You thought for a moment. Perhaps talking to other neighbors wouldn’t be too bad. You looked outside at the rain before going to your closet. You pulled out a yellow umbrella with pink polka dots and put on red rain boots before marching out.

The hill You lived on was slippery with mud and You had to side walk downhill very cautiously. The rain continued to beat down on your flimsy umbrella and You hurried to the path to head to Howdy’s.

Howdy had offered help if You ever needed it and You needed someone to confide in without Wally constantly breathing down your neck.

When You arrived, You found a “Sorry, We Are Closed” sign on the shop door.

“No no no no…!” You whisper and anxiously press your face to the glass to see if Howdy was actually inside. “Howdy????” You knocked furiously, but the noise You made paled in comparison to the thunderstorm booming around You. You try to open the door because, who knows? Maybe he left it open and, after all, Welcome Home residents didn’t seem to have licks. But no. The door knob didn’t even jiggle. You stared blankly at the door until You spotted a little little note slightly hidden underneath the sign and You yanked it out. There was a map of Home, with a red barn house circled and Howdy’s neat handwriting saying, “Hello neighbor! I am currently at Poppy’s if you need anything.”. You looked across the road to see Poppy’s barn tucked behind Sally’s house and the post office and sighed. Now for more tracking through the rain montages.

Chapter Text

💛Chapter Eleven💛

Finally, You arrived at Poppy's barn after many detours, all which seemed to lead You right back to Wally's Home. By this time, the rain seemed to be pouring even harder, pressing down against your thin umbrella, bending it down and making it smaller and smaller. You knocked, shivering as chilly wet droplets began to slam against You. The door opened and a huge bird poked her red head out which had a floppy mohawk of rainbow feathers.

"Oh! Hello, new neighbor! Come in, come in, you'll catch a cold!" The bird immediately opened the door and ushered You inside, slamming the door shut once You were inside. You closed your wet umbrella on the mat, shaking it ever so slightly, and looking up at the red bird. She was covered in puffs of rainbow feathers everywhere except her belly, wings, and legs and wore a colorful scarf rimmed with white lace. She wore a kind, motherly expression and was fidgeting her wings together, nervously. "I'm Poppy." She blurted. "Howdy's told me so much about you!"

"It's nice to meet you, Poppy." You replied with a smile, pushing formalities out of the way. "So, Howdy is still here?" You ask, perking up a little with a huge smile.

"Of course, dear, Howdy's in the kitchen, helping with tea. Why, only someone as brave as you would've gone through this storm!" Poppy shivered a little and motioned for You to follow her as she walked into her kitchen.

'More like desperate.' You thought, smile dropping. 'Or insane.' You followed her into the kitchen, where Howdy was chopping up carrots and celery with his multitude of hands. "Howdy!" The huge caterpillar stopped cutting, turned, and smiled widely.

"Hello, new neighbor!" He responded, looking very pleased to see You. "You came all the way through the rain just to see us?" Before You could respond, Howdy wrapped You in a warm and loving hug. "I'm so glad you made it here safely, new neighbor." Then, after a moment of two, he let go and motioned to his work. "Me and Poppy are making Noodle soup. Would you like to help us?"

"Yes and I need to talk to you about something." You say, suddenly breathless from the bone crushing hug Howdy just gave.

"You can talk over food." Poppy rubbed your shoulders with her wings. "You've had a long journey. Please, sit down in the front room and cuddle up with some blankets!" Her voice was soft and warm, full of fondness for someone she'd just met. It was honestly so beautiful that someone could be that caring and kind to a stranger. The whole town was full of people like that and it was beyond bewildering.

"But-" You began to protest but Poppy was already leading You to the front room.

"No excuses, please! I insist!" Poppy led You through the front hall to the front room which opposed the kitchen. She sat You down on a frumpy pink couch with small darker pink, blue, and yellow flowers adorning the fabric. The couch claimed You as You sunk in further into the cushions. Poppy put a knitted blanket with an orange, green, and purple design on You and tucked You in before calling to Howdy, voice fading as she hurried away. "Howdy, can you put the carrots and...?"

With nothing left to do- and not wanting to trample all over Poppy and her hospitality- You sat there and looked around. In front of You was a decorative stone fireplace. The fireplace mantle had several crafts that seemed to have been given to Poppy by the other neighbors. You spotted three butterflies in a picture frame, a card with stickers, glitter, and pom poms galore, a paper chain with different colored paper loops, and in the middle of it all was a painting on Poppy herself. On both sides of the fireplace there were wooden shelves bolted to the wall that were filled with books, board games, knitting supplies, and blankets. The floor was wooden and looked as if it had been smoothed over many times. There was a rug on the floor with a round coffee table on top. There were mismatched cushions all over the floor and You noticed that almost everything was childproofed in the most dramatic ways possible. The rug seemed firmly rooted on the ground, the shelves were organized in boxes and bolted to the walls, and there was a fireplace screen despite the fireplace being fake.

You smiled a little at the time Poppy must've spent making sure this room wasn't a safety hazard. Then, there was a light little knock knock at the front door followed by the sound of ruffling feathers and pounding footsteps as Poppy hurried to get the door. Who could be out in this crazy of a storm? Who could be as stupid as You to venture into the hurricane going on outside? You listened as Poppy conversed with whomever was at the door, fussing and helping them out of the rain. She came into the living room, looking pleased.

"Look who decided to stop by? It's Barnaby and Wally!" She chirped, cheerfully, followed by Barnaby and Wally who were both in rain gear. Barnaby wore a silly umbrella hat and mix matched primary colored rain boots on each paw. He also wore an awfully small yellow poncho over his usual colorful vest and tie. Wally looked as stylish as ever, his bulbous bouffant fitting comfortably and miraculously underneath his long red rain poncho with yellow bordering hood. Ha also wore blue rain boots with yellow rimmed red hearts found on the toes and near the ankles. He immediately took notice of You and smiled widely, while waving at You with enthusiasm.

"Hello neighbor, what a coincidence! We were just talking on the phone!" He took off his hood, running a hand over his hair as if worried it was messed up. You turn away from him, scowling and giving him the cold shoulder. Why was he here? How did he know you'd be here? Why won't this creepy puppet leave You alone?!

"Barnaby!" Shouted Poppy in a horror struck voice as Barnaby shook, sending rain drops everywhere. "Please, we've talked about this!"

"Sorry ma'am." Barnaby replied with a sheepish smile. "Do ya 'ave a place I can dry off?" He asked, obviously repressing the urge to shake himself again. Poppy sighed with a smile, shaving her head in a disapproving manner.

"Sure dearie, this way." She motioned for Barnaby to follow her through the kitchen, but she turned to address Wally first. "Wally, you don't seem wet at all! Please, grab a blanket and curl up on the couch with our new neighbor! Soup will be ready quite soon!"

"Thank you, Ms. Poppy." Wally smiled warmly as he watched the two taller neighbors walk away. Then, he took off his raincoat and rain boots, putting them in their respective places in the front hall. He then took a red, blue, and yellow knitted blanket and sat next to You, cuddling into the blanket. "Hello stranger. Why do you look so bitter?" His eyes burned into the side of your head, making your skin prickle uncomfortably.

"Like it's any of your business." You spat back, glaring at a cushion on the floor with a knitted design of stars and the moon.

"Well, it is my business, stranger." Wally replied, voice as nonchalant as ever. You felt him shift beside You. "I can't have you running around Welcome Home all mopey dopey now, can I? Ha. Ha. Ha." He laughed as if he said something funny. You didn't respond and simply listened to the gentle chatter of Poppy and Howdy talking and the sound of rain beating against the house. You didn't want to talk to Wally about your problems. You didn't trust him.

After a moment of tense silence between You and Wally passed, he spoke again. "Are you mad because I interrupted your call with your old friends?" You look over at him with wide eyes. So he had realized what he'd done; he knew exactly what he did! "I only did it out of my l- hmm." Wally paused to think of a word. "I only did it out of care, dear stranger. Because I care about Welcome Home and You."

"Ha! You? Care about me? What do you want from me? Don't give me that bullshit!" You hiss at him, being quiet so the other neighbors didn't hear you curse.

Wally's smile began to look more like a grimace. "I want you to never contact those.. people.. from your old world anymore, do you understand? You belong here now and it would be such a shame if I had to do something terribly unpleasant to them as a punishment for your misbehavior."

"Neighbors! It's time to eat, please join us at the dinner table!" Poppy called and Wally stood up, slowly, folding his blanket and putting it down gently on the couch.

"Behave, my dear. In Welcome Home, someone is always watching." And with that, he left, leaving You to stare at him in shock, confusion, and horror.

Chapter Text

💛Chapter Twelve💛

The smell of savory broth filled your nostrils as soon as You stepped out of the kitchen and into the dining room. Poppy was adjusting a pot full of hot, steaming soup on top of a cloth, making sure it wouldn't burn a hole through the table. This room was connected not only to the kitchen, but to a bathroom, the backyard, and a flight of stairs leading upwards as well. All around, the white polka dotted pink walls were covered in pictures of everyone. Pictures of Poppy and Howdy, Howdy and Wally, Wally and Barnaby, Barnaby and Sally, Sally and Julie, and the list went on. The table, much like the coffee table in the living room, was a rounded table with 9 chairs. The table at the head of the table was different from the others, looking more like a yellow armchair rather than the wooden chairs with red pillows on their seats. The place mats were made of a dark blue yarn that was coiling tightly into a spiral, somewhat resembling Wally's hair. Speaking of Wally, Wally walked with Barnaby, both side by side, and distributed utensils before sitting down on the right side of the table. Howdy hurried in soon after, carrying a basket of bread, pepper and salt shakers, and some napkins. You suddenly became aware that You had just been standing there, watching everyone else help out with the preparation of the meal. Embarrassed by your selfish behavior, You hurried to the chair beside Howdy, not wanting to sit by Wally or at the front of the table.

