Chapter Text
Waking up in a bed that’s not yours is almost always alarming. Especially when you specifically remember falling asleep in your bed. The moment you opened your eyes you were filled with panic, sitting up and taking in your surroundings. At least this bedroom was somewhat familiar even if it wasn’t yours.
“… Home?”
Squeak
Yep. You were in Wally’s house. As if it wasn’t already obvious from the random art supplied dotted around the room, framed picture of a perfect red apple on the wall and other bits of decoration that screamed Wally Darling, the fact that the house replied to you when you addressed it was enough to prove you’d somehow ended up in Wally’s bed. You removed the covers and shifted so you were sat on the edge of the bed. You’d been about to get up when you noticed you were wearing a pair of pyjamas that didn’t seem familiar. They were white with thin red, blue and yellow stripes running vertically down both the pyjama shirt and pants. They fit perfectly. They were comfortable. But they weren’t yours. They weren’t what you’d been wearing when you went to sleep last night.
You finally stood up, fear beginning to seep into you. Did something happen last night? Why were you at Wally’s house? What happened to your house? Why didn’t you remember anything happening?
You trusted Wally. You trusted he’d never do anything to intentionally harm you, physically or mentally. So, of course, the most likely option was you hit your head and your house burned to the ground which is why you’re at Wally’s house with no memory of how or why you were there. Ok… maybe that was a bit dramatic. Surely there was a good explanation for all of this? You’d just have to go find Wally.
You crossed the room quickly to get to the bedroom door but you were stopped by something on the dresser. It was a picture of you and Wally. The two of you were in a tight embrace, grinning happily at the camera. It was a lovely picture. If only you remembered when it was taken. You had no memory of being close to Wally like that at all, let alone hugging him close for a picture.
You picked up the picture frame, bringing it closer to your face so you could inspect it in hopes of remembering something. Wally’s left arm was around your waist while yours was around his shoulder.
Huh… Is that a wedding ring on his finger?
You could just see a hint of gold on one of his yellow fingers. You had no idea he was married. You’d never met or heard of a spouse when you talked to him or any of the other neighbours. Maybe they were deceased? That’d explain why no one talked about them. But surely you would’ve noticed the ring before?
God, this was so confusing. Why was your brain so muddled? Were you sleepy? Concussed from a horrible incident last night?
Home seemed to notice you were having a bit of a panic and opened the bedroom door with an audible creak. It seemed to hope to prompt you into moving on before you spiralled.
You took the hint and placed the picture back down on the dresser before walking out the bedroom door. Home was kind enough to shut the door behind you as you began to hunt down Wally in search of answers. It didn’t take you long to find him. You followed the pleasant smell of food being cooked and the melodic sound of monotone humming. They led you to the kitchen.
There he was. The most charming and darling member of the neighbourhood. Wally Darling stood with his back to you, a frilly and pink apron tied around his normal outfit as he tended to whatever food was cooking on the stove. You stood in the doorway and watched his every move. For some reason, you couldn’t bring yourself to interrupt him. You didn’t want to scare him by speaking up suddenly and approaching him. So you just… waited there, staring holes into his back.
It didn’t take him long to realise he was being watched. He stopped humming the familiar tune to give a small and confused ‘hmm?’. Wally finally turned to look at you.
His expression was one of warm affection, his head tilting as he spoke gently.
“Oh! There you are. It’s wonderful to finally see you again, Darling. I was beginning to wonder if I’d be serving you breakfast in bed.”
“… Huh?”
Your reply was one of pure confusion. Surely you hadn’t been asleep that long right? You’d look for a clock to see what time it was but there was none in sight.
Wally gave a small sigh before quickly walking over to you and taking your hand. He led you to the kitchen island and had you sit down on a stool before speaking up again.
“You’re still groggy. It’s ok, I find it cute.”
His words were blunt and left no room for argument. You sat and watched him go back to the stove. Words still evaded you. There were just… so many things wrong here. So many questions to ask to the point they all bubbled up at once and made it hard to speak.
Wally was seemingly oblivious to your crisis as he dished up a single plate and served it to you. He then stood on the other side of the kitchen island, elbows on the counter so he could rest his head in his hands and watch you with a dreamy expression. He seemed very happy you were there.
The two of you just stared at each other for a moment, gazing into each other’s eyes. His lidded eyes were almost… loving. Something about seeing him so happy and relaxed helped you relax in turn. If something bad had happened Wally would probably be more tense or worried. Everything was fine. You began to eat. He just watched as though you were the most interesting thing in the world. Eventually, you managed to speak up, asking a question with little relevance to your worrying situation.
“Aren’t you gonna eat too?”
“Aw, thank you for worrying about me. I already ate though. I’m sorry, did you want to eat together?”
“Oh. Uh- no, it’s fine! I just wanted to make sure you’d eaten.”
Silence befell the two of you again as you continued to eat your breakfast. Had you been new around the neighbourhood, you would’ve probably felt unnerved by his stare. You’d gotten used to it at this point. You simply thought of his unwavering gaze as the same way cats showed affection. It made him a lot less intimidating. Then again, it’s hard to be intimidated when he was wearing that pink apron.
