Warnings:
Burn victims
Death
Hospitalization
Depression
~~~~
Happiness radiates off of Julie.
The friendliness off of Howdy.
The drowsiness off of Frank.
The humor off of Poppy.
The glow of Sally.
The overworking of Eddie.
The playfulness of Barnaby.
The smile of Wally.
A day like any other.
But little did they know,
Today was the day.
The day till all comes to an end.
The day... Of the fire...
Eddie was making his average runs, going to everyone's house to see how they were doing, giving them mail, and probably getting a free snack in the process.
He stopped by Barnaby's for a letter from his mother, to Howdy for a product order, to Frank from a friend out of town, and to Wally, from a woman named Monika from some school.
Wally was Eddie's last run. On his way, he heard yelling from a little ways away. In the woods.
He shrugged it off and knocked on Wally's door. Wally quickly answered it. He loved seeing his boyfriend. He always brought him a flower from his walk.
"Hey, Wally! I brought another letter from Monika!" Eddie handed him the note. Wally smiled and gave his boyfriend a big hug.
"Thank you, Eddie!" He squealed. Eddie gave him a quick kiss and waved as they parted.
Wally was head over heels for Eddie.
Eddie had finished all his deliveries. It was time to head back to the post office. On his walk, he saw a weird glow. The smell of burning was resonating in the air.
As soon as he touched the handle of the door, a loud bang.
The loudest bang you could ever imagine.
Eddie collapsed and covered his ears. He looked over.
He saw the light was closer now. And then he realized
It was a fire.
"Holy shit!" He yelled. His arm was tugged by someone. It was Barnaby.
"EDDIE WE HAVE TO GET OUT!" He yelled while pulling Eddie out of the neighborhood.
"WAIT! WHAT ABOUT WALLY!?" Eddie tried pulling back.
"IT DOESN'T MATTER WE CAN FIND HIM LATER!" Barnaby picked Eddie up and ran out.
Eddie was silent as Barnaby ran.
~~~
Police, Fire, and Ambulance arrived within 3 minutes. They took out 3 bodies.
Julie,
Sally,
And Wally.
Sally was pronounced dead at the site. Julie was unconscious but alive. Wally was still almost fully conscious and could understand the concept of what was going on.
Once Eddie saw Wally, he got up and tried to run to him, yelling his name. Barnaby pulled the screaming man back. Wally just smiled, knowing his lover was safe.
Eddie just started crying, breaking down and hiding his face. Barnaby ruffled Eddie's hair, and an EMT gave him a blanket. He cried into the blanket.
Eddie was shaking, and the sound of shuddering could be heard.
"He was one of the ones closest to the fire. You were far enough away."
Barnaby let Eddie cry into his shoulder. He could only hope that his best friend was okay.
"Eddie? Wally wants you to come to the hospital with him. He says he says he feels safer with you."
An EMT had walked up to them.
Eddie nodded and followed the woman. She brought him to an ambulance and helped him up.
"Wally!" Eddie ran to his lover's side.
"Don't touch him."
Wally had fallen unconscious.
Once they got to the hospital, Wally was immediately rushed out and brought to the Burn Unit.
~~~
Eddie sat in the waiting room, crying into the palms of his hands as the ghostly atmosphere surrounded him. He had stayed overnight to make sure Wally was okay.
A doctor walked out.
"Dear?" He called.
"Y-Yes..?" Eddie mumbled through the tears.
"Would you like to see Wallace now?" He pointed toward a forward room.
Eddie nodded, praying his precious little Wally was okay.
He slowly walked through the hallway. The sound of echoing footsteps and voices filled his ears. You could hear the light sounds of heart monitors and groaning from patients. He looks in a room. It was Julie. She wasn't burned as badly as Wally, but it's still really bad.
She looked over at Eddie.
"Eddie... You're going to see Wally, right?" She asked.
"Yeah..."
"Be careful. He's unresponsive right now." She groaned.
"Okay..." Eddie whined, beginning to cry. He walked further down the hallway to the last room.
There was Wally.
