#wally needs a hug

[icepopstar5105us]

Short but fun. Lol.

—

Zatanna knew they were screwed the moment she saw the summoning circle. It was surrounded by ominous runes about death, dark kings, and power. The chanting started as the Young Justice Team watched in frozen terror.

“Zatanna?” Aqualad asked through the mind link as he tried to escape from the magical bind, “What are they doing?”

“They’re summoning something.” Zatanna replied worriedly, “The circle signifies it’s something powerful. Maybe royalty… something to do with death.” The summoning circle began to glow green.

“That doesn’t sound good.” Wally shuddered from where he laid — legs bound together.

“It probably isn’t.” Robin agreed.

The chanting finished, and a green light shot out from the portal. The summoning circle’s runes started to turn a brighter green until the runes erupted into green flames.

“Guys?” Zatanna’s fear shot through the mindlink, “Whatever they summoned just destroyed the containment runes.”

There was a rush of air as the lights flickered — the flames went out before the room plunged into darkness. There was a series of thuds, screams, and various noises of a fight. There were a few flashes of green and a childish giggle. The team was released, but they stayed in place out of fear. Two claps — the lights came up. A boy stood in the summoning circle. His white hair was tousled and his neon green eyes were sharp.

He gave them a teasing smile, “You can drop the fighting stances. I just took out your enemy. You're welcome, by the way.” His head tilted as he looked at the runes, “Huh. They were hoping for Pariah. Idiots — he hasn’t had been around for a good few years and even if he was, he wouldn’t have spared them.”

“Who are you?” Wally blurted.

“I mean, most people just call me Phantom, but there’s like a bunch of different names for me, so call me whatever’s most comfortable.” The boy didn’t seem to care either way, “You probably need to get going, so here.” A flash of green energy formed in his hand and when it went away, there was a piece of black paper with green runes written on it between his fingers. Danny handed it to Wally, “I can sense that you’re closer to my realm than anyone else here. Keep this on you for the next six years. When you think your death is inevitable make sure you have it and I’ll do what I can.”

“Okay?” Wally sounded confused, “What’s your realm?”

Phantom opened a portal, “I’m the King of the Infinite Realms.”

Zatanna and Kaldur flinched as Phantom stepped through and they looked at Wally with worry and panic.

“What?” Wally asked, “What’s wrong? I got a souvenir!”

Zatanna swallowed, “Wally…”

“Don’t.” Kaldur shook his head, and he turned to look at Wally, “Keep that on you at all times. Do not lose it. It may save your life later on.”

“Yessir!” Wally grinned, giving a goody salute.

—

Wally had always carried that strange piece of paper. He hadn’t known what it was, but his friends’ worry made him keep it close.

It had never really done anything… until Wally was starting to fade into the speed force. He had to keep running or it was over. He wasn’t as fast as his predecessors, but he was helping — he was just the push they needed to win. He was about to die, but it was the only way to defeat his enemy and save the world.

So, Wally ran faster. He told Barry his last words and let the world fade to white.

When his vision refocused, he was standing in a dimly lit room with strange green fog.

“Where am I?” Wally asked, confused.

“I told you I’d do what I could.” Phantom stepped out of the mist.

“I never got to visit your realm.” Wally said, confused, “Is this it?”

“No. This is inbetween.” Phantom gave Wally a sad smile, “Your friends were right to be worried about you — they know the Infinite Realms by another name.”

“And what is that?” Wally asked.

“The realm of the dead.” Phantom replied, eyes softening, “It’s usually a difficult fate to avoid… but I pulled some strings.”

“So… You’re going to let me live?” Wally blinked.

Phantom nodded, “Yes.”

“I appreciate it, but why me?” Wally wondered.

The Undead King hesitated, but then he sighed, “I was fourteen when I died.” Phantom admitted, “It was an accident in my parents lab. Electrocution. I didn’t let my friends try to save me, because I wanted to protect them. So when my friend stepped forward, I told him to stand back… I took the hit and nothing could be the same, because I died. Later on, my protectiveness of those around me became something that other ghosts came to respect, but to be honest? I never should’ve had to sacrifice myself in the first place. I was too young.” He sighed.

