TW: ABUSE
There, in the little heart shaped locket he had shoved at me, sat a picture of a young, smiling me. My little hand was littered with bandages, just like it always was from all the trees I would climb and tumbles I would take. It was forming a heart that mirrored the one young Wally held in the locket I had found in my room.
"I think I'm gonna be sick." I held my head as I stumbled out into the main area of the house, praying Wally hadn't left yet.
Thankfully, he was still here, leaning against the island in the kitchen with his back facing me.
"Remember how I said I'm the only one that ever remembers the people that visit?" He must have sensed I was behind him. "Well that doesn't just go for the neighbors that live here." His voice was low and tired, and when he finally turned to face me again, his eyes avoided mine like the plague.
"I-I don't understand. This is..." My eyes focused on the photo, trying to make sense of this all. Even pinching myself had no effect. This really wasn't a dream. "This is me." He stayed silent, giving me time to really process what this all meant. "When was-"
"You were 14 I was 16." It was like he had prepared for this. He knew I would most likely catch on or find evidence like this eventually.
"I didn't think they could age- hold on... 14?" The realization hit me like a truck. That's the year that I can't remember. The year everyone said my father had kidnapped me for 7 months. It wasn't blocked from my mind because of trauma like all my doctors and therapists said; It was because I lost my memory when I left the neighborhood.
His fingers snaked through his now messy blue hair as he took in a deep breath. "Do you want to know the truth?" His eyes finally met mine. His mouth was twisted in a way I had never seen from him before. It wasn't his usual lazy smile, or his annoyed grimace where he pressed his lips together. He was frowning in a way that actually made me believe he was sad.
I nodded slowly, my eyes never leaving his.
Hesitantly, he returns the gesture. "You might want to sit down, it's quite a long and complicated story."
Finally breaking eye contact, I hoped up onto the counter across from him, letting my legs dangle off the edge.
He watched and waited until I seemed content. "You came here with your dad, he said you two needed a fresh start or something along those lines. Back then we weren't as weary with outsiders. In fact, we had visitors come and go all the time so we didn't think much of it." He paused, glancing at me before staring back at the ground. "Your dad barley ever left your house, but you got along with everyone, especially me."
I cocked my head to the side, my eyes begging him to elaborate. He took a shaky breath in and let his eyes meet mine.
"You were the only real friend I've ever had."
My eyes widened at his confession. I would have never guessed he could say something so vulnerable, especially something like that. I mean, this is coming from the man who has done nothing but torment me since I've arrived here.
He averted his gaze away from mine once again before moving on. "We told each other everything. Hell, we spent nearly every day together those 7 months. I told you things I had never told anyone. And you..." He hesitated, taking a shaky breath "You told me what your dad did to you."
My heart dropped to my stomach. I never did remember much about my dad, but my mind immediately flashed back to the drawing I had found in the attic. The drawing that showed how afraid of him I was as a child.
"I had a feeling. In fact, we all knew something was going on. You would try to hide it by saying the bruises were from playing rough or your own clumsiness, but one night it got worse."
⋆˖⁺‧₊☽ Flashback // Wally's POV ☾₊‧⁺˖⋆
My eyes were dry from staring up at my dark ceiling for so long. I'm not sure how long I've been trying to fall asleep now, but the number of sheep I've counted is now in the thousands. I tossed around the idea of giving up and going to my art room to paint, but the sound of rapid knocking on the front door forced me to put those thoughts aside.
I sat up and glanced over at my apple shaped clock on the wall, noticing it was almost 2 in the morning now.
"Who could be visiting this time of night?" I wondered, stepping into my slippers.
Whoever was outside knocked again, this time with much more urgency. I move a little quicker out of my room as the rhythmic knocking turned into a constant banging. "Home please let me in!" As I got closer to the door, I could now make out the faint sound of crying. "Wally please answer!"
Panic flooded through me as I hastily unlocked and opened the door, revealing my best friend. "(Y/N)?" My eyebrows furrowed "What's wrong?"
I pulled them inside, closing and locking the door behind us on instinct. Before I could get an answer, or even get a good look at them, they had wrapped their arms around me, burying their face into my chest. My heart shattered as violent sobs shook their body, their hands grabbing onto my pajama shirt as if I might vanish. One of my arms wrapped around them as the other raked through their hair in a comforting manner.
Once they had calmed down enough, I took a step back, my hands rested on their shoulders as I looked them over. Their eyes were red and puffy from all the crying, but the main detail that caught my eye was the now dried blood on the side of their head.
