Chapter Text
Barnaby never considered his first kiss with Wally to be their real first kiss. Sure, technically, it was. But it didn’t feel like it.
No, Barnaby didn’t count it at all. It had been an accident; a heat of the moment decision made in order to leave a final blow on Wally’s parents.
The small puppet had climbed onto the table with an angry exclamation before grabbing Barnaby’s shirt collar and pulling him close for a kiss.
He hadn’t even been aware of it after it happened, the bluenette turning a furious red with embarrassment when he realized what he’d done.
It hadn’t been as romantic or loving as the taller had wanted it to be. No, not at all!
So he was going to fix that.
With a courageous pep to his step, Barnaby made his way over to Home. The house graciously opened the door for him, creaking in a manner that the dog couldn’t quite understand.
He assumed that it meant Wally was inside and humbly let himself in.
And he was right, as he immediately found Wally sitting in his living room on his tummy with his feet in the air as he colored on a piece of paper, tongue sticking out in concentration.
The sight was so adorable that Barnaby almost passed away.
”Hey bud,” he greeted, catching the eyes of the smaller puppet.
”Oh! Hello, Barnaby!” Wally smiled, standing up and blowing him a kiss. “It’s nice to see you, friend!”
Barnaby couldn’t help but grin back, “hello, Wally. It’s nice to see you, too.”
Wally wiped his paint-covered hands on his cardigan, seemingly not minding the smear of colors that mixed into the fabric. ”Why, what brings you by?”
”Simple,” the dog nodded, “I’ve come to take you out.”
”Out?” Wally questioned, his head tilting curiously.
”On uh, well you see…” he suddenly felt very nervous. He almost felt like he was shrinking under the smaller’s loving gaze.
”Ah, I’ve come to take you out on a date! If that’s okay, of course,” he finally stuttered out.
Wally’s eyes widened with surprise, a small amount of pink coloring his cheeks.
”Oh, yes! Yes, that’d be great!” Wally immediately blurted before backtracking, “um, only… I need to finish this painting for Sally. She needs it by tonight and I don’t think I’ll be able to finish it later.”
”Oh,” Barnaby replied, “well we can always go some other time?”
”Oh but Barnaby,” Wally whispered, his tone making said puppet light up like a flame, “I wanted to spend time with you today.”
”Well, ah,” he stuttered numbly, “perhaps we can compromise?”
Wally only giggled, “oh of course. Why don’t you stay here with me today? You can help me visualize my painting, hm?”
Barnaby nodded dumbly, his cheeks bright red. The smaller motioned for him to sit beside his painting area.
”I hope you don’t mind getting dirty, I have paint everywhere,” Wally warned. Barnaby shook his head, “no it’s alright.”
They sat together on the floor, Wally almost immediately snuggling up at the dog’s side. They’d cuddled before, sure, but now their relationship has changed.
Now their cuddles had a new weight to them. A new meaning, a new light.
Barnaby hesitantly laid an arm around the smaller, who had by now continued painting.
”What are you paintin’?” Barnaby questioned, trying to start small-talk and get rid of the red on his cheeks.
”Im drawing space!” Wally answered proudly, holding up the wet paper to show the taller.
”Space? What’s that?”
”Home told me that it was the sky,” the smaller answered, as if that explained anything. “But only the sky at night,” he added.
”At night?”
”Yes! Home said that it was where all the stars lived and it’s why it’s always dark! Because the stars only shine in the darkness,” he nodded.
”Wow, Home knows a lot,” Barnaby pointed out. Wally paused his coloring, his eyes staring ahead.
”Yes. It does,” he said. The atmosphere seemed to shift into something off-putting, and it put Barnaby on edge.
Wally suddenly turned to Barnaby and said, “space is very cool.” The dog nodded in awkward agreement, sighing in relief when the tense air lifted.
It was now or never, the dog supposed. Now was his chance to talk to Wally about the… incident earlier.
”Say, Wally…” he began.
The puppet turned to look at him, a light smile on his face as he waited for him to continue.
Barnaby nervously fiddled with his paws, his eyes looking everywhere but the smaller male in front of him.
”Ah, um.”
”Barnaby?”
The taller’s eyes cast downwards. Oh boy.
Wally was staring up at him through his lashes, his chin resting on his hand. His eyes held that usual sleepy look, but they looked much more sincere now.
“Is there something you want to tell me?”
Yes, Barnaby spoke in his mind.
”Maybe?” He said instead.
”Well go ahead, I won’t bite,” he giggled.
Barnaby’s face almost burned from how hard he was blushing, “uh, well… the other day,” he began. Wally nodded encouragingly.
”When your parents were leaving and you, uh, kissed me…”
Wally’s expression turned embarrassed at that, his smile crumpling as his face turned bright pink. Barnaby resisted the urge to coo at the reaction.
”I was just wondering…”
He could almost feel the smaller’s breath from how close he was sitting.
”If we could maybe…”
Wally leaned forward, listening intently.
”Do it again?”
Wally’s eyes were wide now, his smile large in a nervous manner.
”Do it again?” He echoed, sitting back on his feet as he raised a hand to his chin. “Why would we do it again?”
Barnaby felt his heart sped up. “Because,” he said “that’s what people do when they like each other!”
”Oh!” Wally exclaimed. The blue puppet watched as he nodded as if he were agreeing with a fact. “I’m new to this,” he said.
Oh, Barnaby already knew that. “I’ve never done this before,” Wally admitted quietly, “I’m not sure what to do.”