“So I… remind you of yourself?” Wally asked softly.

“Well, an early-to-mid teenager with a nearing death date did hit a bit close to home, but it’s not particularly rare. Mildly uncommon, but… it happens. I wasn’t going to do anything. I usually don’t… but you’re unique in a way I couldn’t ignore. You have witnessed so much, and yet you stay so kind and bright. It’s something I’ve come to value” Phantom whispered — almost reverently, “There are very few people who can still find laughter, light, and hope in the face of tragedy. I couldn’t take that from your world… so I’m not. Not now, anyways. Your new death date is distant, but that can still change if you are not careful. Do not waste your life. The time you have is precious. Use it well.” Phantom said and then a smile crossed his face, “Say hello to your friends for me.”

The darkness began to fill Wally’s vision, and he startled from a place on the ground. He blinked the spots out of his vision and turned to grin at his friends. The disbelief on their faces made him feel awkward so he shrugged, “So… Phantom says hi.”

A smile slowly spread across Kaldur’s face. Nightwing also smirked at the comment— Wally wasn’t sure when he’d figured out what Phantom had given him, but he wasn’t surprised he had. Zatanna wasn’t there at the moment, but she’d probably be grinning too,

Wally was taken by surprise when Artemis tackled him into a tear filled hug. She knocked him over and Wally’s grin softened, “Love you, Arty.” He sat up and held her close, “Love you so much.”

Artemis sniffled and hugged him, “I love you, idiot. Don’t ever scare me like that again. You hear me?”

“I won’t.” Wally promised.

He had a ring in his dresser. He’d had it since his eighteenth birthday. Artemis’s mother had given her blessing. After nearly missing his chance, Wally wasn’t going to wait any longer.

He proposed to Artemis two days later.

“I got a second chance at life, and it made me realize… .” Wally had said, “Every day that I’m not with you, is a day I’ve wasted. Your laugh and smile mean so much to me and I want to see you happy every day. I love you and I want to spend the rest of my life with you.” He got down on one knee. Artemis had covered her mouth as she smiled, “Artemis, will you marry me?”

When she said yes, Wally had put the ring on her finger. They’d kissed and he’d spun her around in excitement.

Eventually, there was a new hero duo. The man was known as Blur — a speedster rumored to have once worked with Flash. The woman called herself Focus — her enemies rarely knew she was there until the arrow had already struck. Together, they could do almost anything. They lived a long time until they retired.

When Wally died, it was in his sleep. It was a peaceful death after a life of adventure. Wally had made the most of every opportunity he got. He had little to no regrets when he passed.

Phantom smiled as Clockwork showed him Wally’s fate. A painless death and a life well lived was the best fate one could hope for.

He knew he’d made the right decision.

[darkfluffydragon]

Welcome Home Gamemaster!AU

New AU Idea for Welcome home! I would have drawn if it I didn’t already have four existing AUs, and I need someone to sedate this idiotic mind of mine.

Anyways, the main cast of the neighborhood (modern AU) wakes up one day within a labyrinth of rooms. They are told by an unknown being, who called themselves Home, that they have become part of a game of survival. They are to complete challenges for their freedom, with failure meaning death.

Wally is the gamemaster’s assistant, and is meant to manage the challenges. He knows that Home had lied, because there was no winning the game. They would simply continue doing challenges until everyone died, there was no escape. Despite having done this many, many times before, he finds himself growing attached to this determined group.

The storyline will focus on the group trying to find an escape and defeat Home once and for all, while trying to convince the lonely assistant to join and help them.

That’s about it, for the AU! Tell me what you guys think :D

[carnivalcarriondiscarded]

i wanted to try drawing him visually softer and now im near tears because I Can't Hug Him

[i-ate-your-dog-srry]

Puppet wally fokes??.. well technically he is always a Puppet.. but not real-.?... (ToT)

The silly goober doesn't seem to understand.. barnabys gotta break the news sooner or later...