Laying down, wrapped in bandages, and connected to bunches of machines. He had an IV for hydration, an oxygen tank, a heart monitor, and a splint wrapped around his entire stomach, right leg, and left arm. His bandages were wrapped around the left side of his face and his hands, exposing his fingers still covered in flesh, yet they were red. His hair was cut, too. It was way shorter. It was a scruffy pixie cut.
"Wally..." Eddie walked over and sat down next to him. Wally didn't make any sounds.
"Are you okay...?" Eddie whimpered. Wally just shook his head slowly.
Eddie cried into Wally's lap, tears staining the blanket.
"Don't worry, I'll do anything to make you okay!-"
Wally placed a weak hand on Eddie's cheek and slowly moved his face closer to Eddie's, softly kissing his cheek. Wally just smiled and flopped his head onto Eddie's shoulder.
Eddie wrapped his arms around Wally. Wally flinched. One of the main places he got burned was his back.
"I'm sorry..." Eddie pulled away.
Wally rubbed Eddie's cheek and nodded his head.
"He can't talk." The doctor behind him said.
"Will he be able to?" Eddie wondered.
"Yes. Soon. That's the first thing we are trying to fix along with his back burns. We think he might be able to make a full recovery."
"Won't there be scars?"
"Yes, but we think he will be fine. First of all, we can take off the bandages over his face."
The doctor walked towards Wally and began unwrapping his bandages.
They revealed light pink, shiny, smooth marks over the left side of his face all in one mark. A red outline topped it off.
Eddie didn't move. He didn't flinch. He wasn't surprised anymore.
"We have some medicine for him to take." The doctor said as he walked out.
Eddie looked at Wally's destroyed face.
"My darling..." Eddie whispered.
Even if the marks on his face were 1st degree, he felt like it was too late.
Wally was in pain,
And there was nothing.
Absolutely
NOTHING.
He could do.
Eddie walked away from the hospital bed. He heard soft cries from the hurt man. He looked over and saw Wally covering his face.
Eddie ignored his cries and left for the day.
When he arrived back home, he could barely recognize it.
"Are you sure we should stay?" He overheard. Poppy and Howdy were talking.
"There's nowhere for us to go." Eddie budged into the conversation.
"What about a hotel out of the neighborhood? Frank and I saw one near the hospital." Howdy said. Eddie smiled.
"That sounds like a great idea!" Barnaby added. Eddie nodded, and Poppy just chuckled.
"We can pay for our rooms separately."
~~~
They arrived at Hartford Inn. Immediately, a bunch of people were helping them bring their bags inside.
"Oh sweet!" Barnaby cheered. Eddie laughed and looked at everyone. Poppy was helping everyone get to their room.
Eddie had his own room, Frank and Howdy shared a room, and Poppy and Barnaby shared a room.
Eddie lay down on his bed and tried to sleep.
He felt warm arms wrap around him. He cuddled the figure closer.
"Don't worry, dear. I'll be home soon." Wally comforted.
Eddie cried into Wally's chest. He fell asleep soon after.
~~~
Wally woke from a deep sleep. He saw everyone around his bed. Even Julie, with tears in her eyes. She had to use crutches since she twisted her ankle.
Howdy was looking down, Poppy and Barnaby looked more worried than happy to see he was alive. Frank was rubbing Julie's back. Eddie was pouring tears.
Wally frowned his eyebrows and tilted his head.
"I bet you're confused, Wally." The doctor sat down
Wally nodded.
The doctor sighed.
"You have Arrhythmia and Sepsis."
Wally's eyes widened.
He tilted his head again, showing that he didn't know what it was.
"Arrhythmia is when you are having an irregular heartbeat. For that, we are going to be putting you on cardiovascular monitoring. Sepsis is an infection, so you need an emergency procedure." Wally sat upright. Howdy and Eddie pushed him back down and rubbed his shoulders.
"They are preparing now."
"Wally, it's for your own good."
"It's only a fluid replacement. Then you'll be under an IV."
Wally started squirming.
He was too scared.
He was too scared to go through with the procedure.
Too scared to be alive.
Too scared to die.
~~~
Eddie waited for only 30 minutes when Wally was taken out of the operating room.