Barnaby leaned closer, a loving grin on his face. “Well, if it makes you feel better, you didn’t do too shabby the first time.”
Wally looked up, seemingly becoming aware of how close they were.
”Then why do it again? Wasn’t that good?”
“Well yes, but I don’t really count that one.”
”Why not?”
”I’d prefer if it was a little more consensual this time around,” he chuckled.
Wally suddenly pulled away, leaving a void of cold, empty air between them that left Barnaby aching.
“Was it not…” Wally trailed off, “I’m sorry, did you not feel comfortable the first time? I didn’t mean to cross any boundaries! I just-“
”Hey now,” Barnaby crooned, laying a paw on Wally’s cheek and making the shorter’s face warm, “I never said I didn’t like it!”
”But you said you wanted it more consensual, insinuating that it wasn’t the first time,” Wally pointed out.
”I just meant that it took me by surprise. I’d like to do it while I’m aware and ready,” Barnaby explained gently. Wally nodded.
”I’d like to do it properly, if that’s okay with you.”
Wally laughed softly, leaning back in, “why wouldn’t it be?”
Barnaby shrugged, “maybe you changed your mind about this? About me?”
Wally laid his forehead against his, grabbing his paws, “I’d never.”
The room was getting hot, warm with fuzzy feelings and unsaid words.
”Then can I show you the proper way?”
“Of course,” Wally smiled, “I am rather new to this, after all. I believe I need a teacher.”
Barnaby laughed, “I’d be happy to provide.”
”Then go on,” he teased, leaning forward.
”What?” Barnaby questioned, his forehead bumping Wally’s.
”Teach me.”
And like that, their lips met in a searing kiss. This one was real, Barnaby decided; very, very real.
Barnaby’s nails softly grazed the other’s curly cerulean hair from where his paw was resting on his face gently. He felt Wally’s hand come up to rest atop of his.
It was far from perfect, but it was special. Wally was clearly inexperienced; his lips moved clumsily as he kept giggling into Barnaby’s mouth.
After a few seconds they pulled away, and Barnaby was blown away at the sight of Wally’s red, red face and dopey smile.
“Gee,” he said, “I’ve never done that before! It was the absolute most!”
”Uh, yeah, it was!” Barnaby agreed.
”Do we always have to do that?” Wally questioned, still laughing skittishly.
”Not always,” Barnaby answered with a smile, “unless you want to?”
”I do!” Wally shouted, throwing himself at Barnaby and kissing him messily.
“Hey,” Barnaby called between the kisses that Wally peppered onto his lips, “hey!”
Wally pulled back, “what?”
”You’re gonna have to share your love, you know! I can’t take it all! The others like you just as much,” Barnaby smiled, his arms wrapping around Wally lazily.
”Mmm,” Wally giggled. “I have enough to go around,” he said as he snuggled into Barnaby’s neck.
”Im sure you do,” Barnaby chuckled, “but you definitely don’t have the energy. Kissing takes a lot of it, you know.”
”Actually, I don’t know,” Wally teased, “would you like to demonstrate?”
Barnaby looked at him in surprise, eyes wide. “Gee, Wals! You sure are confident! Didn’t take you as the romantic type!”
”Oh, no,” Wally murmured softly, “Im really not. I just like this a lot.”
”This? What’s ‘this?’”
“Hugging you, cuddling you,” he smiled a little wider, “kissing you.”
”Yeah? Me too, Wals. But if you’re planning to be with all of us, there’s a lot of kissing you’ll be doing.”
”Yes, I suppose,” Wally nodded, “but right now it’s just you, and I’m going to use that to my advantage.”
Barnaby was about to reply when the smaller puppet leaned down and smooched him again, a wide smile on his lips that Barnaby could feel.
“Oh, you’re a quick learner,” Barnaby nodded once they parted.
”I have a good teacher.”
”I suppose you do,” The dog laughed, leaning down once more to press a chaste kiss to his forehead.
Home creaked above them; a series of sounds Barnaby still couldn’t understand. But it seemed that Wally did.
Well, obviously he did. It was his house after all.
“Sorry Home,” he said, laughing. “Too much love, I know!”
Home squeaked a pipe in the walls. Wally hummed, “Nono, it’s alright. I should get back to work anyway!”
He turned to Barnaby, caressing his furry face gently, “I’m sorry to cut this short, barn, but I really must get back to my painting.”
Barnaby nodded, his heart fluttering at the other’s gentle tone. He muttered something about needing to go talk to Julie and allowed the shorter to walk him to the door.
”Thank you for coming to talk to me,” Wally smiled.
”Anytime, Wals.”
Wally’s grin only grew, “it means a lot.”
Barnaby chuckled, leaning down and pecking the other’s cheek softly, his hand coming up to ruffle his hair gently.
”I’ll see you later, sugarplum. Go talk with the others, okay?”
Wally nodded, his eyes sparkling with emotion.
”Okay,” he said.
”Goodbye,” Barnaby whispered. Wally blew him a kiss as a parting gift as the dog began walking down the path. “Bye, Home!” He called over his shoulder.
Home waved a window shutter, then its eyes turned to Wally. A questioning creak sounded out.
”Yes, Home. I’m really happy. I love them so much,” Wally giggled.
Meanwhile, Barnaby practically skipped down the street. Each neighbor smiled at his chipper attitude before sending a questioning glance.
Barnaby would simply nod towards Wally’s house and the neighbors understood perfectly well.
Wally Darling just had that affect on the neighbors.
The only difference now was that they were allowed to do something about it.
They were allowed to love him; and love him they were going to!