[mx-darling-1]

Hello, I can ask for a request.. I could make a fanfic where all the Welcome characters appear in the real world, mainly in the reader's house. Now they and the reader have to share a house and try to find some way to send them back to their world... I think it would be cool for a story

(Bonus: maybe while changing channels on TV, they come across another puppet show)

That could be really interesting! I'll see what I can do! Tw: Wally has seperation anxiety and a minor panic attack

Wally Darling x GN reader Real World Jealousy

Its been a couple weeks since the characters from your favorite childhood tv show suddenly appeared in your house. Youve slowly been getting used to it, although its been hard hiding them from the public eye. Well, Barnaby is 8ft tall after all. Its much easier to sneak Wally around, so you often spend more time with him and Julie. Although, and you would never tell the others this, you definitely preferred spending time with Wally. He was always your favorite character and you guessed that just bled into adult hood.

Over these past couple of weeks Wally had begun to cling to you. As soon as he appeared in your home it was like he already knew you. And, little did you know that he did know you, he's watched you since you were little, and you were always his favorite watcher. The longer he got to be by your side, the more he craved your attention. It was the most important thing to him now. And he almost felt guilty, all his friends were trying to figure out how to get home, but he never wanted to leave. He would even get irritated at his friends whenever they got to close to you or took to much of your attention, overall he seemed very snappy to everyone but you. You didnt seem to notice at all, until the day you were just flipping through some TV channels.

You didnt think it was a big deal, flipping some channels just to find something to watch. Wally was getting some beauty sleep and you were on the couch with Julie and Barnaby. They usually enjoyed more childish shows so you were scrolling through one of the kids channels when you came across Sesame Street, without really thinking about it, you put it on the TV to watch. You notice the tone in the room shift and suddenly a door from somewhere behind you slams open hitting a wall. Your head slams back as you look for whoever slammed the door, only to see Wally staring at the screen in absolute disdain, and you couldn't get over how terrifying it was. Wally never stopped smiling, but it was obvious that he was pissed as he walked over to the couch.

Wally just grabbed the remote, turning the TV off before turning back to look at you. "Sesame Street? Are you trying to replace us neighbor? Why would you want to replace us? We are supposed to be your favorite! I'M supposed to be your favorite!!" His voice was becoming more frantic, and you didnt even notice all the other puppets leaving the room as Wallys actions became desperate, walking closer and closer to you. He grabbed your hands, staring eye level with you although you were seated on the couch and he was standing.

"Wally...hey now..." He became even more desperate, pleading with you. "Please [Name], please dont leave us. Please dont abandon us. Dont abandon me..please please plea-" As tears streamed down your face you pulled Wally closer to you, causing him to go limp in your arms. You couldnt help this overwhelming sadness that took over you as you became desperate to help him, your favorite Wally Darling. "Hey, Wally. I'm never going to leave you, I will never replace you. For you and your neighbors, Welcome home will always be my favorite. No silly puppet show is going to change that. And you will always be my favorite, my Darling. So please Wally, never think like that again." Gently you grabbed Wallys face and placed kisses across it. You could feel Wally melting in your arms as he smiled up at you. "You really mean it neighbor?" You nod softly, smiling at him as you see his lovesick relieved expression. "Of course, and I'll always mean it Wally, even when you guys find your way back home."

Im not too sure how I feel about this one, but hopefully it lived up to expectations! Its a bit short since i wrote more but tumbler deleted it😭

[crowleys-right-eyeball]

happy pride month to this guy

[sg-the-mag-by]

Wally has something to give everyone…a super big, as big as he can manage, hug!

And

Lots and lots of Love too!

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

[sarahreadstoomanycomics]

Here are a couple of panels I was going to do something with but I changed my mind since it would take way too long to find every panel I would need for this set. I still edited these two anyway though so might as well post them right who doesn’t like hugs?

[von-posts-stuff]

Miscellaneous doodles! Hugs all around!

[arikihalloween]

Meet Peacekeeper "Keeper" Poppy

Say Hi to the Multiverse Mom !

Keeper is a multiverse being much like Admin or Observer, although she does not travel, she'd rather stay in her pocket dimension. She will welcome any soul that needs rest and healing, she's very motherly in nature and likes to take care of others.