It took You a moment to get on the chair. You'd forgotten how short you'd become, so small You were probably the size of Giant Elsa "My Size" doll

Poppy took a ladle and slowly began filling up each bowl, wing trembling as she did. She watched the soup anxiously and You were quick to realize that she was probably scared of burning herself. But before You could offer assistance, Poppy was done and sat down in the yellow armchair with a poof. Everyone said their thanks before digging in. The soup was a buttery yellow and had several different kinds of noodles, some carrots and celery, as well as some big onion chunks for flavoring. Paired with bread, it was perfect.

For the brief moment everyone began eating, You could hear the rain still pattering against the window and rooftop, and now You could hear thunder rolling in the distance. It was peaceful, to be inside on a horribly depressing, wet, and crazy day in a warm and friendly house.

"New neighbor, you wanted to talk to me earlier?" Howdy suddenly said, bringing up the topic of why You went to Poppy's in the first place. Wally, who hadn't touched his food, looked over at You, sharply.

"Really?" Wally relaxed a bit, leaning back in his chair and folding his arms as he watched your expressions closely.

"Er... yeah. But never mind!" You laugh and wave your hand in a "don't worry about it!" hand motion. You couldn't vent to Howdy about your fears of Wally here. That would put him in too much trouble and.. well, Wally was right across from You. "I was just curious if you had any... um..." You stared into your bowl of golden broth, feeling Wally's judgmental stare burn into your head. ".. uh... If you had any glitter glue!" Why did You say that? You didn't need g

"Barnaby?" You scooted closer to the big blue dog and lowered your voice as You spoke. "Can we chat?

"Sure kid! What'd ya wanna talk about?" Barnaby asked as he positioned himself to face You. "I could tell ya all 'bout my unicycle! Ya see, my mum got it for me when I was just a wee pup and-"

"No," You interrupted, shaking your head. "No, no, no, I wanted to talk about Wally."

"Aw, my best bud?" Barnaby blinked slowly, a content smile on his face. "What d'ja wanna know?" You nibbled your lip nervously, furrow your brow, and fidget with your hands

"Well..." You looked at the floor as You asked this question, too scared to look into his eyes. "I... Has Wally ever been aggressive towards you? Even in a passive manner?" Barnaby stared at You, wide eyed. His emotion of shock only lasted for a moment. Then, he burst out laughing. Now it was your turn to stare, wide eyed. You couldn't possibly have expected this reaction from him. Perhaps You expected Barnaby to get all solemn and spill some of Wally's deepest secrets or for him to suddenly explode with negativity and tell You about all the times Wally had mistreated him. Whatever You were expecting, You weren't expecting this.

"HO HO! Oh, new neighbor, you're too much sometimes!" He howled with laughter, using his fuzzy mitts to wipe away a fake tear of laughter. "Ha! Wally? Aggressive? That's as ridiculous as saying the stars are made of milk!"

"A-are you sure?" You stutter, looking at Barnaby desperately. "Well.. then has Wally ever done anything out of the ordinary?"

Barnaby chuckled, smiling. "Well... I suppose I can think of one strange thing Wally does. You see, when we was both but wee lads, Walls told me that he eats..." He pointed to both his widened eyes with a single finger from each mitt. "with his eyes! But he's too much of a little gentleman to do so because, well, he thinks it to be awfully rude. Now, you might not think that strange, cause, I mean, you're a strange eater yourself, but Wally can eat almost anything! He might not like the taste, but-"

"Barnaby." The voice of Wally Darling startled both You and Barnaby. Barnaby shut up instantly and changed to another topic.

"Hey kid! We were just talkin' 'bout the rain! Hasn't rained in quite some time, don'tcha think? It'll be good for them plants." Barnaby maintained his calm demeanor and only showed emotion suggesting otherwise in that single moment when Wally startled him. Wally's smile widened as he approached You and Barnaby, hands held innocently behind his back as he surveyed your expressions with hooded eyes.

"Were you? Hmm." Wally hummed. He stepped over to sit in Barnaby's lap before glancing at You. "Hey, neighbor, wanna play hide and seek with me? Howdy and Poppy gave us permission." Wally tilted his head backwards to look up at Barnaby. "You can join us, too, Barnaby."

"Oh, thanks kid!" He laughed, shoulders shaking as he did. "Should be fairly simple." Barnaby looked over at You and winked, grinning. "Ya see, I'm the master of hide and seek because I'm such a little guy. Did'ja know my ma-ma used to have to look at me with a magnifying glass? I was that small!" Barnaby holds his belly as he laughed heartily and Wally simply said,

"Ha. Ha. Ha. You're so silly, Barnaby." Wally turned to look at You as he got to his feet. "You're the seeker. Count to ten." Then, Wally walked into the kitchen. You blinked and looked over at Barnaby only to discover that he was no longer there! You frowned, then sighed, and counted to ten.

"Ready or not, here I come!" You exclaimed once You reached ten and hurried towards the kitchen to look around. Howdy and Poppy were chatting as Howdy washed the dishes and as Poppy swept the floors. You carefully got out of their way and peeked into the front hall. Immediately, You found Barnaby curled up in a ball in the corner, covering his eyes with his mitts. You hesitated, before poking him. "Found you."

Barnaby perked up, peaking at You through his mitts before putting them down. "Ah, you must have good attention to detail to spot a tiny dog like me!" His smile widened and You smiled back. "Well, time to find Walls. Barnaby stood up and walked into the living room. But... as he did... You realized Wally clung onto the fur on Barnaby's back, staring at You with wide eyes. Covering your mouth, You snickered and pointed at him.

"Found you, Wally."

"Oh no, You found me." Wally chuckled, hopping off an amused Barnaby's back. "But I was the last one found. That means I'm it." He nodded before walking off to the dining room once more. Wally was it? He walked like a tortoise- no offense to tortoises- and would take ages. You narrowed your eyes before deciding to hide behind the big waste basket in the corner of the front hall. Meanwhile, Barnaby was scooting into the kitchen and placing Poppy and Howdy conveniently to hide himself. You snorted before hurrying to hide behind the waste basket.

"Ready or not, here I come, neighbors." Wally was on the move. You sat and yawned, having a feeling that Wally would be a slow seek- "Found you, Barnaby." He was in the kitchen already? Or maybe Barnaby was just that obvious.

"Neighbor... where are you~?" You could hear Wally creeping around the kitchen and You covered your mouth, holding back laughter, as You were suddenly hit with the brilliant idea to provoke him.

"Yellow guy? Is that you?" You ask in a teasing tone before silently and swiftly moving from behind the trash can to behind the living room, the couch's arm on the farthest side.

"Are you going to say my name correctly or not, neighbor?" You heard Wally pounce on the place you'd just been.

"Bub with bulbous bouffant?" You call, peeking out from your hiding spot at your pursuer.

"... Neighbor... you're just trying to make me angry..." Wally growled back and You saw from your hiding spot the frustration in his permanent smile.

"Oh, right!" You exclaim slamming your fist down on your palm as you pretended to remember his name. "I remember your name now! You're the Elvis Presley whom my life was thrown away for." You could hear the venom in your own voice rising, but You forced yourself to keep the light and fluffy tone you'd been using.

"... You're doing this on purpose..." Wally's voice was dangerously close now, making You jump. He must be in the living room by now! You looked around, frantically, for a new hiding spot.

"My most fruity neighbor?" You spotted the fireplace and scrambled to hide behind the fireplace screen, making it inside just in time. Your back was to the screen and You didn't dare to move any more..

"..." Wally paused for a moment and You heard him cease all movement. "Not quite.." You heard him mumble, "No, Frank and Eddie are the fruitiest..."

"Yeah, but it could work as your name! Fruity Darling!" You drew a little circle with your finger on the ground.

"Please try again, neighbor."

"Wal, as the cool kids say." You giggle, smirking to yourself. Then, You felt a hand gently brush your shoulder and You jumped, whirling around and hit your head on the fireplace roof making You yelp in pain.

"I'll take it." There he was, with that triumphant smile, offering You a hand up.

"How did you find me so quickly?" Breathless and still in shock from his little jump scare, You simply stare at him in bewilderment. That was a stupid question, there were only so many places to hide in Poppy's house.

"Other than your very loud- and awfully rude- taunts?" He asked, making your face heat up. "Why, that's because I'm the most neighbor!" Wally laughed his slow, monotone, and endearing laugh as his eyes burned into yours.

"The most? The most what?" You ask, his intense gaze making You lower your own to the floor. Wally hummed as he considered this before saying, simply,

"I am the most most."

Chapter Text

💛Chapter Thirteen💛

It was early in the morning when the sinking feeling of dread washed over You. This evening, You had to visit Sally and rehearse the play with her... and Wally. You groaned and covered your head with your bed covers. But at least You didn't have to go right away. You'd have the whole day to enjoy! Maybe you would hang around Barnaby? Or visit Poppy again? You could always help Howdy in his shop! Or You could- ding dong! Your doorbell rang.

You slowly untangled yourself from the covers, boasted yourself up, and hurried down stairs as fast as your tired body could go. You were about to open the door when You realized that You had the worst case of bed head ever given to mankind! Your hair stuck out from every angle and was tangled as if some gremlin in the night visited and made a bunch of knots in your hair. Snatching up a brush, You try to hurry up and force tangles out. Ding dong! The doorbell rang again and you gave up trying to tame your hair. Instead, you slapped on a hat to hide the mess and swung open the door.

