Wally Darling x Reader

- Unflattering

extra notes: haha, hello! it's been a while.
1. requested by stupid_kid_lmfao, Alpacamarine, LilyanneHall, and iLikeBL69! i decided to combine your requests since they were quite similar.
2. for reference, "oxford shoes" are a type of tap-dancing shoe. they click loudly when on the ground!
thank you! ⭐️

nothing was running smoothly for you today. the heavy rain had completely mauled your hair, you lost the purse julie had gifted you, and your clothes gotten dirty after you tripped in the mud. it was horrendous. and horrifically cold, too. you were completely overwhelmed by everything- and needed to get home as soon as possible. it was driving you up the wall. the feeling of the rain against your skin, your damp hair weighing down on your head and sticking to your face- you desperately needed to get dry.
on the contrary, wally was sat by his window; warm, comfortable, and admiring the rain. he thought it was beautiful, and how fun it was to watch the little droplets slowly run down the sill. it brought him a sense of satisfaction. after a little while of gazing, he pulls out his canvas, beginning to paint the sheer drops- carefully observing them and even pressing his face up against the window to entirely capture their essence; painting in long, fluid strokes across the tarp.

he kept going at this for a few minutes- and somewhere along his little rain-study, he saw you; cold and jacketless, wandering round the neighbourhood in such horrid weather. he was appalled to see the state of your clothing, revolted by the stains and rugged marks of dirty water running down your form.
he sighs, getting up from his stool and setting down his paintbrush. he would see to it another time- as much as he hated being pulled away from his artistic trance. he reaches for his iridescent-red raincoat, slinging it over his shoulders before making his way to the door. he grabs your favourite peach-coloured umbrella, knowing it would lift your spirits a little when you saw it. he made sure to tuck in the entirety of his pompadour into the baggy hood of his raincoat before stepping outside.

giving the door a gentle pat, he steps out into the pounding rain. he struts over to where he last saw you in hopes to reach you before you were soaked entirely- but the chances of that happening were startlingly low due to his small stature. those miniature legs of his could never keep up with yours; but he was determined enough to continue going after you.
your mood had only further been soured- and at this rate, there may as well have been no salvaging it. the rain began to get noticeably heavier, and had soaked through the fabrics of your shirt and onto the naked skin underneath- clinging to you tightly. the sensation made your skin crawl.

soon enough, you hear panting behind you, accompanied by rapid, clicking footsteps. you exhale, already knowing who it was before you turned around to face him. those oxford shoes of his always gave him away.
in just a few moments, you feel wally tug at your sopping hand, fitting an umbrella between the crevices of your fingers, urging for you to hold it.
you peer down at him. he always remembered those small little details about you, even if it was something as small as offering you your favourite umbrella. you supposed he was just charmingly thoughtful that way.

he looks up at you, giving you a hearty grin, awaiting approval of his gesture. "thank you, wally. i appreciate it." you say, just loud enough for him to hear. a genuine look sparks in his eyes before he responds. "of course."
the rest of the walk between you was silent, with both of you occasionally exchanging coy smiles and curious glances. despite the fact that the rain had cleared a little, it was still relatively heavy by the time you got home.
jangling your keys, you insert them into the lock and twist the knob. the warm air presses flush against your skin, and for a moment, the feeling makes you cringe, and you were immediately back to being upset.

you groan, stepping into your house and wiping your shoes on the doormat. you tug at your hair, pulling at it out of frustration. wally catches onto your behaviour, making haste to grab you a towel and dry you off. you slump on the floor, leaning on a cabinet whilst waiting for him to return.
you look over at him as he crouches beside you, attempting to put the towel to your hair; you don't interject, and he takes this as his cue to begin rubbing circles onto your scalp in an effort to soothe you. he gently pecks your hands with his lips to get your tight grip to loosen, gently rubbing and squeezing your hair in order to speed up the process.
he eventually lets go of the towel, going limp on the floor and laying his head on your wet shoulder. he sees your painfully neutral facial expression, waiting a minute before deciding to speak.

"you'll be okay, won't you? there's no use dwelling on something that will be irrelevant in but a few hours." he says, clearing his throat. "it's only a temporary feeling. how about we do something to distract you, huh?" he throws up jazz hands, making sure to put on a wide smile and get up close to your face.
you find it sweet- but you don't smile. you politely nod your head, dejected and tired from the events that had just transpired. you never understood how he was so incredibly organised and carefree. it was bizarrely admirable.

he lets out his usual monotonous laugh, a joyous smile on his features. he looks you up and down.
"how about we get you out of these clothes? they're filthy." wally ushers, pointing to your outfit. "we can stay at home today. just me and you," he says, playing with your pinky finger and moving away to give you a little room.
"wally.. i can't. you know i've got business to tend to," you say, refusing to humour his suggestion. he stares at you, confused.
"what business? it's pouring out there. you can put it away for now- i'm sure that silly old bird won't mind moving your plans for another day." he smiles, reassuringly. you knew there was no use arguing with him, eventually caving in- spending your entire day sat back in a chair while he skilfully braided your hair, cracking you jokes barnaby had taught him. he claimed he would "surely impress you" with his comedic prowess.