She is more confident than the original, especially in her own domaine where she won't hesitate to put her foot down to protect the piece. Bad behavior is not welcome in her realm, and bad kids shall be kicked out if they attempt to hurt others.

Feel free to doodle her with aus and ocs ! Especially if your little ones are traumatized 🥺

I can also take some doodle request ! Come hub mama bird !

[chronicbeans]

OKAY Y'ALL WE GOT A SITUATION TYPE DEAL HERE- IF I HAD TO THINK OF THIS, Y'ALL HAVE TO, AS WELL-

I was just getting ready for bed, when my brain started thinking about how, if Wally only experienced the show, how basically everybody but him would probably like... stop existing or be frozen in time, maybe even when he is in the website. Which like cool, fair brain. Makes sense.

Then my brain was like "HOW ABOUT WHEN WALLY TRIES TO CELEBRATE HIS BIRTHDAY, CHRONICBEANS?" And I was like, dreading it. My brain always tortures me with sad things when it says "how about [blank]?"

Then it decided to throw the depressing image of Wally sitting in his room, singing "Happy birthday to me. I wish my friends were with me. And although I can't hear you, I hope you sang with me."

So now I have to sleep with that idea in my brain...

[silent-scribbs]

Decided to take a moment during my insomnia (/hj) to go back to the concept of my two lil WH AUs, Lucid Dream (that one comic I have) and WaterFallen (which is just Cloud 9 but bad end sorta?)

And I… man. I really go off with wordplay with this kinda stuff, sorta.

Waterfallen, due to Cloud 9, encompasses so many idioms when I think about it, particularly involving water, but also just generally. I just (re)learned some because of a lil sketch, too.

On Cloud 9, Down in the Dumps, those are specifically locales. Everything after is from actively trying to come up with things to describe the events I have down.

Mans falls a lot tbh lmao, he fell 3 whole times already! Poor guy. But it is in the name… Water Fallen.

I wish I could get more. But I only know that he may want to burn the cult to the ground. Turn the dark cloud into rain, if yk what I mean

Prepare for the storm, the smoke clears, uhh… etc etc.

✨Clear Skies✨ = 👍

The pieces are THERE, I just. Haven’t tried materializing it. Fully. But I think you get the picture :3

[carnivalcarriondiscarded]

i have never felt this uniquely insane about a character <3 i cant get a read on him

[amybizarre]

Original (Sensory Overload)

(Just wanted to say real quick, that this was my first time trying to write about a topic like this. Feel free to give me feedback on how I did. Especially if something doesn't seem right. I would greatly appreciate constructive criticism! ^^

Also lil CW: Overstimulation for poor Wals.)

You had decided to throw a party in your back yard. The weather was beautiful and warm. Perfect opportunity for a BBQ! 

Naturally you had invited everyone over and asked them to contribute to the party by bringing something along.

You were the host, so you provided the location, the grill, the charcoal and your favorite food.

Howdy and Barnaby had brought a selection of meat and sausages.

Sally had brought vegetarian options for grilling.

Poppy had made a few salads.

Julie had brought paper plates, cutlery and napkins.

Eddie and Frank had taken care of drinks.

And Wally had brought a basket full of apples, that Howdy couldn't seem to remember selling.

Generally speaking the evening had come along great. The delicious smell of burning charcoal and grilled food wavered through the air. Music and chatter filled the background. Everyone was gathered around your garden table and having a good time.

Howdy had taken your spot by the barbeque so you could sit down and eat as well. Now he was enthusiastically clinking the metal tongs in one of his four hands and chatted with Barnaby. They were sharing the newest puns and jokes, their loud laughter occasionally interrupting them.

Frank was doing his best not to let it bother him, while he told Eddie about the latest discoveries he made with his studies, while sipping a non-alcoholic cocktail. The mailman was listeneing intently of course. His chin propped up on his hand and a light blush dusting his cheeks.

Julie had been the first to finish her food and had taken it upon herself to be the DJ for tonight. Sally had soon joined her, demanding a karaoke event.

Poppy and Wally sat next to each other. As you were eating, you complimented her on her salad.

