Welcome Home!

Part 39: Alright

(As you both slept, Wally eventually made it over to your side of the couch. He was still asleep when he managed to hug you. Hugging was something friends did.)

I woke up some time during the extremely early morning. Wally had inched over to my side and had hugged me, well, held me as best as he could. He was kind of limp.

I was going to continue dozing off, but I noticed a slight shine on Wally's face. He was crying. I sighed and reached over for the blanket he had abandoned and plopped it onto him. As I did so, I woke him up, unfortunately. The poor thing needed sleep.

"What are these? What is happening?" Wally sniffed. He wiped  away some tears, but not all.

(Wally had cried before, but he himself had never noticed the first few times. This was the first time Wally was aware of such a thing.)

"Oh, Wally, dear. You're crying," I whispered gently. I did not want to accidentally make him cry more. I had done enough. I looked down at him, for his head had ended up on my shoulder.

It was such a sad sight. Part of the blanket covered Wally's tear-stained face. Wally looked so sleepy and exhausted. It seemed that no amount of rest would ever give him the energy he needed, the energy he so desperately tried to feign.

"But why?" his voice shook. It still had that sleepy quality to it.

"I think you've finally found a moment to cry in. It's alright. You can cry. It's good to cry, you know. It's also not impolite in this case," I patted Wally's hair. Wally seemed relieved to hear my words.

(Wally was relieved because you just let him be. You didn't try to do anything to make him stop.. you just allowed him to sort things out for a moment.

Although Wally missed the original you dearly, he appreciated the new you's improvements concerning comforting others.. and other things. Wally tried not to think about that, though. He was starting to sound like Home.

Wally continued to cling to you. He had forgotten about his attempt to give up on you.

He felt quite safe there on that couch. Perhaps it was the blanket you had placed on him? Or maybe it was you? Wally wasn't sure. He didn't usually hug his neighbors in his sleep.)

Wally hugged me tighter. He was still kind of floppy, but that was fine. He was trying his best, and that's all that mattered. I felt myself begin to nod off. I tried to fight it off, for I did not want Wally to feel like I was bored. Wally needed me to be awake in this moment. I could always sleep later, too. Besides, I was not at all bored.

"You may sleep if you need to, neighbor," Wally quietly stated. I gently squished his face.

"Nonsense. I'll stay awake for as long as you need," I yawned as I pulled my blanket up. Wally nodded slightly.

"Um.. Barnaby once told Howdy and I a very funny joke," Wally tried to continue the conversation. I wanted to do my best to fill the silence he found so unsettling, so I replied.

"Oh?"

"Yes. One time, I was stealing apples from Howdy. Howdy asked me what Wally was short for. Barnaby told Howdy that it wasn't my fault I was only a couple of apples tall," Wally laughed softly. I laughed with him.

"That's very funny. Barnaby must have been very proud of that joke."

"He was. He also taught me to laugh when I first met him. I used to actually say, "Hah. Hah. Hah,'" Wally paused. "That was very funny."

"Oh, how silly. You are very funny, Wally. I like listening to your stories," I smiled. Wally pulled his blanket over himself completely for a moment. I continued. "Hmmm... let's see... I think I used to have late night talks with a friend over the phone just like this. It was always enjoyable."

(Wally had hidden himself under the blanket to wipe moe of his tears away. He wasn't that sad anymore, but for some reason, he just kept crying. It didn't help that his cheeks had turned pink again. Luckily for him, he could use his crying as an excuse for the color.

Hearing you try to recount memories with him was healing, in a way. It felt like he was doing a good job befriending you all over again. Then again, you weren't very difficult to befriend. You were very friendly.

Still, Wally was proud of his accomplishment. He had managed to befriend you twice. He hoped he wouldn't have to do it again, but if it did, the third time was always a charm.)

Wally looked so silly hiding under his blanket. I didn't comment on it, though. He probably needed to hide his face from me for a bit.
"Would you like me to continue talking, Wally? I don't mean to talk your ear off, you know."

Wally made a tiny squeak of surprise. I figured he was surprised I had offered to continue talking.

"I.. would like it if you continued talking. I like hearing you talk," Wally yawned. I smiled and began to quietly recount all of my memories. I didn't have very many, but I made do.

I didn't need to tell very many stories before Wally was asleep again. I dried his face of tears and fell asleep with him.

The next morning, we both awoke to cheerful singing.

"Hello, Eddie! Hello, Frank! Hello, Sally! Sleep with your eyes open, Barnaby!" Sally sang. She was standing on her porch, her door wide open. I rubbed my eyes, trying to remove the sleepiness.

Sally smiled smugly and looked over at Wally. She skipped over to him and pulled his face up towards her own by his tie.

"If I had known you were going to steal them, I wouldn't have brought you along! It's okay, though. I'll just have to be more mindful when it comes to planning hangouts," Sally giggled. Her tone was playful. It was obvious she was trying to help Wally start his day off on a better note.

Sally looked down at me and patted my head. "How'd you sleep? Hopefully that sleepy fellow beside you didn't keep you up," she smiled. She booped my nose and wandered out the front door.

I yawned and stretched. It was time to start my day! I tried to get up, but Wally did not want to let go. I flopped back onto the couch. Surely I could spare a few more minutes just to keep my dear friend happy?

I rested on that couch for a while with Wally. He was so, so sleepy. I let him sleep in. He certainly needed it after not having a house to protect him from all sorts of different elements.