Here was a neighbor you'd never met. Your abrupt arrival made him jump and he wore an expression of surprise. He tilted his hat to You, looking embarrassed.

"Oh gee..." He spoke in a southern drawl, laughing nervously. "Hi new neighbor, I don't think we've formally met!" He held out an orange hand- which You took and shook- with a sweet smile. "I'm Eddie, Eddie Dear! Home's one and only mailman!" He lifted his chin proudly.

Eddie was taller than You, which wasn't saying since You realized how short You were. You must've shrunk in order to fit inside this world. He was around four feet tall with orange skin and red hair. He had a stocky build that would've made him seem intimidating if it weren't for his dark, droopy eyes filled with kindness. He wore a mailman uniform with a rainbow tie and a red and yellow mail bag with blue bordering.

"Here, I have mail for you, a letter!" He pulled out a colorful envelope of red, yellow and blue. You take it and examine it, looking on the back. No address.

"Oh! Uh, thank you!" You smile at Eddie before he waved cheerfully, turned around and hurried away, seemingly anxious to get to the next house. You waved before shutting the door and taking off your hat. Who could this letter be from? You peeled the envelope open to be bombarded with golden glitter that sprinkled across your floor. You recoil and drop the letter, making a card slip out from the envelope. Coughing, You hesitantly picked up the card and read aloud to yourself. "'From Sally, To Our New Neighbor'... huh." Opening the card up, You read aloud again. "'Salutations! I know I wanted to meet up this evening, but Wally thought that it would be better to have all day to practice instead of all night!' Wait, what?!" Well, your plans to spend the day with other neighbors was now nothing more than an old fantasy. You scoff. Of course it was Wally who suggested it. You were going to make him regret ruining your day. You continued to read, "'He's certainly a smart little guy, I'll give him that! Please hurry over! See you soon, Sally Starlet!' Hmm."

With a sigh, You glance over at yourself in the mirror. Perhaps You should change. You shuffled through your closet and decided to wear black overalls covered in red, yellow, green and blue twisted smiley faces on top of a neon yellow t-shirt. You wore your usual shoes with white crossed purple socks. You smiled and posed in the mirror, with a goofy smile. You laughed softly before beginning to hurry to Sally's house.

You tried your best to remember where Sally was- even though, somehow, You kept finding yourself in front of Home- and finally, after what felt like years of wandering and searching, You stood in front of Sally's house. After You knocked on the door, You stood back, listening to loud drumming footsteps get closer and closer. Sally slammed open the door, violently.

"NEW NEIGHBOR! You made it! We were beginning to think you weren't gonna show!" Sally beamed, stepping aside so you could come in. "Come on in! Wally brought some cookies Poppy made, mmm!"

You followed the star inside, looking around. Sally's home was nothing like Poppy's. As where Poppy lived in a more grandmotherly house, Sally lived on the complete opposite side of the spectrum! Sally's walls were painted yellow and covered with posters of plays. All the plays were foreign to You and it seemed like Sally wrote and starred in all of them herself. On each poster was the title and Sally filling the slots for almost every role, with a few exceptions including other neighbors scattered around. All the art seemed to have been done by Wally, as he signed each poster with his name in red crayon. The house was square and wide open and it seemed like this was the first level because you could see stairs on the far left towards the back of the house, probably leading to the actual living space. This area had props, costumes, and backgrounds galore, props like brushes, tea kettles, and various toys littered the flat dark grey floor. In the far right corner of the room, there were several colorful block seats, colored pink, orange, yellow, green, blue, teal, indigo, purple. However, where red was surprised to be on the spectrum, there was a white block that was never painted. On the roof were glow in the dark stars as well as other sparkly and fun stickers! Everything in Sally's house practically screamed, 'Notice me! See how I shine?'. It made You smile.

Wally sat on a yellow and orange couch, reminiscent of those couches in therapy offices, with sun and star shaped pillows. He laid, sprawled across it in the most dramatic way possible, reading his red covered book. His expression was soft and curious as he examined a page full of so many words that You we're sure he couldn't read them all.

As soon as You stepped in, Wally perked up and smiled brightly. "Hello neighbor! I'm- we're-" He added, looking over at Sally briefly before making eye contact with You once more. "so happy you made it! Care for a cookie?" The man sat up, quickly, readjusting his posture and hair so he looked more presentable.

You didn't respond and looked over at the wooden rectangle table that was nearby. It had old water bottles and plates with traces of old food scattered across it. The most presentable place was a plate full of cookies shaped like the various neighbors. There was even a little cookie of You!

You smiled at the gesture, but, frankly, You didn't want to eat your own face.

In fact, all of these cookies looked so cute and realistic that- oh. Just like the real life version, there was a Wally cookie staring right at You. Out of spite, You picked up the cookie and bit into it, looking directly at Wally with a menacing expression. Wally's cheeks simply brightened a little and he looked away, cupping his cheeks. You chewed in confusion. You'd never understand him.

"I hope Julie doesn't mind me eating her!" Sally skipped over in two jumps, snatched up a Julie cookie, and devoured it. With her mouth full, she added, "She's just so tasty!" You laughed at her silliness, but a thought struck You. You put the Wally cookie down and pulled out the letter Sally sent.

"Hey, why did you send me a letter?" You glanced over at Sally who was dusting her hands off of Julie cookie crumbs. "You could've just called me. Do you need my number?" Sally threw her head back and laughed, hands on her hips.

"Oh, new neighbor! You're silly! That's not how telephones work! Only Wally can use the telephone. We just have to pick up!" You furrowed your eyebrows at Sally as she spoke in the most amused tone, as if You were stupid or something.

"No, I don't think you understand how a telephone works, Sally." You laugh but there was nothing funny to laugh about. You simply laughed to release the growing unease swelling in your chest.

"New neighbor, that's enough." Wally spoke in a stern tone, getting to his feet abruptly, faster than you've seen him move ever.

"Wally, shut up." You snapped, furious, and turned back to Sally, who looked confused. You knew something was going on. Wally was manipulating his friends, doing something horrible to them, You were sure! Forcing them to submit to his rule and charade of innocence, You were sure! "Sally, a telephone works both ways! Here, let me give you my number and we can talk without others listening.

"I... call you? On the... telephone...?" Sally's typically bright expression was now neutral and her eyes were blank. Hollow. Sally gaped at You, shaking, before she stopped moving all together. She fell to the floor, eyes still staring blankly, limbs collapsing on each other as she did so. A thin trail of some strange black substance oozed from her body and she didn't get up.

"Sally? Sally!" You gasp and run to her, trying to pick up the limp puppet. Her head lolled back and stayed firmly on the ground, mouth and eyes open. Her eyes seemed to be staring at You but they were glazed and unfocused. You flinched as You heard Wally's smooth and calm voice interrupt your thoughts.

"Now, now, look what you've done, stranger. Now I have to clean up after your little mess." Wally whispered, kneeling beside Sally. He picked her up by the head, holding onto her sun spikes tightly, and dragged her along the floor.

"Wh-what are you doing...?!" You ask, frozen in shock. What was going on? Did Sally just...? Surely she couldn't have...? You came back to your senses as Wally began to push the uncolored red block stool on the far right of the house. "W-wait!" You jumped to your feet and hurried after Wally just as he threw Sally into a hole underneath the block and jumped in after her. By the time You got to the block, You stared at the hole in shock. It was pitch black and emitted a soft and eerie hum. You couldn't see the bottom but You knew- despite your sense screaming to run in the opposite way- that You had to figure out what happened to Sally and maybe even save her from Wally.

You took a deep breath, screwed your eyes shut, and took a leap of faith into the dark hole.

Chapter Text

💚Chapter Fourteen💚

Wind was all around You, compressing your body as your eyes stung and made You squint into the darkness. Your stomach lurched sickeningly as your body suddenly rotated and You were spat out into a room. Your back hit the floor before being bounced back up again and again. Surprisingly, You seemed to have been unharmed by the impact of the long fall. In your confusion, You laid on the bouncy floor, which still jiggled You ever so slightly, in starfish position, breathing heavily in shock.

You realized that You were in a room with a soft white light illuminating the room. Where was the light coming from? You weren't sure. The floor You landed on was similar to that of an inflatable bouncy castle's floor with thick yellow, red, and blue oxford cloth stripes, all puffed up with air. You fell from a yellow slide tube- with various flower, heart, and star stickers adorning it- that seemed like it lead to an infinite abyss of darkness. The walls were red and almost looked as if they were pulsing every five seconds. The room was boxy and led out into a hall. The ceilings were tall, perhaps 17 feet or taller.

After a moment of processing and adjusting, You sat up, crawled to the entrance, and stood on solid ground once more. You peaked into the long hall, looking left, then right, and saw Sally's feet slide around the corner. Wally must still be dragging her, but too where? Was Sally even still... 'animated'?

Swallowing hard, You followed, going as quickly and as quietly as You could. You remembered Sally's play, where the dragon kidnapped the princess and the knight had to save her. 'I really hope this doesn't end the same way that play did.' You thought, groaning internally as You remembered that the knight had to kiss the dragon in the end.

Turning the corner, You came to a room with eight TV screens on the wall to your right with one big TV in the center. There was a round table- reminding You, fondly, of Poppy's dinner table- with a big heart in the middle of it that seemed to also be a screen of sorts. The walls and floors were still a reddish pink color, still pulsing every few seconds. Standing in front of the TVs and in front of the table, was Wally, presenting Sally's body to... three humans? All who seemed to be in the same situation You were in, for they all seemed to have shrunken as well to 3-4 feet! There were other humans here?