"I just don't know how you do it, Poppy! It's so juicy and fresh! But at the same time not soggy at all!" You exclaimed after swallowing another mouthful of her layered salad.

She chuckled and covered her beak with her wing. "Oh dear. It really isn't anything special."

You delved into a conversation about her recipes and neat little cooking tricks with her. All the while Wally was drawing quietly beside Poppy. He stopped every now and then to listen to the two of you talk with a curious tilt of his head. Sometimes (notably when the background noises got particularly loud) he just freezed though, staring blankly at his artwork. You didn't pay too much attention to this behavior just yet. Simply brushing it off as him thinking about how to continue his drawing.

"Alright everyone, that was the last sausage!" Howdy shouted over the remaining chatter. "What do we do with the remaining embers?"

You thought for a moment. "Hmm, what about a bonfire?"

General agreement was voiced throughout your back yard. With a nod and a smile, Howdy took the tray with gleaming embers out of the grill. He went to the fire pit in the middle of your yard and dumped them in there. With a few branches and other pieces of wood piled on top of the embers, the fuzzy green caterpillar quickly ignited a neat little bonfire, that quickly became the new center of attention.

Now that their appetites were satisfied, the neighbors each grabbed their chairs and put them down in a circle around the bonfire.

Poppy however got up and started clearing the table. As soon as you saw this you jumped to your feet as well.

"Woah there, young lady!" You scolded the older momma bird light heartedly. "You're my guest. Don't even think about cleaning up!"

Poppy chuckled gently. "But I insist, my dear. After making a mess with the others, I ought to help clean it!"

"Not if I clean it first-!" You scrambled to gather the empty plates and bring them to the trash.

Poppy shook her head with a patient smile and kept on gathering the glasses, that were no longer in use. Albeit a lot calmer, than your frantic self. Before she brought the glasses inside however, she placed her wing gently on Wally's back, making him look up at her.

"I'll help Neighbor with the dirty dishes and such, okay? So I'll be inside if you need anything." She told him. Wally nodded.

"Okay, Poppy."

She smiled and brought the dirty glasses in her wing inside. Wally stayed behind at the table, trying to finish his drawing. But he found it hard to focus.

A lot was going on in your small backyard. He put his crayon down and leaned back in his chair. For a moment Wally just watched the sun setting behind the trees in the distance. It was a pretty sight. He felt his fingers itch with the urge to capture the gorgeous orange sky in his sketchbook. But he figured it would look better with watercolors instead of crayons, so he decided against it.

Wally closed his eyes, keen on enjoying the fleeting warmth of the sunrays on his felt. Spring had just begun, so it would cool down quickly as soon as the sun had went to sleep. But with his closed eyes came a heightened sense of hearing.

The voices of his neighbors met his ears, all talking at once. He tried not to grimace, when he reopened his eyes. They were oddly loud today. But it wouldn't be very neighborly of him to tell them to shush. They listened to him patiently whenever he talked as well, after all.

He looked over to them. Barnaby and Howdy were laughing again. Wally was sure one of them told a joke. He wanted to laugh as well, so he tried to listen to their conversation only, from his spot at the table. But then you returned and gathered more things from the table, still as frantic as before. Wally looked at you, but you could only smile apologetically as you were already back on your way, arms full.

Oh. Okay, then. A cold breeze wooshed through the yard. Wally shivered. His cardigan wasn't the best at keeping the wind away. The breeze also flipped a page of his sketchbook, reminding him it was still there. He stared at it for a moment. He didn't feel like drawing anymore. So he packed up his crayons and shut his sketchbook before stashing everything away in his backpack between his feet.

After that he got up. Wally tried to bring his chair over to the bonfire like the rest of his friends. But it wasn't as easy as it looked. He didn't understand why.

"Need help with that, little buddy?" His best friend Barnaby asked.

Oh, Wally never noticed him approach. He gave his friend his usual droopy smile.

"Yes."

"Alright! No problem pal! Let's get you sit-uated!" Barnaby chuckled. Wally understood the joke and laughed with his firend.

"Ha. Ha. Ha. That was a good one, Barnaby."

