Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

A loud knocking broke the silent atmosphere of your apartment, your form bolting out of your bedroom and into the foyer.

It was here- it was finally here! Excitement coursed through your veins as you headed towards your white door, a goofy grin extended upon your face. You had always liked puppets — well, not always, but it seemed like it had been — and today, a package containing puppet collecting gold had arrived at your doorstep. You flung open the door and was met with a young UPS worker holding a cardboard box adorned with rainbow stickers. You didn’t pay a lot of attention to the worker, snatching it out of their hands and quickly running back inside, rudely slamming the door in their face. You didn't care much, though. The only thing on your mind was the puppet inside this box.

You plopped down on your raggedy couch, snatching a pair of scissors off of your coffee table ( you always crafted on it, and thus always left the scissors there. ). You spread the scissors and used one of the sharp ends to effortlessly slice open the tape holding the top of the box closed.

Discarding the tool, you forced open the box and looked inside. The main contents were inside of a black trash bag ( most likely to keep the contents safe from water damage ), however, a brightly coloured envelope was placed on top of the bag, a stark contrast from the rest of the box. You picked up the envelope and carefully set the box to your left, glancing back to it before you got a closer look at the note.

It was closed with a wax stamp, the design of which was a spiral. The top fold of the note was a bright red, with the second triangular fold being blue, and finally, the rest of it being a bright yellow.  You ran your thumb over the paper of it, wondering where one would find an envelope like this one. You’d have to look online later. You carefully opened it, being mindful enough to not damage the stamp. You slipped out the paper, putting the envelope itself to your right before unfolding it.

It was written with a red glitter-y gel pen, with doodles of the puppet along the margins. After a bit of admiring, you finally read the words on it:

Dear Buyer,

Thank you for purchasing Wally! He’s been in my care for far too long, and I'm glad somebody finally bought him. He is made of smooth Minky, wood glue, and high density foam, with magnets and aluminum wire in his hands ( so they’re posable! ). I’d recommend hand washing him with cool water if he ever gets dirty, and use fabric softener if his fabric ever deteriorates. He is quite old, so I also recommend being gentle with him ( he is from the 70’s, after all! )

Good luck!

-Rainbow Collections

You tucked the note into the pocket of your jacket, once more turning your attention to the box. Your hands quivered in excitement as you reached into it and grabbed ahold of the bag. You gently placed it on your lap, heart beating into your ears. Nervousness flooded through your veins as you grabbed the bag, ripping a hole in the plastic. You continued stretching the tear, your heart jumping as soon as you saw the puppets yellow fabric. A smile spread onto your lips and you released a breath you didn't even know you were holding. Yes, yes, yes!!

You brought your hands away from the bag, flapping them in an attempt to release some of the built up excitement filling your chest. “ oh my god- ha- “ you mumbled to yourself, laughing nervously. You couldn't believe it- it didn't feel real! You shook your head, shaking away the dissociation, before going back to the bag.

You gently placed your hands inside it, and, with both hands, you brought out the puppet. It was about roughly three and a half feet tall, its legs still touching the bag in your lap, even after you brought him to your eye level. Its pompadour was roughly half the height of its head, the center having an embroidered swirl. The pompadour was the only part of the hair actually extended by foam, the rest of its hair just being sewed on patches. It had two ears which, you assume, were just fabric. You set it down and took a closer look at them. There was a little mark close to the bottom of the ear, signifying that they might’ve put actual earrings on the puppet during production. You frowned at the misuse, though you suppose the studio was made of amateurs.

You adjusted the puppet so that you could get a better look at its face: the puppets eyes were made of solid, yellowing plastic. Its pupils were painted on to look as if it were looking straight ahead. It had felt eyelids, a pink colour with a stripe of yellow in the middle. The eyelids appeared glued onto the plastic itself. Its mouth plate was normal for a puppets: with the base being wood with felt on top. However, while the felt on it is usually black, its is instead a dark red. You used two of your fingers to close its mouth, and it easily gave. It didn't seem like it had an actual hinge, though.

You moved your attention down to its body. Its clothing covered much of its fabric, though the clothing itself was what you were curious about. Its cardigan was hand-crocheted, though it doesn't seem like it was its original one. You frowned. The undershirt of it also didn't look original, this suspicion was confirmed when you looked at its cuffs, the button on them being crosses ( while in a lot of the shows promotional art and in the pilot he had crosses on his cuffs, the rest of the episodes and even toys just had wally with yellow buttons. ). You turned your attention towards its ascot, which did seem like its original. Its pants and shoes also seemed original, with the colours of its pants being faded and the paint on its shoes being cracked.