Your eyes widened and You felt like a deer caught in headlights as the three humans and Wally noticed You. The humans wore expressions of shock and surprised, some looking more excited than others to meet a new human. Wally, on the other hand, was completely calm.

"Hello stranger." Wally grimaced, waving You over with exaggerated and artificial excitement. "You mustn't lurk in doorways. It's rude!" You coaxed You forward, in a manner that dared You to disobey him. You came into the room, nervously. "Come meet the Showrunners! Since you're so... very..." He narrowed his eyes as he looked into yours, humming thoughtfully as he flexed his fingers. "... curious." He finished, nodding in a satisfied way. You crept over, awkwardly, eyes not meeting Wally's, but instead gazing at the humans.

The first human who seemed to compose himself straightened and walked over to You, clearing his throat and presenting a hand. "Hello, it's nice to finally meet you, 'stranger'. Please, call me Dr. Hernandez." This man looked around his late 20s or early 30s and had brown hair slicked back with stern hazel eyes. He wore a surprisingly clean buttoned up white lab coat and had brown gloves on with black stains. His pants and boots were black and he wore a camo lanyard around his neck. You reluctantly shook his dirty gloved hand. Hernandez, eh? A bit long, perhaps You could give him a nickname. Maybe Hern or Dez?

The second human was a woman around the age of 18 with frizzy dyed blonde hair that stuck out in every direction and glassy grey eyes. She had an air of childhood wonder, very on brand for a children's puppet show, as she hurried to greet You with a smile. She wore the same as Dr. Hernandez, minus the gloves, which were shoved in her lab coat pocket. Her lab coat had some dark stains on it, similar to those on the gloves. The girl took your hand- that was just let go by Dr. Hernandez's hand- in both of her dark, smooth hands, clutching it to her chest. "Oh my gosh! Another human! We've been watching You! You're so cool! Oh! I'm Tasha!"

The last human was a boy around your age, but a little taller. He had short blonde hair with bangs, brown eyes, and held himself confidently. He wore a buttoned up white lab coat covered in black stains like the others and vibrant yellow gloves. He put a hand on Tasha's shoulder, pulling her back ever so slightly. "Give them some space, Tash," He chuckled, smiling at You. "Hey, I'm Lance." Tasha giggled happily at Lance, releasing Your hand and patting him on the head.

"Oops! Sorry, Lance. It's been..." Her smile faltered for a moment. "It's been a while since we've met anyone new..." Wally comes up behind Tasha, staring at her and putting a comforting hand on her arm, making the woman shiver. "I mean- uh-" Lance nudged Tasha's arm gently, reviving her cheerfulness. "We know a lot about You!" Tasha laughs awkwardly.

"I think that's enough." Wally walked to You and took your hand in his own, getting some of the black substance oozing from Sally on You. He stared into your eyes, his own wide and no longer hooded. "Come along, stranger, you've had your fun."

"Wait, what's going to happen to Sally?" You ask, frantically snatching your hand away from Wally. "What did you do?" You lowered your voice to show You meant business.

"What did I do?" Wally chuckles, not breaking eye contact. His tone is cheerful and teasing. "I did nothing, my dear stranger, but You..." His playful tone became serious and his smile lessened. "You went off script." He stares at You, pupils shaking frantically. Wally's face seemed covered into shadows for a moment as he considered You. "I wasn't planning on bringing you down here yet. I didn't think you were ready and Home said it would be good to have a new character to work with." Wally smiles at You, tilting his head to the side abruptly. "But here you are. And curiosity killed the cat, my dear stranger."

"Cut the crap! Tell me what's going on!!!" You scream at him, gritting your teeth and turning your hands into fists as You shake furiously.

"Hmm." Wally hummed, eyes flickering to the floor, a smug smile on his face. "No, I don't think I'm going to do that..." Something cold and gooey that felt like old, stiff slime gripped your ankle tightly and You quickly looked at the floor. A strange black tendril has gripped You, seemingly coming from the ceiling and-

"AAAAH!" You screamed as the tendril withdrew suddenly, dragging You with it up into the void above. The others looked up at You, Wally watching You with a wide smile. In fact, he had the nerve to blow You a kiss and wave bye bye. The others looked a little more panicked, except Dr Hernandez, who seemed to be more prioritized with Sally's corpse. Wind pressed against You once more and gravity seemed to be spiraling as You gag and hold back throw up. All around You, everything is going dark. Your body stops, feeling heavy, and the tendril feels as if it's everywhere now, consuming You.

"I warned you to keep them in line, Wally. Peace must be maintained, as above, so below."

(A/N: Oh gosh, I'm so sorry that took so long! I had to work out some of the kinks in this theory lore! I hope You enjoyed this chapter! Please comment and vote, thank you!)

Chapter Text

💚Chapter Fifteen💚

"I understand. Leave this to me."

The feeling of old, black slime enclosed around You began to thin into a soft and squishy feeling, until You suddenly surfaced in... your bed? You were now safely tucked into your bed with a new change of clothes and a note in your hand. You wore a matching rainbow and white vertically striped shirt and pants that fit almost perfectly. The note in your hand that was put in a black stained cool white envelope. On the back, written in many different colored crayons, were the words, "To Stranger", so clearly this note must've been given to You from Wally. That smug little bastard who did nothing but smile and wave like royalty as You were dragged away by... whatever that was. What You wanted to do was to get up, march right over to Home, and strangle Wally until he gave You some real answers. However, that could be anti productive since Wally seemed to have control over whatever that strange tendril was made of. You didn't know what he was capable of. Also, your body wasn't reacting as fast as You wanted it to. All that motion of being tossed from place to place had begun to give You both a headache and a stomachache. You lay there, staring at the ceiling until your brain finally decides to shut up and let You rest.

By the time You woke up, it was already afternoon time and sunlight was already pouring through the window above your bed. You roll out of bed and thudded on the floor, not reacting to the impact in any dramatic way. You simply sighed as if this was only annoyingly inconvenient and slowly got up, rubbing your head.

Your brain led your exhausted body downstairs, into the kitchen, where You pulled out milk, a bowl, and corn flakes. You made yourself cereal in your preferred order and sat there, thinking and eating.

While You'd jumped in after Wally in hopes of getting answers, You only left with more questions. What was going to happen to Sally? Was she dead or alive? How were there other humans here and how long had they been down there? Where exactly were they being kept? What were those strange black tendrils that seemed to have been hanging from the roof of wherever those humans were being kept? What was Wally's role in all of this? Pondering all of this made your brain hurt. You decided to pull out the mysterious letter that appeared in your hand.

You tore the envelope open and pulled out the letter, flattening it on the table to read. Everything was written in blue crayon except for the first two words in the letter, which were in yellow, and the last two words, which were in red.

Dear Stranger,

I would like to see you tonight. Alone. I'd like to talk with you about something very important.

XOXO,

Wally Darling

You stared at the letter, rereading it several times, before putting it down and groaning in disbelief.

Walking outside into the crisp morning, You spotted a familiar yellow fellow running towards You. It was-

"Neighbor!" Exclaimed the star of Welcome Home, Sally. "You are just the neighbor I wanted to see! Let's talk and shop! I have a proposal!"

Sally was here? Alive and seemingly fine? Sally looked just as amazing as always, with no trace of that black substance that she'd spewed from before. Her eyes were no longer blank or unfocused, but burned brightly with passion, and her smile was so big that it went from sun ray to sun ray.

"So! You know how you were gonna be the strong knight, ready to save the princess and seduce the dragon? Well, I realized that might not be such a good idea to have you as the knight, since you're new and all to the neighborhood! Instead, I decided to cast Julie as the knight since she asked! Although, I'm not sure I like the idea of Julie kissing Wally... but it's all for theater, right?" Sally finally stopped talking and hummed to herself to think.

"Sally!" You gasped, engulfing her in a hug once she stopped rambling. "You're ok!!! What happened to you?!" You asked, backing up and putting your hands on her shoulders. Sally gave You a confused and amused expression.

"Ah, you must be that new!" Sally gasped, her eyes widening in realization. Then, she giggled and proceeded to explain. "You see, when it gets dark out, all the neighbors go to their houses and do this thing called sleeping where we close our eyes and-"

"No, I know what sleeping is! I'm talking about what happened yesterday with Wally?" You shake her shoulders making Sally titter slightly.

"Yesterday? I didn't see you or Wally yesterday! I spent the day with Julie, Frank, and Eddie! We had a picnic in Frank's backyard!" She explained, looking at You with a confused and awkward smile. "You're worrying me, are you ok? Neighbor?"

"I'm... I'm fine..." You lied, closing your eyes and holding your head. "I must just be tired." How could this be? Sally was acting as if the trauma You and her endured never happened! How could anyone forget that? It had to be Wally's fault.

"Anyways, come on, neighbor! Eggs don't buy themselves, you know, and I would like a good egg for breakfast! Boiled, preferably!" Sally laughed good-naturedly and began to skip down the path without waiting for You. You forced a smile and followed the energetic star, but jolted as You suddenly felt the familiar gaze of Wally Darling watching You from his spot in front of Home. It seemed like he was painting with his canvas facing towards Home. Wally waved at You with a friendly smile, but You pretend like You didn't see him and hurry to keep up with Sally.

Sally skipped into Howdy's bodega, swinging open the door so hard that it snapped back and almost hit You in the face. "Oh, sorry neighbor!" She whispered, sheepishly, checking that You were ok before spinning to face Howdy, who was dusting the shelf and wiping the counter at the same time. "Hello Howdy!!!" The bright star bounded to the counter, stepping on top of a stool to meet the counter's height. "I need some eggs! I like the ones that come with paint so I can paint the shells before I crack the egg!"