"Thank you! You always know how to chair-ish a good pun!" The beagle grinned and put down Wally's chair beside his own and Howdy's. The caterpillar perked up at the pun.

"Hm? What type of jokes are we on now?"

"Chair-ful furniture puns!" Barnaby beamed, causing Howdy to slap his thigh and start laughing.

The noise reverbrated loudly in Wally's ears. He tried to ignore it and climbed back onto his chair. Barnaby sat down beside him.

"Ah, now that's a more sit-able position to share puns in, aye?" Howdy asked Barnaby once he was sitting. Both started laughing again.

"Ha. Ha. Ha." Wally laughed with them out of habit. This was getting a bit much now, now that he sat right beside them. He tried to distract himself by watching the bonfire.

He welcomed it's heat on his face. A part of him just hoped it wouldn't melt the wax he put in his hair today. The wriggly dance of flames had always mesmerized him. How their shapes bent and changed at a constant. He always found them hard to draw.

Wally found himself unable to fully enjoy the fire however. He wasn't reacting much to the jokes his friends were telling, though they didn't seem to mind. It made him feel guilty, that he wasn't enjoying them as much as usual. He wasn't sure what was different today.

"Well Barn, I just want to say: You'll always be a chair-leader in my book!" Howdy told Barnaby between chuckles and again, both couldn't help but laugh.

This time Wally didn't join them and it made the guilt in his stuffing knaw a bit harder on him. As the sun continued to set, the sky grew dark and the fire brighter.

Wally's discomfort only seemed to grow as well. It became cooler and the wind had picked up a little. His back felt a little too cold. And because of the fire his front side, especially his face, now felt a little too hot. He wanted to turn around, but didn't know how. Chairs were meant to be sat in. Wally was pretty sure he was doing it right.

But his back was still cold. How could there be a gust of wind and the fabric of his shirt both on his back at the same time? He didn't know. Wally leaned forward to escape the cold. But it made his face way too hot. Ugh, that was also unpleasant.

He shifted around a bit more, but couldn't find a comfortable position.What did Barnaby call such a predicament? Stuck between a rock and a hard place?

The music that had been playing in the background so far was turned to a higher volume. Now played a sweet love song, that Eddie asked Frank to dance with him to.

Wally's smile faltered. Why did the music also have to be loud?

Suddenly everything was loud. The music, the voices and laughter of his friends, even the crackling of the fire.

Suddenly everything became too much. Too warm. Too cold. Too uncomfortable. To loud. Too everything.

Wally didn't know what to cover with his hands first. His ears or his face. He settled for his ears and curled a little inwards, looking down at his lap.

The flickering light of the flames on his striped pants assaulted his vision. He winced slightly and closed his eyes tightly.

"Buddy? Pal? Are you okay?" Barnaby. Next to him and unbearably loud.

His friend placed his giant warm paw on Wally's cold back. It felt like it was burning.

Barnaby asked again if he was okay.

But Wally didn't react. He couldn't. He felt too overwhelmed with everything.

Just then you exited the house again. In your arms you carried a stack of blankets to offer your guests. Making your round and asking your neighbors with a cheery smile, the blankets in your arms quickly became less.

Since Eddie and Frank were still dancing you decided to spread a bigger blanket on both of their seats.With a small smirk you head over to Howdy, Barnaby and Wally.

When you saw Barn's and Howdy's worried expressions however, your smirk quickly faltered.

You could tell just by his pose and expression, that something wasn't right with Wally. Barn kept trying to talk to him, but nothing came of it.

"Is everything okay?" You asked worriedly, handing Howdy the last two blankets.

Welp, bit of a dumb question to be fair. Obviously something was not okay.

Barnaby met your worried gaze. He seemed a bit helpless."I don't know. Normally Wally tells me what's wrong, but I can't get him to speak." The blue dog admits.

As Wally's best friend he was normally the one taking the caretaker role, since he usually knew when something was up. But today was something knew, he found himself at a loss.

You hummed and crouched down beside Wally to get a better look at him. He appeared troubled, almost panicked even. His eyes were snapped shut and when he opened them shortly, they darted around frantically.