Overall? You were happy, and the few blemishes it has could be easily fixed with some paint.

You smiled at the puppet, lifting it up by its armpits:

“ Welcome to the family, Wally Darling. “

[ <3 ]

You decided that your nightstand was the perfect place for your new puppet ( this definitely wasn't because all of your shelves were already occupied with trinkets or other puppets… ). As you propped him up, you couldn't shake the feeling that you were being watched. In fact, it felt like someone was staring at you very intently. You looked behind you, studying your doorway and even vent for anyone or anything, yet nothing was there. Your brow furrowed and you shook your hands, an involuntary tic of your anxiety.

“ gotta take my meds… “ you muttered to yourself, turning back around and opening the nightstand drawer where you kept them. It was just your paranoia, nothing was watching you, that was insane!

[ <3 ]

After you took your medicine, you looked back at the now-propped puppet, your clock between his legs and his felt hands propped on top of it, as if he were the keeper of it. You still felt eyes digging into your back, but now it was more… annoying than creepy.

“ Hey demons, you can show yourself, you know I don't mind the paranormal ‘round here! “ you joked, putting your hands on your hips. Your eyes darted back to your new puppet, and you froze. It seemed like… it was looking to the left now? “ nope! Nope, nobody would sell a haunted ah.. Puppet on etsy! “ you said nervously. You must have just.. Mis-remembered, or something. This happens sometimes, where things seem in different places, right?

Yeah. you’re pretty sure.

You stared at the puppet for a second, staring into its eyes before quickly averting your gaze. You muttered something about it already giving you problems before flicking in-between its plastic eyes.

You were getting all pent-up over nothing, you reasoned. Maybe you’re just tired… yeah. Naps always help. Your jacket slumped off your shoulders and fell on the floor, you’d get the note later. You climbed into your bed and flung a comforter over yourself. You closed your eyes, only waiting a few seconds before they opened again. Damn invisible eyes… Maybe Wally WAS haunted. You giggled at the thought, though the humor was quickly replaced with discomfort. You brought your blanket over your head, and luckily, that sent the feeling away. You felt childish for resorting to hiding underneath covers, but at least it worked?

Honestly? You didn't think you cared much, as long as you couldn't feel anyone watching you sleep.

You closed your eyes and let out a sigh, relaxing as you quickly slipped into unconsciousness. You could fix Wally's paint when you woke up…

Chapter Text

    He watched as your form settled and stopped moving, as you became unconscious. At Least… he was pretty sure that was you. He couldn't be 100% sure anymore, he had noticed that his vision — and concepts regarding it — had become worse over the years. His eyes darted away from you, landing on his hands in front of him. He willed his hand to move, the stiffness and rust coating the wires making it hard to do so. One finger at a time…

    Wally had not moved in.. near ages. He had been placed on a shelf by the previous owner, one that was always in sight of her. That and the fact that he preferred to be in his own realm… 

He lifted his arm up and shook it awake, though his stuffing was stiff from the lack of movement. If he could frown — in any reality — he would’ve then. Squishing his stuffing and arranging it properly gave him the shivers, but he had to do so.

After he got all of his limbs moving, he moved onto his head. Gripping the sides of his head, he lifted it and the conjoined fabric up, before giving it a swift-

SNAP!

The sound of non-existent popping bones resonated throughout the room, and for a moment, he felt fear as Wally watched your form twitch beneath the covers. After a few seconds, your form settled. With a sigh, he resumed stretching ( though, no matter what, his neck wouldn't stop its persistent popping… bugger. ). After so, he turned his attention to the room he was in.

Your room isn't big at all, but you have managed to make it rather cozy. Your hardwood floor was partially covered by a rug designed to look like a patch of moss, though it was mostly flat from all the traffic it had experienced. Your bed was to Wally's left, its frame being of metal and the headboard being adorned with twisted pipes of steel, creating a fantastical swirling pattern. Your closet didn't lay far from the foot of your bed, being at most five feet from it. At the bottom of the closet lay drawers full of, what wally could assume to be, your casual clothes. Hanging above it were coats and jackets. Wally couldn't see the rest of your room from his position, that being his head turned towards your bed, but he supposed that it didn't matter now. What did catch his interest, however, were the many shelves around and above your bed.

The shelves were filled with different puppets and associated memorabilia, muppet mimics and merchandise were prominently displayed throughout them. It made the blue haired puppet weirdly… uncomfortable. That, and jealous in a weird way he hadn't felt before. His heart twinged at the idea that he was not special here. Maybe he just needed to prove to you that he was different?