"O-oh! Sally!" Howdy looked at Sally with an expression of surprise. He chuckled awkwardly, glancing over at You before looking back at Sally. "Of course, of course, but that'll cost you one joke!" He exclaimed, before his arms reached in all directions, putting cleaning supplies down and getting Sally's requested items.

"Ok! I've got a good one today!" Sally cleared her throat, her fist hitting her chest in a comical way. "Two men were talking. The first said, 'I went to the theatre last night but had to leave after Act I.' 'Why was that?' asked the second." She paused for dramatic effect, winking. Howdy, who tilted his head at her, placed a carton of eggs along with the paint for egg painting. "Well, the program said 'Act II - one year later', and I couldn't wait!'" Sally burst out laughing at her own joke, doubling over while hugging her stomach. Her bold laughter was infectious and brought out a few giggles and chuckles from You and Howdy.

"Oh, Sally, that was pretty good!" Howdy's words made Sally beam. "Here's your eggs and paint, have fun!" Sally hopped off the stool and Howdy peered down at You. "Howdy, neighbor! Did you need anything?"

You hesitated, looking over your shoulder at Sally, who was looking at her eggs and paint with an excited expression. Should You confide in Howdy, finally? "Hold on." You walked to the window and peered through it. Wally was still in the exact spot he was before, looking at his painting. Seemed the coast was clear. You took a deep breath and backed away from the window, hurrying over to the counter and hopping up onto the stool. "Could we talk? Privately?" You ask, smiling weakly. Perhaps Howdy could help You understand what was going on.

Howdy's smile faded a little bit into one of concern. "Of course, if that's what you want." Howdy walked around the counter and sat next to You, one of his hands resting on your shoulder in a comforting manner. "What's bothering you?"

You took a deep breath, ready to finally get the heavy load off your chest, about to tell Howdy everything, when the store bell chimed and Sally exclaimed. "Hey Wally!" Howdy immediately stood up and went around to be behind the counter again. Your hands ball up into fist and You bite your tongue in frustration. Your eyes stung angrily. How? He was so far away and knew nothing of what was happening here! How?!

Wally Darling smiled at Sally as he stepped forward, hands held politely behind his back. "Hi neighbors. I was just coming over to get some stuff for the dinner I'm having with the new neighbor!" He looked at You warmly, his half lidded eyes resting on You. You stood up and marched out without another word, leaving in a silent rage. You stormed home and only flopped onto your back once You reached your front lawn to stare at the sky. The sky was a bright and cheerful blue, with puffy cotton clouds floating gently and gracefully across it like ballet dancers. Now that You were listening, playful background music could be heard, taking the place of the normal bird songs of a normal neighborhood. The neighborhood was... loud.

The sky darkened rather quickly and, even though you'd been staring at it for what felt like only five minutes, You soon came to realize that it was no longer afternoon, but was now evening instead. You stared blankly at the sky before remembering that Wally was expecting You. Anxiety pitted in your stomach and You carelessly rolled down the hill You were living on. Slowly, You got to your feet and forced yourself to walk to Wally's Home. Strangely enough, it took You barely any time before You were in front of Wally's Home, fist raised, ready to knock on the door. But before You could, the door creaked open.

(A/N: Did you notice? I went back to the original cover art for this book! While I did love the dark cover, the orange cover simply stands out more from other covers. Don't worry, the dark cover art isn't gone forever! In fact, I made the old cover the picture for this chapter. It has nothing to do with the chapter itself, but it had to go somewhere, hmm? I also added a new picture of Wally in ❤Author's Note❤!)

Chapter Text

💚Chapter Sixteen💚

You remembered coming into Wally's Home and, well, now it looked like a completely different house. The room was a simple box shaped room, almost completely devoid of any furniture. In front of You was a square table covered in arrays of fruits, cheeses, and crackers, along with a bottle of fancy apple juice. There were two chairs, the one closest to You being directly across from Wally was sitting down at the table, watching You come in with a big smile. He wore a fancy red suit with a little white flower in the chest pocket. This whole scene felt oddly reminiscent of a romantic date. Wally stood up and walked over to You with a warm smile.

"Neighbor, you came!" He looked and sounded extremely pleased, as he went around the table to pull back your seat so You could sit. "I was beginning to think..." Wally doesn't finish that sentence and simply watches You sit. He pushes in the chair and goes back to his seat, dusting off his suit and straightening his hair. "Well, I'm glad you came, neighbor."

"Neighbor?" You repeated, narrowing your eyes at Wally. "You're not calling me 'stranger' anymore?" Wally's eyes widened and his pupils dilated as he looked from You to the apple juice, and back again.

"Would you prefer that I call you 'stranger' instead of 'neighbor'?" His tone was monotone as ever, but You saw confliction in his eyes.

"No," You admitted, dropping your gaze to one of the many fruit platters. "It just feels like you're trying to rizz me."

"Rizz?"

"Flirt. You know, don't worry about it."

"Ok neighbor."

"So, what do you want from me?" You asked, taking a piece of your favorite fruit and popping it into your mouth. Frankly speaking, You were not really interested in having small talk.

"Ah. Right." Wally puffed out air in a way that mimicked a sigh before saying, "You need to stop asking so many questions." His gaze darkened and his eyes dilated once more. "The neighbors were happy and your interference is causing them nothing but trouble and pain, no matter how heroic you think you're being." His intense gaze burned into You, making your skin prickle with discomfort and the little voice in the back of your brain scream 'danger!'. "You're opening up old wounds, making our neighbors distressed..." Wally sighed and looked over at Home's eye, which was watching You and him converse. "Making them question our little paradise..."

"And why shouldn't they?" You demanded, glaring at the sentient puppet. "It's not fair that-"

"How would you feel if you were told that you weren't real?" Wally spoke suddenly, gaze snapping back to You. "When I found out, it sent me spiraling down a really dark path. I don't want that for them. I promise you, I'm doing everything in my power to make sure they don't find out. You have to understand that, neighbor."

You stand up, to glare down at Wally, who was leaning back in his chair. "Sure, let's say I can understand why you won't tell the others about how you're nothing but show puppets," You saw Wally flinch a little, his smile widening forcefully. "keeping the truth from them even though we all know this will eventually snowball into a big problem- but whatever." You mumble, rolling your eyes. "Do whatever you want with your puppet friends, but that still doesn't excuse whatever you're doing with those other three humans." At the mention of the other humans, Wally smiled wider, getting comfy in his chair, wiggling in a way that resembled a cat about to pounce.

"Why can't you just tell me everything?!" You asked, sitting back down with a tired sigh. These games Wally wanted to play with You... they were tiring. Wally watches You, smiling innocently.

"I have nothing to say to you and, well, that's all Home wanted to say." Wally smiled at You, offering You a tray of cookies that looked like they were made by Poppy. They were all Wally themed cookies. "Do you want a cookie? They're all little me's, heh." He looks down at them fondly.

"And you're really doing whatever some house tells you to do?" You scoff, glaring at the cute and beautifully decorated cookies. Wally's sweet expression darkened and became serious in the blink of an eye. He stood up, glaring at You before leaning over the table with a hand outstretched.

But before you had time to react, he'd already made his move. Wally gently booped your nose with his felt finger, lightly, before sitting back down and taking a deep breath. You quickly cup your nose in your hands, his emotional swing startling and baffling You at the same time.

"I think I will forgive you this time, neighbor." Wally said, finally. "Because I care about you deeply and I don't wish ill upon you." His voice gets quieter as he meets your eyes, both eyes wide. "But do not insult Home like that again, or you'll regret it." Wally took a deep breath before smiling wider and offering the plate of cookies to you once more. You took one this time, nibbling on the ear of the Wally cookie. Wally's cheeks glowed a little as he watched, before he said, "Oh! And neighbor, you're still wearing my pajamas. Do you like them? Are they comfortable enough for you?"

These were his pajamas? You look down at your clothes before it hit You. You came to this dinner with bed head and pajamas!!! You blush and groan, putting the cookie down and putting your head in your hands. They were awfully comfortable pajamas, though, perfect to your tastes! But why tell him that?

You closed your eyes, taking a deep breath before looking over at him, before realizing he wasn't there. Looking around, You also realized that Home was rearranged to be as it usually was, and You were now sitting in the kitchen. "Uh, Wally?" Did he really just abandon You?

"Yes, neighbor?" Wally came out from his room with some of your clothes. It was the outfit you'd worn when you'd first appeared in Welcome Home. Why did he have it? "I have some of your clothes in case you wanna change. I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable by putting you in my clothes."

"Thanks..." You mumble, taking your clothes from Wally, a million thoughts still racing through your head. Wally sat down next to You, managing to make the stiff wooden chair look like the comfiest chair in the world. He leaned back and closed his eyes, always smiling. "But...

Wally, I still don't understand. Why can't you tell me what's going on here?"

"Oh neighbor..." Wally sighed, putting his hand on his cheek and leaning on his elbow. He looked at You wistfully. "I wish I could, I really do, but with all due respect, neighbor ... I just don't trust you to keep your mouth shut." He narrowed his eyes, smile falling a little. There was a moment of silence where he stared at You with a completely blank but sinister expression. Shivers ran up your spine and You felt sweaty with stress as he stared into your very soul. He could be planning to do horrible think to You and-

Your thoughts were cut off when the sweetest little smile spread across Wally's face. "Ha. Ha. Ha! But let's not dwell on what could happen. Let's have a sleepover! I'll invite Barnaby, Julie, and Frank over for a sleepover tomorrow!" He laugh monotonically before absentmindedly saying, "Oh, I love you neighbor!"