My breath hitched at the huge cut "How did this happen?"
They stayed silent, wiping away a few stray tears with their sleeves. I sighed, gently grabbing their hand and leading them into the bathroom. They hopped up to sit on the counter while I searched the cabinets for my first aid kit. I immediately got to work, applying the antiseptic on a washcloth. "This might sting a bit." I mumbled, watching them for some sort of response. They gave a small nod, hissing and gripping my hand like their life depended on it the second the cloth made contact with their wound.
Mumbling countless apologies, I tried cleaning as quickly and gently as I could. Thankfully, the wound wasn't too deep so it wouldn't need any professional attention. Most likely, it wouldn't even scar. Once I was finished, I placed a bandaid and light peck where the damage had been dealt. "There you go, all better." I tried brightening the painfully depressing mood, along with calm my own anger.
But it was no use. I couldn't take away what they had seen, what they had been through. They've suffered at his hands before, but tonight was different. They weren't laughing it off or making excuses to cover it up. Instead, they stared blankly at the floor, their hands shaking uncontrollably in their lap.
My best friend had lost their smile. The sparkle that usually danced in their eyes was now completely dull.
And it was all his fault.
He hurt them for the last time. I would make sure of it.
I held them as they sobbed for what felt like hours, combing my hand through their hair and whispering words of reassurance until they drifted off to sleep.
Quiet so I didn't wake them, I laid them down and tucked them into bed before carefully closing the door to my bedroom. Immediately, I grabbed my home phone, calling each of my friends to inform them what was going on.
I didn't need to tell them, they knew my goal. They knew what had to be done. It had been so long, we were admittedly a bit rusty. Still, he was disposed of quickly and quietly.
Upon returning back home, the sound of crying had me racing back into my bedroom. (Y/N)'s head popped out of their cocoon on blankets as they let out a small gasp at my sudden appearance. The light from the rising sun peeked through the opening of the curtains, illuminating their tear stained face and puffy red eyes. My heart shattered at the sight. "Darling, what's wrong? I thought you were asleep?" I rushed back to their side, engulfing them in a hug.
Their arms immediately wrapped around me "I had a nightmare and when I woke up I couldn't find you" They sniffled, burying their head into my shoulder "I thought you left me."
"Oh no no no" I mumbled, unsure if I was trying to reassure them or myself. "I would never- and I mean never- leave you, alright? I swear."
We sat in silence for a moment before they began to shift. Their eyes met mine. Their usually sparkle had returned, though it was incredibly dull now. The faintest hint of a smile formed on their face. "I'll never leave you either Wally, I promise." They held out their pinky to me "You're my best friend, I don't ever wanna lose you."
Holding back tears, I interlocked my pinky with theirs. "You won't, I promise." My arms wrapped around them once again. "And I promise I won't let anyone hurt you like that again."
⋆˖⁺‧₊☽ Flashback End // Wally's POV ☾₊‧⁺˖⋆
Once I finished, the room fell quiet, the only sound being the faint chirping of crickets outside. I forced myself to look up at them for the first time since I began talking. Their legs that dangled from the countertop were no longer fidgeting, but we're now completely still. Their face was emotionless and unreadable, almost like that night.
"So my dad isn't in jail..." Their voice was just barley above a whisper, I had to lean in to make out what they were saying. "He's..." They trailed off, their eyes finally meeting mine. "You guys-"
Suddenly, their face turned very pale, so pale I thought they might have died on the spot from shock. Instead, a hand flew over their mouth as they quickly hoped off the counter top, stumbling over to the sink just in time to empty their stomach.
A sense of dread- or maybe it was guilt- set over me as I thought of the appropriate way to react. Everything bone in my body screamed to hold their hair back (if you have long hair) and rub comforting circles on their back, just like I did back then. But my brain scolded itself, knowing I was the reason they were currently in this state in the first place. Plus, they would most likely recoil at my touch.
Nonetheless, I would be disgusted with myself if I just stood by and watched- If I didn't try. So I did just that, making sure to hand them a tissue when they seemed to be finished.
After cleaning up, they pressed their back against the wall, sliding to the ground with their head in their hands.
"I'll give you some space" I mumbled, as if speaking too loud would upset them further.
As I walked past them to leave the kitchen, I felt a hand shoot up and grab mine. "Wait" Their voice was quiet and raspy "P-please stay. I don't wanna be alone."
My whole world stopped as I peered down at them. They looked like hell. I know they felt like it too.
And yet, when I looked deep in their eyes, I saw that same glimmer as all those years ago.