Wally was broken from his train of thought as you twisted beneath your sheets, your head of hair emerging from them. The puppet quickly got back in his original position, internally cringing as his neck popped at the movement. He made sure that he was looking straight ahead so as to not cause suspicion.

You groaned as you sat up, muttering something about sleeping for too long. After a few seconds, you remembered your new puppet and whipped your head towards him.

“ oh! Yes!! “ you said as you got out of bed, coming into wallys eyesight. “ Lets get your eyes fixed buddy… “ you muttered, picking him up. Your gentle hands were bliss to the puppet, whose physical form had been starved of contact for too long. Wally let his eyes soften a bit, you were too busy looking back over his outfit to notice, of course. You positioned Wally in your arms, cradling his body and head in one arm and holding his feet with your other. If the puppet hadn't been limp before, he definitely was now. As his eyes blurred, Wally offhandedly thought about how good of a neighbor you’d be… 

Wally quickly shut that train of thought down, Home was already full, and a tenth neighbor would be obscene. How would he even get you there in the first place…?

The puppet came back to reality as you placed him down next to your bathroom sink before leaving, muttering something about being right back. Wally blinked before looking around, not noticing anything in particular about this room. Why was he here…?

As you re-entered the room, Wally quickly got his answer. In one of your hands was a tough-bristle toothbrush, and in the other was a small bowl full of a liquid. If he had a pulse, it would’ve spiked. What were you going to do?? Were you going to scrub his eyes??

You grabbed the puppet by his head and laid it down over the sink. Dipping a finger in the fluid, you brought it over to the puppets face before gently rubbing it on his eye plastic. Wally could’ve cried in relief that the liquid didn't hurt, and he would’ve worshiped you for avoiding his pupils. That is, if he had the gull to move.

Wally's anxiety returned as you picked up the toothbrush. It was hard to resist the urge to blink or squirm as you scrubbed. Realistically, he knew that what you were doing was improving the health of his puppet, but god was it uncomfortable. The feeling of its bristles against the whites of his eyes was unpleasant at best and torturous at worst, and the muscles in his neck tightened every time the bristles accidentally scrubbed over his pupils.

It, fortunately, didn't last long, as after only a couple of minutes you dampened a rag next to the sink and ran it over wally's eyes, thus refurbishing them. The puppet noticed the difference immediately, his vision becoming crisp and less visual snow appearing. You brushed a hand over his pompadour, admiring your work, before picking him up and waltzing into your foyer, a pep in your step.

“ I'll be-a back to look at the rest of you~ gotta make myself dinner “ you said in a sing-song voice while putting the puppet down onto your coffee table. You made your way into your kitchenette, back turned to your living room.

As soon as you were far enough, Wally blinked. He quietly sighed in relief, his eyes lidding more than they have before. That was… strange he thought to himself, looking around your living area. Your living room definitely had a cozier aesthetic, with a blanket being hung as a tapestry behind the couch and your television being at least ten years old. Almost like a grandfathers cabin. Wally huffed at that, you? A grandparent?

Home would find that funny.

Home… 

The puppets' eyes widened. My, he hadn't checked up on his neighborhood in hours!

As quick as he could, Wally descended from his place in the puppets consciousness, and back into his home…

[ <3 ]

You let out an involuntary sigh of relief as the feeling of being watched melted away. God, it had been there since you woke up. Maybe the puppet really was haunted. You laughed at the thought, flipping over your grilled cheese. You instinctively looked over your shoulder, seeing nothing wrong with the aforementioned puppet. “ fuckin’ haunted etsy sellers.. “ you joked under your breath. It was a joke, right? Anxiety welled inside of your throat.

There's no way that thing could actually be haunted, right?

Your brow furrowed.

You half-mindedly reached for your phone in your pocket, but of course, it wasn't there. You looked back towards your living room, seeing that it was next to the puppet you had placed down ( you must’ve placed your phone down with it ). Worry pinged in your throat. You’re just being dramatic, you thought to yourself before making your way towards the coffee table, though more slowly than you would’ve liked. Once you were there, you snatched your phone up and hurried back to the stove. You placed your phone in your pocket before turning off the stovetop and flipping over your grilled cheese sandwich once again.

You’d research the people that made Wally later, for now you just have to focus on eating.