"Wally!" He said, relieved. He ran to his lover and kissed his untouched cheek.
"E-Eddie...?" Wally spoke in a raspy, sickly voice.
"You can speak?"
"A little bit. The doctors said it's best to rest my voice." Wally cupped the worried man's face and smiled. Eddie smiled back and nodded.
~~~
At the hotel, Eddie thought about Wally for the entire stay.
He felt unrecognizable...
Eddie didn't know who he was looking at anymore.
Wally is very quiet.
Wally was very talkative.
Wally barely moves.
Wally always walked.
Wally is tainted in reds and blacks.
Wally was a beautiful yellow. Like the daisies that spread across the fields, or like Frank's garden. A yellow like the sun that makes the day better than the one before. Like the sun that brings a smile to everyone's face. Wally did that, too. Always found a way to brighten someone's day.
But where has that disappeared to?
No one truly knows.
It's like he's hiding it.
~~~
~1 month
It was time for Wally to leave the hospital. Several skin graphs and procedures later, at least.
Eddie watched as Wally was wheeled out of the hospital by a nurse.
"Mr. Dear? Here's a list of what to do with Wally. He needs special care."
"Thank you."
Wally kept his head down.
"Where's the neighborhood?" Wally asked the taller man.
Eddie was silent.
"I'm so sorry." He whined. Wally felt a tear run down his cheek. It shattered Eddie's heart from every corner.
Eddie had paid for Wally's additional persons. He added Wally to his room and got him in the elevator.
"Don't worry, Darling." He put a hand on Wally's healed shoulder. He flinched but accepted the touch. He missed Eddie's affection.
In the room, Eddie helped Wally's shaking body onto the bed.
"You okay?" He asked. Wally smiled.
"Yes. I'm fine. Thank you."
Eddie nodded and got a glass of water. He needed water for his vocal cords.
~~~
Everyone went to the room to see Wally. Barnaby stayed the longest. He stayed for a good 3 hours to check on the man. It made Wally smile. Barnaby's funny personality was perfect for now.
Eddie studied Wally's hair. It was a bit longer. It's more like an average male haircut. Like his and Howdy's. But not slicked back.
Wally loved the way he looked. He knew he wanted to keep the hair he had now. He liked how it made him look more like Eddie. He loves everything in the man.
His southern accent but deep voice, his tall figure, and his hair especially. And his eyes... The eyes Wally loved to get lost in.
Eddie had wanted to take Wally to a hill nearby. Wally decided to walk. It would help him get used to it again.
Wally felt normal again. Walking and wearing his normal clothes.
They sat on the hill, gazing at the stars. Wally took his sweater off so he could feel the cold grass on his back. Eddie just chuckled. They looked at each other again.
"I'm glad you're feeling better. I was really worried." Eddie looked away, blushing. Wally blushed, too.
"I missed you. But we are together again. I'm gonna miss my house, though. The Neighborhood. Everything. Wally lay next to Eddie and hugged his side.
"Me too. But... We couldn't really leave. It feels kind of like a release. I mean, we've never been to a city. I have only lived in the countryside and home. I've never been out ever since. Maybe we should take this as a good sign."
Wally looked at his boyfriend in confusion.
"What if this is a sign to make a new beginning? Rewrite our stories? Look at the city. It's so beautiful. The sky is just amazing. We never got that at home. I feel free now."
Eddie gripped his chest.
"Yeah... I feel the same way, honestly. It feels great. And you're right. We should take the bad with the good here."
Wally melted into Eddie's arms as he spoke.
"Eddie. I wanna spend my entire life with you. We can work here in the city! Buy an apartment! Make it just for us! I can be a street artist or do commissions! Or painting classes!" Wally sat up and ecstatically spoke. Eddie's eyes widened.
"Yeah...! A-And I can do a journalism job or work for a post office here! I bet it pays more!"
They both start crying and hug tightly.
"You're so brilliant, Wallace."
"Don't say my full name it's stupid." Wally laughed.
"Okay, stupid." Eddie laughed.
~~~~
Probably the longest chapter in this book :)
Edit: Might be my favorite next to Midnight Ocean