(A/N: Is Wally meant to be bipolar in this chapter? No. Are his mood swings actually just the reflection of my different moods from every day of the past few weeks? Absolutely. Well, I finally released the next chapter, yippee! Anyways, hope you enjoyed this chapter!)

Chapter Text

🩵Chapter Seventeen🩵

A fragmented view. Reds, yellows, and blues, whirl together into a spiral, but disappear like water being flushed down a toilet. But the dull colors of grey, beige, black and white replace such sickeningly vibrant colors.

You laid on the ground blinking into consciousness. You could see the pale ceiling and dusty ceiling fan that hadn't moved in ages.The cracks on the ceiling were the same as they always had been, always near the walls. A clock ticked somewhere in the distance and You knew that it was the round electronic clock that played one minute of Christmas carols every hour. Speaking of which, the clock began to chime a carol cheerfully, signaling the next hour. You heard shuffling to your left and a sleepy groan as if someone was punched in the gut. The shuffling got closer and then-

"Hey, wake up!" Sadie's sweet, round, smiling face was hovering over yours, her clammy hands shaking You slightly. "I need your help to make pancakes! Like, ya know, the kind with the little rainbow chocolate chips- those are so fucking good!" She hopped to her feet. "I'll wake Daisy, she's good at baking!"

You laughed and quickly sat up, already in a good mood so early in the morning. You were in Sadie's house- of course, where else would You be?- laying on a sleeping Cherry's stomach with her phone in your hand. You'd spent almost all night exploring the Welcome Home site, but nothing out of the ordinary occurred on it. It was as ordinary and as plain as water, but just as under appreciated. The website's graphics were gorgeous, full of silly text, bright colors, and heartwarming illustrations of all the show's characters. It was utterly and perfectly wholesome. You plugged the phone in, sheepishly, because You'd used all the battery up and then fell asleep without charging it. Whoops.

A shriek could be heard as Daisy was being dragged by her ankle to the kitchen, her hands frantically reaching for anything to grab onto. Sadie, who was dragging the poor girl, was struggling to not double over laughing as she dragged Daisy to the kitchen. "It's baking time, let's fucking do this thing!!!" Sadie sang as she dropped Daisy and began getting out pans, spatulas, bowls, and ingredients for rainbow chip pancakes. You chuckled and stood, walking over to the girls and helping Sadie get out ingredients.

"Sadie, I swear!" Daisy's squeaky voice spoke as she huffed and stood up, running her fingers through her hair. "It's 8am in the morning and I normally sleep till 10am! I need two more full hours of beauty rest before I do literally anything!"

Sadie walked over to Daisy, pulling out a brush and began brushing her coconut colored hair.

"Aww, Dais, but you're so beautiful already! Don't let anyone tell you otherwise! Go splash water on your face and come back quickly, if ya gotta." She grins and pats Daisy's shoulder, giving her and encouraging smile. Daisy smiled back and scurried away to the bathroom down the hall. Then, Sadie called your name. "Can you get the rainbow chips? Should be in the fridge."

You nod and get the rainbow chips out, putting them with the rest of the ingredients. Sadie and You whip them up into a batter, laughing and talking about only the silliest of things before Daisy returns. She walked over the Sadie, smiling, then noticed You.

"Hi... I'm not sure if we've met... I'm Daisy." She spoke softly, waving shyly.

"Oh, ha ha, I remember!" No, You didn't, You were just being courteous. "Daisy, I'm-" You were about to say your name, but someone else beat You to it. Someone called You in a hushed whisper from the dining room. You glanced over to see Reese beckoning You over. Looking over at Daisy and Sadie, who'd struck up conversation about how many rainbow chips to put into the batter- Daisy wanted to put only half the bag in while she Sadie wanted to put the whole bag in- You hurried to greet him. "Hey, mornin'!"

"Good morning. Are you ok from yesterday? Everything healed, everything still intact?" He asks, fiddling with his phone which was in his hands.

"No, my toes fell off in my sleep." This made Reese's gaze snap down to your feet, eyes wide. You laughed at how seriously he took that. "Hey, chill, I'm fine! What did you need me for?"

"Well... my mom is wondering if you'd like to come home with us. She said she's happy to bring over whatever you'd like to our place from yours. We'd just, uh, need your key." Reese looked down at his phone which was opened to a text thread with your aunt and uncle before glancing back up at You. Reese's mom, your Aunt Annie, was your father's adopted sister and she was as wild as they come. She'd only recently returned after taking off for a year to travel around the world in order to "be inspired" to finish her passion project of fashion designing. Your Uncle Harry was different from your aunt. He was quiet and reserved, a simple man, who had to put up with his wife's crazy antics. You think he was secretly relieved when his wife announced she'd be traveling around the world to "be inspired". You snort, grinning.

"You need my key? Not suspicious at all!" Reese looked panicked as You spoke and opened his mouth to clear the misunderstanding with an apologetic look on his face, but You speak first. "I'm joking, Reese! I get it, I get it." There was an awkward silence before You said, "Sure, You can have my house key. I'll come home with you guys. We can leave after breakfast, mk?" You didn't wait for a response and hurried back to Daisy and Sadie, who were almost finished making breakfast. The next hour felt like a blur: helping Daisy and Sadie finish cooking, aggressively waking up everyone with air horns, making everyone help set up breakfast and even eating the delicious and definitely not nutritious pancakes. Everything just blurred together until You realized You were already packing up your stuff into your bags. As You shoved in your plush apple with overalls into your bag, your mind drifted back to Welcome Home.

Welcome Home... and Wally. You wanted to learn more but perhaps you were just being paranoid. You were overthinking this silly little forgotten kids cartoon. Surely that had to be it! You groan as your head begins to pound, dropping the rockstar teddy bear You were about to pack up onto the floor. Your stomach flipped and You felt like throwing up as the back of your eyes ached. You hurled over and then!...

And then You woke up.

(A/N: I swear, everytime I see comments appearing on my book I get all guilty and such and start aggressively typing away on the book! Ha ha, comments really keep me in check! Anyways, hope you enjoyed this chapter! Hopefully I won't take as long with the next chapter since I've already typed the majority of it up...)

Chapter Text

🩵Chapter Eighteen🩵

The room was dark, windowless, the only source of light coming from the door, which was only slightly creaked open.

You laid in a bed with a red comforter patterned with blue and yellow swirled with a white under. The sheets were white with polka dots of all colors and the pillows matched the sheets.

The mattress itself seemed to be memory foam so your body sunk into it as if begging You to never leave. There was nothing else in the room, it seemed, except the bed and- wait... at the foot of the bed... what was that?

"Hmm?!" Your body flinched as your brain struggled to process what exactly was the shadow at the edge of the bed.

You jolted back so quickly that You almost hit your head on the bed frame.

At the edge of your bed was Wally, who was hunched over like a cat about to pounce. All You could see of him was his huge blue pompadour, his eclipsed moon eyes, and all eight of his yellow fingers peeking over at You from behind the bed frame on the far side of the bed. "Oops. Sorry neighbor! Ha. Ha. Ha." Wally smiled warmly, straightening and adjusting his hair. "I was just coming to let you know that breakfast is ready, if you'd like some." He hesitates before glancing at his shoes, fidgeting with his hands awkwardly. "I'm sorry for staring, neighbor, you just looked so peaceful. I haven't seen you like that your entire stay..."

"No, it's fine, just try not to do that anymore. It's kinda creepy." You responded, absentmindedly. It was rather hard to stay mad at the dapper puppet so early in the morning with your mind already preoccupied by so many other things. What exactly happened? Was that a dream? But it felt so real...

"Ok neighbor. I'm really sorry, that wasn't very neighborly of me." Wally drooped his head shamefully as he slowly walked away. "Feel free to join me for breakfast, if you'd like." He perked up a little, his unblinking eyes still meeting yours as his smile widened. "Afterwards I'm going to Howdy's to get stuff for our sleepover. Feel free to join me then, too, if you wish!" Wally blows You a kiss before exiting the room.

You absentmindedly nod in agreement before slowly getting to your feet, feeling sore all over. Your head was still pounding painfully but You tried to ignore it to the best of your abilities.

As You walked out to the dining room, Wally was already putting together a croissant, egg, cheese, and bacon breakfast sandwich. "Neighbor, come sit. I want you to try this sandwich I made for you. Poppy taught me how to make it." There was the faintest hint of pride in his monotone voice as he put the sandwich down and pulled out a chair for You. Not thinking much of it, You sat down, picked up the sandwich and took a bite.

It was utterly revolting. To start off, the bacon was uncooked and was nothing but cold, squishy fat. The cheese was stale, stiff, and clearly never properly preserved. The egg was cooked, but it felt like Wally put the whole egg in there rather than just the insides, because You could hear and feel the crunch of egg shells as You bit into the sandwich. At least there was nothing wrong with the two croissants.

"Do you like it?" Wally watched You with wide eyes as he waited for a reaction. You looked over at Wally then looked away, forcing yourself to swallow. Then You turned back to Wally and gave him an exaggerated toothy grin and a double thumbs up. Wally's smile widened, the look of joy and happiness on his face was surprisingly pure. "Well, go on, neighbor, eat as much as you would like!" Your eye twitched and You nodded before forcing yourself to put the death sandwich back into your mouth. "Did you have any dreams, neighbor?" He asked once You'd taken another bite. You almost choked. Wally reminding You of the dream You had in your sleep made your stomach twist and cartwheel in your stomach. Although, that might have also been some of the effects of the death sandwich.

"D-Dreams?" You coughed out, coughing so hard your face was turning red and tears began to form in the corners of your eyes. Wally scooted closer to You and gently patted your back in any attempt to help You. It was not helpful. You released one more heaving cough before grabbing a cup of water- which, You swear, wasn't there before- and drinking as much as You could. You cough once more, wiping tears from You eyes and sighing.