Chapter Text

Wally Darling’s eyes opened in one swift motion; not faltering nor fluttering for even a second. He looked around, gaining a sense of where he was. Switching out of his puppet was always jarring ( especially since your house wasn't nearly as bright as all of Home ).
Ah, yes.
He was sitting on his red armchair, one that Barnaby had gotten for him. He moved his hands from their folded position in his lap and caressed the fabric of the arm rests. It wasn't soft by any means, as it was made from the exact same material as his trousers, but the texture was grounding.
Creak.
Wally's eyes darted to the nearest window, in which Home was observing him.
“ Oh… Hello Home~ “ The yellow puppet said, moving a hand to wave at the window.
Slam, Slam.
“ Oh… was I gone for too long? Apologies… I must've gotten caught up with my new friend… “ Wally positioned himself so that his elbow was on the armrest and his hand was against his cheek; holding his head in place. He could hear pots and pans clatter in question from their racks in the kitchen, and the pupil in the window darted away before landing back onto the puppet.
Wally gasped and sat up, a hand moving to hover in front of his mouth.
“ Dear, I haven't told you yet, have I? “
Groan.
“ my greatest apologies, Home! Well, my puppet has gotten a new owner… “ Cabinets clapped behind him, the house not waiting for the smaller to finish. “ … And they seem very nice… they have been taking great care of my puppet!! Much better than the previous one. “
The clamoring stopped and was followed with a squeak.
Wally hummed, resting his head on his hand and facing away from the window. “ no, I'm afraid I don't know their name… “ he wondered how he’d even find that out… wait, didn't humans keep their identification in their wallets? But where would you keep yours…
A squeal-like creak emitted from Home’s vents, bringing Wally out of his thoughts.
“ Oh? Uhm… yes… yes i think they would make a good neighbor…? “ The puppet responded, questioning on where his house was going with this.
A floorboard underneath his nearby coffee table lifted up and slammed back down, making both him and the colourful table jump. The air became noticeably colder, but not by a lot.
“ Oh hush… “ Wally scolded, earning a creak from Home, “ you’re always talking about that! Ever since you figured out how to bring things here… “ The puppet trailed off, letting out a huff and furrowing his brow. Home whined, looking expectantly at the smaller.
“ No. “ Wally said affirmatively, moving his arms in a crossing motion. He never used that tone with anyone besides Home, mainly because he never needed to. Home just stared at him, his eye flickering between two points; one being wally and the other being an indistinct section just to the right of him.
The puppet shivered. When had it become so cold? He glanced back at the window, seeing that home wasnt looking at him anymore. Instead, the window was filled with an inky black. In fact, every window was-
BANG
A loud, thunder-like noise shook through the house, the lights flickering rapidly as it happened. Wally jumped, his hands slapping themselves against his felt ears. Light burned through his eyelids, a yellow stain on his retinas. He could feel it, oh god he could feel it- something slithering up his spine, nagging at his throat he couldn't-
Wally jumped nearly out of his chair, his eyes widening. Something had hit his shoe.
With a hand placed over his mouth, his pupils trailing down the scene. With his heart beating out of his chest, he laid eyes on it…
Oh. It was a half-eaten apple.
The puppet let out a breath he didn't even know he was holding, his hand that was once over his mouth then resting on his chest.
Home opened and waved a door, a squeaking immitting throughout it.
“ Goodness me… You scared me half to death, Home… Ha. Ha. Ha. “ The puppet said, his eyes darting up to Homes window before going back down to the apple. He leaned down and picked up the fruit, holding its stem between his index finger and thumb. It was a nice apple…
Wally gasped. “ Home! You stole this from my new friend… “ he frowned, giving the window a glare. How rude!
“ My, they must have still been eating it… “ the puppet said, more to himself than to his friend. He inspected the apple, his eyes trailing to the oddly shaped scrapes in the bite marks. My, these were nothing like the bites his neighbors took…
Home let out a whine, drawing Wally's attention away from the fruit.
“ Why, yes! How could I have forgotten… “ he put a hand to his cheek, glancing at a nearby un-occupied Home window. “ I have a very busy day ahead… “

[ <3 ]

What. The. Fuck.
That was all you could think as you stared at your hand which, a few seconds earlier, contained an apple.
It wasnt even like you blinked and it was gone, it was more like it imploded in your very palm.
You had seen it fold into itself, as if the proven-solid apple was just… an inflatable pool toy that could be folded very small.
You blinked.
It still wasn't there.
You could still taste the apple in your mouth, in fact, you still had some bits of apple in it. You swallowed.
“ I'm going insane… “ you said to yourself, hand falling to the couch cushions. It was the only logical explanation, you thought. Though you didn't feel insane. What did it feel like to be insane? You shook the thought out of your head. No, no you couldn't be insane…
Your eyes unconsciously darted to the puppet, still on your coffee table. Your brow furrowed, thinking.
Fuck, maybe people did sell haunted puppets on etsy.