You tried to follow his gaze in hopes to find a clue, but only ended up looking at the whole scene in your backyard.

The rest of the neighbors hadn't noticed anything, and were still partying away.

Hm.

Just then you noticed the music was louder than before. One puzzle piece began moving.

When the song switched to a quicker, more cheerful one Wally winced, drawing your attention back to him. Another puzzle piece started moving.

Barn tried to comfort his smaller friend by rubbing his back, but it only made him curl up more. The third puzzle piece moved.

And when Wally whispered "Too much" in a barely audible volume it finally clicked.

Poor guy was hopelessly overwhelmed.

"Hm, Barn. I think I know what's up." You said quietly.He looked at you in relief and also confusion, when you gently took his paw off of Wally's back.

"You have an idea, Neighbor?" Barn asked, hopeful.

You nodded and tried to nudge Wally off of his chair.

"Yeah, I think our little friend is done partying tonight."

Barn tilted his head, still slightly confused. But you wave him off gently.

"Don't worry, Barnaby. I got this handled. You just enjoy the rest of the evening, okay?"

He didn't protest, so you tried to silently urge Wally to get up again.

When he refused to move you sighed softly and picked him up. Immediately Wally went limp in your arms and his hands fell from his ears. His eyes remained shut though.

Going limp was something he always did, when being handled. You lovingly called this quirk "puppet mode".

You rested Wally's weight on your hip and made your way back into your house. On the way you glanced down at your little companion, who's head leaned against your shoulder.

As soon as you reached the house, and the door shut behind you two, Wally's eyes opened again. He blinked a few times and lifted his head.

It had become notably more quiet. Your house was effectively keeping all the noise outside. The temperature in the hallway was nice and it was dark.

You were happy to see Wally slowly calm down.

"Yeah, that's a lot better, hm?" You mumbled quietly as you brought him up the stairs. Wally nodded and took in his surroundings. You guessed that after completely shutting off he needed a moment to ground himself again and figure out where he is exactly. You were sure he knew your house, so you remained quiet as you brought him into the guest room. Not bothering to turn on the lights, you crossed the room and sat Wally down on the bed. The little puppet got comfortable by curling up again on his side. You smiled a little and draped the covers over him to maximize coziness.

Wally snuggled into the covers and pulled them over his head. Your smile grew a bit softer.

Deciding to give him the time he needed to fully calm down and recover, you quietly got up to leave him be. In the doorframe you stopped to look back at him.

Wally looked so tiny in the quiet and dark room. You wondered what else you could do to accommodate him. You wanted to be there for him, but on the other hand reducing sensory stimuli was the main goal right now. Your presence could potentially already be too much.

But... It wouldn't hurt to quietly set down a glass of water and plate with apple slices, right?You figured it was the least you could do. Down to the kitchen you went. A glass was quickly filled up with water. An apple was washed just as quick and thanks to your neat and handy apple slicer it was cut quickly as well. With both items in hand you went back to the guest room and placed them on the nightstand.

You cast one last glance at Wally. He was still hiding under the covers. But at least his breathing was slow and steady now.

The front door opened, demanding your attention. You left the guest room and quietly shut the door.

On your way down the stairs you saw that it was Barnaby. Ah, he probably wanted to check in.

He smiled nervously at you and fiddled with his paws. "Sooo, how's Wals?"

You smiled back gently and descended the rest of the stairs. "He's doing fine. Just resting upstairs now."

Barnaby released a sigh of relief.

"Thank goodness... You see, that was the first time that happened since I've known him. I honestly wouldn't have known what to do-"

"It's alright, Barn. We live and we learn. Nobody's perfect and that's okay." You place a hand on his arm in a reassuring manner.

He nodded. His gaze wandered up the stairs, still worried. You guessed he felt equally as bad about leaving his buddy alone as you did.

"What do you say to us sitting down in the kitchen? Can I offer you anything? Some tea maybe?"

"Ah, that actually sounds very good."

And thus you found yourself sitting in the kitchen with Barnaby until late at night, just quietly chatting away over a cup of tea.