"Are you ok, neighbor?" Wally asked, still patting your back, looking at You with wide eyes. You give him a thumbs up.

"Um," You coughed a little and then cleared your throat. "What were we talking about?"

"Dreams, neighbor."

"Right. Dreams. You want to know if I had dreams last night." It was amusing to see Wally narrow his eyes at You in confusion as You mumbled to yourself. You took a deep breath before saying, "I.. had a dream..." Should You tell him about the weird dream You had? A dream where You weren't in Welcome Home, but instead You were back with Sadie and her friends and your cousin Reese. Rainbow chip pancakes topped with whipped cream and fruit sounded more appetizing than the breakfast sandwich Wally gave You. "... a dream about.. what our sleepover with Julie, Frank, and Barnaby will be like tonight!" You plastered a huge grin on your face, hoping Wally will buy your lie. It probably wasn't the best idea to tell him about your real dream.

"Oh. That sounds fun!" Wally smiled widely before that smile faded a little. He looked down at the floor, nervously fidgeting with his hands. "I have the same dream every night. I dream that I'm falling, neighbor." His expression darkened a little and his eyes were almost completely black as his pupil expand. He looked terrifying. You felt your skin prickle uncomfortably and goosebumps rise as You find yourself unable to look away from his intense gaze. A few beats passed before he looked away, back at that awful sandwich. "I think you said you liked the sandwich, neighbor."

You were a little caught off guard so You stumbled on your words. "Um, of course n- of course I liked your sandwich! I'm just being an, uh, attentive listener?" Wally blinked at You slowly and You had the feeling that he didn't know what the word "attentive" meant. "Anyways, aren't you going to got get stuff for our sleepover?" You asked, praying that he'll leave so You could burn the sandwich he'd given You and bury its ashes.

"You're right. I wanted to paint with everybody today, so I will need to get five canvases." Wally nods and stands up, gently patting his hair. "Bye bye neighbor, don't get into any trouble while-"

"Wait, I'm gonna invite Sally too." You said, abruptly, knowing it was stupid to mention her around Wally, but You needed to talk to her. Wally's eyes widened.

"Ha, ha, ha. You're so silly!" Wally laughed his monotone laugh, hands on his belly as he did so, eyes closed. Then, his eyes opened and he stared at You in a serious manner, his hands falling to his side. "We don't have a neighbor named Sally. Who's that?"

You both stared at each other. What did he mean, who was Sally? You backed away, still holding Wally's intense gaze, before You ran out of the front door, slamming open the door. You murmured your apologies to Home for opening his door so aggressively, but You didn't stop as You rounded the corner to the right to find... Poppy's barn. And then Julie's house after that. They were closer now, as if Sally's existence had only been a figment of your imagination.

'No, surely, they just took down her house because she's been missing for so long? Right.' You spun around, your foot digging into the yellow pathway, before You bolted down the path, fists clenched. You swung open the door to Howdy's Bugdega so hard that You startled Howdy, who'd been stacking a big tower of beans in the front window. He jumped so hard that the tower of beans fell down. Through Howdy's eyes, he watched sadly as the bean tower he'd been working on perfecting for an hour fell in slow motion.

"Howdy! Have you seen Sally?" You gasp, knowing You must look crazy right now. Your hair was still a tangled mess and your eyes were practically bulging out of your head. Howdy gave You an exasperated look, two of his arms on his hips and the other two crossed over his chest.

"I'm sorry, neighbor, who?"

Chapter Text

🩵Chapter Nineteen🩵

You were speechless. A can of beans rolled over to your foot, bumping it as you stared at Howdy in disbelief. "Y-You're joking... right?" You laughed bleakly, your throat feeling dry and like it was closing in on itself. You gripped some of your hair in one hand, eyes practically bulging out of your head. The caterpillar grocer cocked an eyebrow at You.

"Ah, well, I'm sorry if it sounded like a joke. I assure you it wasn't, neighbor." Howdy glanced down at the fallen cans. Two of his hands reached for the cans and started to restack the tower of beans while the other two made comical thinking gestures.

"She just came in yesterday! We got eggs together and-" You cut off and put your head in your hands. Were you going crazy? Maybe there was never really a theatrical star named Sally. Perhaps it was all in your mind, a character created to help You cope with your new environment. 'Or maybe this is all just a dumb dream and I'm going delulu...' You thought, glumly, heaving a deep sigh.

Well," Howdy spoke while stacking cans and scratching his head. "I don't know a Sally, but I can tell you all about my sister Callie and her brother Louis! You see, last week Louis visited Callie," He began, a big smile on his face as he began to explain that Louis and a Allie were having an affair. Just as he began to explain how common it was for this to happen between caterpillar siblings, the bell chimed as someone entered.

"Hi Howdy. Hi neighbor." Wally smiled as he walked in, stopping in front of a fallen can of beans. He cocked his head at it and bent down, picking it up. Unlike bean cans in the real world, which were usually just covered in picked off the red, brown, or white beans that were inside, these cans seemed to have a grinning clown on them with the words "BEANS" replacing its teeth. Wally walked to Howdy and handed him the beans. "Here you go, Howdy. Beans."

"Thanks little feller!" Howdy patted Wally on the head with one of his many hands. As he did so, Wally's hair messed up a bit, making the blue haired puppet narrow his eyes. "So what can I do for ya?"

"I need the supplies for my sleepover tonight. Barnaby said-"

"Oh! Right right right! I'll be back in a jiffy!" Howdy interrupted, especially enthusiastic today. He put one more can of beans on his bean can tower before hurrying to the back room. In Howdy's absence, You feel Wally's eye on You as You stared after Howdy.

"Are you ok neighbor? You don't look so well." Wally walked over to You, taking your hand in his plush ones. You quickly pull away. Of course You weren't ok. You were confused, paranoid, and felt like everyone was part of an inside joke where your growing anxiety was the punchline.

"I'm not." You replied, tone harsh and flat. You whirled around to storm out of the store when You realized Wally was still watching. "See you at Home." What else could You say to him? The bell rings again as You leave the store and step into the felt sunlight. No, you were not going to ponder how felt sunlight worked. One crisis at a time, please. You stare dully at the vibrant set, watching as the flowers all seemed to sway as if on a tempo.

"Heya buddy!" Chuckled an approaching voice and You turned your head to your left and saw Barnaby, walking towards You on all four.

"Hey Barnaby." You replied, hollowly, slumping a bit. Barnaby tilted his head at You in confusion.

"Woah... er... why so blue? Ther' can only be one blue neighbor in town, hate to break it to ya! Heh heh!" The great blue dog put one of his big paws on You, nearly obscuring your head under his massive paw. When You didn't respond- what did he expect You to do? Spin around with a grin and shoot back a smart joke before skipping off into the sunset?- Barnaby frowned a bit and sat down, sitting with You in silence before he stood up again. "Well, if ya need anything, maaaybe yuh should talk with Poppy, she's good at this listening and sympathizin' thing!" Then, Barnaby walked into Howdy's. Even though Barnaby wasn't much help, he was right, maybe talking to someone would help. You begrudgingly walked for her barn, continuously finding yourself in front of Home. You were beginning to get frustrated, about to give up, when You found yourself in front of Poppy's Barn. You knocked and the door opened as Poppy's big feather head peaked out, neck arched and craned to see who was there to visit her.

"Oh my feathers, are you quite alright dear?" She exclaimed once she saw your gloomy expression and oh... come in, come in!" Poppy ushered You inside with her wings, then gently shut the door. "This way, dear, sit on the couch and I'll get us some tea and pie." The great big bird scurried to the kitchen, head held low as she seemed to be actively trying to make herself smaller. You watched her for a moment before making your way towards the couch. You plucked the orange, green, and purple blanket you'd cuddled in last time and sat down on the couch with the blanket draped over your lap. Soon, Poppy hurried in cautiously, holding a tea tray with two tea cups filled with your favorite kind of tea and two slices of apple pie. "Do you want to talk?" She asked, as she handed You apple pie and a spoon.

You took the slice and thought, chewing the inside of your cheek. Should You tell Poppy about everything? Tell her about the humans below the neighborhood? Tell her about the dreams You had of your old life? Tell her about Sally's erasure? It would be healthy to tell her. But.. then there was Wally. You weren't sure how to feel about him. It was like he was two different people at times, changing character in the blink of an eye. One part of him was goofy, clueless even, and sweet, presenting himself as a kind little gentleman You couldn't help but adore. But the other side of him was cruel without reason, making You feel as if You were losing your mind. Could You tell her about Wally's- and, by extent, Home's- involvement in it all? Would she be safe if You told her?

"Would you like to talk about it?" She repeated, looking concerned as she shifted her feathers and sipped the cooled off tea delicately. You looked up at her and weakly smiled, shaking your head.

"I'm... not ready." You replied, scooping up some pie on your spoon, putting it in your mouth. Poppy nodded in an understanding way and a peaceful silence followed as You and Poppy enjoyed tea and pie.

(A/N: I'm so so so so sorry this literally took a month and a half to release! And for such small chapter. I've been having some writer's block and I've been working on a Wally AU of my own. It would mean the world if you checked it out {Only on Wattpad, }! Of course, you don't have to, I just hope you enjoyed this chapter!)

