A Shitty Welcome Home x Reader Fanfic

Ch. 15: flowers

When you're finished, you head outside and see Julie talking to Wally. The two notice your presence and turn to face you. "Can you believe it, Wally? Still in pajamas when it's morning! At least (Y/N) is dressed now."

"Well, it is a bit early. I think Barnaby is still asleep..." Wally replied, looking lost in thought.

"See? I'm not the only one!" you say to Julie before greeting Wally. "Good morning to you too, (Y/N). Hey, that reminds me.... Last night, Home told me that-"

Poor Wally didn't even get to finish his sentence before Julie squealed in delight. "Eeee! It's perfect!" You and Wally turn to see what Julie was talking about, only to see a small pile of dirt on the side of your house.

"The dirt is perfect?" Wally asks, genuinely curious. "Just look at the way the sunlight hits the dirt. This spot isn't too dark or sunny. It's perfect for starting a small garden!" Julie smiles, pulling out the bag of seeds she gave you from inside her hair.

"Wha- How did you-" she laughs at your confusion, kneeling down next to the pile of dirt, not even explaining how the heck she stored that bag in her hair. It was probably a good idea not to question logic in a place like this. You're about to kneel down next to Julie when you remember that Wally got interrupted in the middle of talking.

"Sorry, Wally. What were you saying earlier?" you ask, turning around, only to be met with nothing. Strange. Wally was gone. You stare at the spot where he stood for a second or two before deciding to ask him about it later.

"Ready to start your own garden?" Julie asks as you kneel down next to her. You look back to see if Wally was really gone, before nervously smiling. "I guess so..."

"Great! Here, let's get started." Julie pulled a small gardening shovel from her hair and handed it to you, pointing to the pile of dirt for you to start working on. Seriously, what was up with that? Is there a portal in there or something?

Shovel in hand, you begin spreading the dirt evenly into a neat rectangle. Now it looked like a garden. A flower-less garden. You made small talk with Julie as you both dug holes and planted the seeds in them. Magically, there was a watering can next to her at some point. Based on what happened earlier, she most likely got it from her hair too. You decided not to ask, giving up on this world's logic. It was like a cartoon in a way.

Time seemed to pass as the garden was slowly forgotten. You and Julie were currently laying in the grass, playing chess with a chessboard that she randomly brought with her. The both of you told stories as you played. "And then Eddie lifted Barnaby over his head! I told everyone he could lift every neighbor in the neighborhood, and I was right! Oh, you should have seen it. It was incredible!" Julie giggled as she told her story.

"Now THAT, I've got to see." You chuckle, not fully believing it. You move another chess piece and wait for her to make her move. "You're good at this!" Julie smiled as she picked up her king piece, placing it down in another spot. Julie looks up at the sky and then back at the garden area. The sun would start to set soon. "I can't believe we spent half the day just talking! Let's finish this garden up before the day ends." Julie puts the chessboard away, grabs the watering can, and waters the area the seeds are buried under. She sets the can down and smiles. "Your turn!"

"My turn?" You stare at the dirt, not knowing what to do. The seeds were planted and watered already. There wasn't much else to do but wait. "Do you really not know what to do? Here, let me show you." Julie leaned in and started speaking to one of the seeds.

Before you could ask her if she was feeling okay, a plant started to sprout out of the ground. "No way..." You watch as the plant fully emerges into a beautiful flower. "They really love kind words." Julie said, not even surprised at what had happened. You lean in as well and try speaking to another seed.

"Um... You're a nice...seed." You mumble, not knowing what to say. Seconds pass as nothing happens. Julie laughs, clearly amused by your attempt. "Don't worry. Just try again!" Julie waits patiently as you sigh and speak once more.

"Hey... little seed. I- Uh.... I love you?" You felt like it was cheesy, but you really wanted to see if it worked. This time, something happens. A plant rises from the soil and blooms. Julie gasps at the flower in front of you both. The flower's petals open up, shining slightly in the sunlight. It's even your favorite color. The moment ends when the sunlight stops hitting the petals, causing the flower to close. Julie stands up, helping you stand too. "You're an expert!" she beams.

"I only talked to it a little..." Julie shakes her head in disagreement. "I know an expert in gardening when I see one. You have what it takes." You smile as she looks up at the sky and then back at you. "Looks like it's time to head to bed. Sleep well (Y/N)! We can garden again some other time!" Julie waves, skipping back to her house.

You wave bye and look back at the flower, surprised, but happy with your creation. Turning around to go inside for the night, you jump back a bit in surprise to see Wally standing there. "Oh, hi Wally." you smile, not expecting him to be there.

"Hello (Y/N)." he said calmly. You wait for him to speak again, but he doesn't. Your mind goes back to when he tried telling you something. "Do you have something to tell me?" you ask, wanting this awkward silence to go away.

"Why, yes. I do. Home saw you running last night." he stated calmly. "Home saw that? Oh." You weren't sure how to explain what you saw to him. "Why were you running from a butterfly? Are you afraid of insects?" A butterfly? That thing couldn't have been a butterfly. "A butterfly?" you ask.

"Mhm..." Wally nodded. You still didn't believe it. Then again, you didn't look back to see what was chasing after you. "It couldn't have been a butterfly. It-
...It spoke to me." you whisper, recalling yesterday's event. You swear you could see Wally's eyes widen ever so slightly in surprise, and then going back to their usual look.

"We'll talk about this later." Wally says, turning to walk away. "Goodnight, neighbor." You stand there as you watch him walk back home. "Goodnight, Wally..." you whisper as you walk back inside your own house.

You get ready for bed and go to lay down under the covers. What did Wally want to talk about? It's as if he knew something you didn't. You stare at the ceiling as your eyes get heavier and heavier. You'd find out eventually. All you had to do was wait for him to talk to you again. And if that didn't happen, you'd go speak to him yourself. You needed answers. You just hoped it was nothing bad.

Your eyes fully close as your mind begins to wonder. You wonder what he means as you fall into a slumber.

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A chapter before the new year arrives. It's a little late (actually very late), but I hope that's okay. Life is still crazy and super busy at the moment. We're getting closer to the end of the story, though. 💗