Chapter Text

🩵 Chapter Twenty 🩵

"Oh my, look at the time!" Poppy exclaimed as she peered over at an odd device that must be a clock in this world. It was a circle with eyes, one open, one winking, a big grin on its face, and two awkwardly squiggly hands where its nose would be pointing in an obtuse angle. Poppy turned back to You, getting up shakily and offering a wing to help boost You to your feet. "It'll be nighttime soon, you should hurry home before then." You nodded and allowed Poppy to help You up. You yawned and stretched as Poppy quickly tidied the area, collecting the empty tea cups and plates with forks and crumbs. She swept into the kitchen, leaving You to fold your knitted secondary colored blanket to put it back in its place.

You hadn't thought about what you'd do when you'd visit Home for the sleepover. Surely You couldn't decline. You had a feeling Wally would force You to go, even if he had to cause one of those "accidents" he liked to warn You about. He gave the impression of "I will burn down your house and make You disappear like Sally if You don't cooperate". You sighed at the thought of the vanished star. Poor Sally... Might be for the best, though, she was going to force a kiss between You and Wally in a play You didn't even want to be in. You sighed, then chuckled before going towards the front door.

"Ms. Poppy? I'll be leaving now, I'm headed to Home." Poppy was the kind of person who would, most likely, freak out if she left someone in a room then came back to find no one there. Either way, it was just common courtesy and good manners. "Thank you... for... well, thank you for everything."

You heard the sound of shuffling feathers as Poppy squeezed into the small room with the front door. Poppy reached over You to get the door for You but then her wing retreated back to her body. She looked anxious, like she wanted to open the door for You, but she didn't want to be rude and lean over You, but she didn't want to be rude and lean over You. After a moment of her awkward fidgeting and quiet mutters of "Oh feathers...", You simply opened the door, walked out, and turned to look back at the rainbow bird with a sheepish smile. Poppy's head lowered to be level with yours, not a feather outside of her barn.

"I hope You know that you're always welcome to come in for pie and tea.You can always tell me anything or nothing at all, but I do oh so enjoy your company." She warbled softly, smiling at You. You nodded and watched as Poppy shakily shut the barn doors. Then, You turned back to the road. Here goes nothing. A sleepover at Wally's Home? This would be interesting. You closed your eyes and took a deep breath and a step forward. When You opened your eyes, your breath hitched and You stumbled back, almost falling. Somehow, someway, You were now in front of Home. Home's big eyes cross eyed as it tried to stare at You while You stood in front of its door. You looked over your shoulder to look at Poppy's barn. You could clearly see that it was at least 20 meters away, relatively far from your position in front of Home's front door, mind racing as questions spilled in. But You shook your head. No. You were here now- even if You wanted to go to your house to get clothes of your own first- so You should just knock. You raised a hand to gently knock, but then stopped and looked over at Home. Would this hurt it? You didn't want to get on Wally's bad side by hurting his house. You groaned and held your head in your hands. Why was everything with Wally so unnecessarily complicated?

You were about to literally go up to Home and ask it if You could beat its door twice with your fist, when You heard someone shout at You. You half expected to hear Wally's slow drawl speak and feel his lemon shaped eyes burn into You. But that didn't happen. Instead, a rainbow blur- mostly consisting of yellows and pinks- came from around the other side of the house and rammed into You, her arms wrapping around You in a hug.

"Neighbor!" Julie squealed, still hugging You quite tightly. "Oh, come over here!" She ushered You to the side she came from, wearing a huge grin. "You're just in time for Jump Rope Checker Slinky! I was just- oh!" The rainbow monster puppet suddenly exclaimed, ceasing all movement as she stopped at one of the windows on Home's side. "Neighbor! Where is your sleepwear? You can't attend a sleepover without wearing sleepwear, ya know!" She giggles, her hands on her hips as she stands in front of You, observing You. This gave You time to see what she was wearing. Julie's long, puffy, blonde hair was braided with white bows and looked only half done, as if she left in the middle of braiding. She wore a perfectly white nightgown with lace trimmings and a cute little blue bow. And some white socks that matched her dress.

"Well, that's ok, you can just ask Frank for his spare." Julie hummed, finally, before taking your right hand in both of hers. She began to pull You to the back of Home, giggling. Julie led You into what must be Home's backyard, a closed off area hidden by three huge trees, one red, one blue, and one yellow. The others had spread quilted blankets all over the grass and sat down on it, talking.

"FraAank!~" Julie sang as she paraded into the backyard with You as an entourage. "We need your spare clOoOothes~!"

"Please tell me you're not going to cut them up for a game of Hopscotch Frank's Squares..." Frank whined, grabbing his yellow and purple checkered bag and hugging it closely. Julie threw back her head, laughing melodically and went to Frank.

You glanced over at Barnaby and Wally. Barnaby rested against the large tree with yellow leaves, Wally sitting politely next to him with his hands folded in his lap. Both were dressed in their pajamas, Barnaby with a blue nightcap and Wally in a blue robe with the rainbow striped white shirt and pants. Wally watched Barnaby fidget with a slinky and Barnaby seemed to be explaining to Wally what a slinky was before he handed it to Wally. "Here, little buddy, why don't you try it? I think you'll like it."

Wally took it, holding it carefully and gently in both hands. He looked up at Barnaby before looking back down at the slinky. Then, he picked it up by one ring, his eyes widening as he saw the slinky unravel before him.

"Wow!" Wally made a noise much like gasping, awe in his typically monotone and flat voice. "I think I do... like this." He responded to Barnaby before collecting the slinky together again. You smiled at how innocent and sweet he looked, marveling over something as simple as a fidget toy. As if he'd just sensed your presence, Wally looked up, his eyes meeting yours. "Hello neighbor." He called, voice slightly raised. Barnaby stopped watching Wally play with the slinky and looked up at you, a big doggy grin spreading across his face.

"Heyyy! You!" He waved You over and so You walked over to sit in front of Barnaby and Wally, keeping eye contact with Barnaby and not Wally, even though Wally continued to stare at You with a big smile. "Me an' Walls were just talkin' 'bout you!"

"Were you?" You glance back over at Wally, eyes narrowed a bit, biting the inside of your cheek. You hesitate before saying, "Well... sorry I'm late. I thought we were having a sleepover inside Home." Julie laughed as You spoke with visible confusion, her attention leaving Frank and going back to You.

"Oh, well, Barnaby can't squeeze through the door, ya know!" Julie giggled, grinning and picking up a pink and yellow striped jump rope with red handles.

"I don't know why, it should be easy for a lil' pup like me!" Barnaby chuckled, making Julie giggle even more and making Frank groan and roll his eyes.

"Uh... huh." You responded, smiling and laughing softly, Julie and Barnaby's laughing being infectious. Wally gave a closed eye smile while saying "Ha. Ha. Ha. Ha!" laughing in his own strange and unique way. Frank approached You, holding out a set of luxurious black silk pajamas with golden butterflies all over.

"I..." He made a noise like sighing. "I suppose you can borrow these pajamas since you came unprepared."

"Oh! You didn't bring any sleeping clothes?" Wally perked up, stopping his fidgeting with the slinky. His eyes were wide in comparison to his normal droopy expression and he opened his mouth to say something else when Frank interrupted him.

"If you ruin these, I will never lend you anything ever again." The grey puppet added to You, shooting a suspicious glare in your direction. You simply smiled and nodded, taking the clothing cautiously.

"I'll take my chances." You respond, before looking around. "Where can I-?" Before You could ask where You could change, Julie grabbed your hand and led You back around to Home, who opened the door for You and Julie. She led You inside and motioned to the bathroom door as if she was introducing You to it.

"You can change in here, neighbor, and we'll get Jump Rope Chess Slinky set up!" She chimed cheerfully, before skipping off. You glance over at Home's eye, who was watching You, before going into the bathroom and changing as quickly as You could. You glanced at yourself in the mirror. The clothes were aesthetically appealing and roomy, not to mention comfortable. You smiled before exiting Home to join everyone in the back again.

"Ok everyone, let's play Jump Rope Checkers Slinky!" Julie clapped excitedly upon recognizing your return, bouncing up and down in place.

"Jump Rope Checkers Slinky? Why- ah- I thought we were playing Jump Rope CHESS Slinky?" Frank furrowed his unibrow at Julie who looked a bit puzzled.

"Chess and checkers are the same thing, Frank!" She replied with a giggle, making Frank's eye twitch and his lips turn into a scowl.

"Julie, for the last time, there are many differences between chess and checkers. Even though they're both played on an eight by eight grid. For one, in checkers, the primary objective is to get rid of all of your opponent's pieces. In chess, however, the primary objective is to check the rival king, regardless of how many pieces your opponent has left." Frank began to ramble, hands moving as he spoke.

"I dunno Frank, both seem to 'ave a checkered past!" Barnaby chuckled with a grin, his laughter joined in by Julie. Frank's head spun around once as he looked agitated by Barnaby's interference.

It pained You to watch these puppets live so carefree. They were bickering about something as simple as the difference between chess and checkers! What would they do if they knew they were just figments of someone's imagination? Surely it would break them. Everything was so simple and cute here but it didn't seem like they could ever leave... What if you helped them? They were so trapped in a bubble, they would never see anything other than the same houses, the same trees and rocks, the same insects and people! After all... something just wasn't right here. You took a deep breath as you came to a decision: You would help them escape.

Just as You made that oath, You felt a felt hand grip your wrist and flinched before looking over your shoulder to come face to face with Wally Darling.

"Be careful neighbor." His eyes burned into yours, a grim smile on his lips. "Remember, we don't like heroes." Then, Wally let go of You, smiled warmly at You, then walked away towards the game being set up, Jump Rope Checker Slinky.

(A/N: I DID IT, FINALLY FINISHED THE CHAPTER! I hope ya'll enjoyed! I'm sure there's some unfilled filler in here, so please point it out if you see anything. I finally fulfilled a request, hooray! Very happy today!)