Your eyes travelled from his face to the hands propping him up. You spotted the ring you’d seen in the picture earlier. The silence was broken once again as you decided to ask him about it.
“Oh, hey… I never noticed you wore a wedding ring. When’d you get married?”
Wally’s eyes widened slightly in surprise as he straightened up and looked at the ring on his finger. He then looked back at you with his signature, almost forced-sounding laugh.
“Ha ha ha. You’re funny today, sweetheart.”
Hmm. That’s new. Did Wally always refer to you using terms of endearment? Maybe he picked it up from somewhere. He tended to see someone do something and then attempt to copy it, like when he learnt to blow kisses. You brushed it off as you continued the conversation.
“Seriously though. Not trying to like… be nosy or anything. Did you recently get married or is it something from the past? I’m pretty sure I don’t remember seeing you with a wedding ring before. Oh! Would your spouse mind if I’m here? Ah! Why am I here, again?”
Now that you’ve started talking you’ve found you can’t stop. You rambled as Wally walked around the kitchen island to stand next to you. He gently placed a hand on your cheek which shut you up immediately. His constant smile widened as his thumb brushed against the apple of your cheek. You’d never seen him look so… affectionate. Your heart immediately started pounding at the touch and look he gave you. Wally’s eyes went from your face to your left hand. His voice was soft when he finally replied.
“Oh, dear. You forgot something. Silly, silly. You’re so forgetful when you’re sleepy.”
Before you could even ask what he meant he let go of your cheek and walked upstairs. You were left with your thoughts as you waited patiently for his return. What did you forget? Were you forgetful in the mornings? Would you even remember if you were forgetful? Was this what Eddie felt like? Why did Wally look at you like that? Why did he stroke your cheek so lovingly? What’s going on?
Wally soon returned, appearing at your side so suddenly that it made you jump. You noticed the pink, frilly apron he’d been wearing was now gone. He got down on one knee and took your left hand in his. He then slipped a golden band identical to his on your ring finger before giving you a bright smile.
“There we go. You left your ring on the bedside table when you got out of bed this morning.”
He placed a quick kiss on your hand before he stood up straight. You nearly choked on your spit at what he just did. Your voice was strained and slightly high-pitched as you spoke with shock and confusion, all while he continued to hold your hand.
“Whoa! What? Wally, c’mon. If this is a joke, it’s not funny. Can you just… tell me why I’m here?”
You felt almost hurt he’d play with your heart this way. Maybe Barnaby put him up to this. That dog always did love playing tricks so maybe it rubbed off on Wally.
But the look of what seemed to be hurt on Wally’s face didn’t feel like a trick. The way he’d tenderly caress your knuckles with his thumb as he held your hand didn’t feel like a trick either.
He spoke quietly, voice barely above a whisper.
“My dearest Darling… You live here. We’re married.”
…
WHAT?! Since when!?
Your brain scrambled to remember the details as you stared at the golden ring around your finger. It fit perfectly. It felt like it’d always been there. It’s like your body remembered the ring but your brain didn’t. It didn’t help your internal freakout.
Wally seemed to notice your distress and let you go with what sounded like a disappointed sigh.
“You’re not quite awake yet. It’s ok, this happens. You’ll wake up and remember soon. We haven’t been married long, after all.”
His words were knowing. This had apparently happened before. Often enough to the point he knows not to get too upset. His words were at least a little comforting. You held your left hand in the other, fingers brushing against the wedding band. Would you remember? Could you? It felt like there was… something there. Something you were so close to remembering. It was trying to remember a dream, wisps of memories remained just out of reach. It was frustrating.
One of the kitchen cabinets slowly opened with a quiet creak. Wally perked up and looked over to the cabinet. It seemed like he remembered something. He replied to the noise as he looked up to the ceiling.
“Thank you, Home. I had completely forgotten.”
His eyes then settled back on you, smiling sweetly.
“We need to go and get groceries. I recommend going and getting ready now, honey.”
Wally was politely asking you to get a move on. You nodded quickly, not wanting to upset your… husband?
Yeah, husband.
Wally Darling is apparently your husband.
You were still in shock from the news as you stood up and practically stumbled out of the kitchen. Wally watched you the entire time until you were no longer in view, smiling fondly.
You made your way up to the bedroom to get dressed for the day. To your surprise, even after the explanation Wally gave you, you found all of your clothes in a closet you apparently shared with your husband. It really seemed like the two of you lived together as newlyweds. Now that you weren’t leaving the bedroom in a panic, you could spot some of your things dotted around the bedroom.
Some of your books were on the bookshelf, a painting you did with Wally back when you first moved in was hung on the wall, a couple of your favourite plushes were on display on a shelf and your pillows from your house were on the bed.
Doubt and confusion clouded your mind as you got dressed for the day. How did you forget you were married? Why do you still not remember?
These questions followed you as you went to the bathroom to wash your face and brush your teeth. Your toothbrush was there too. So were all your other toiletries. You were becoming more and more convinced you were actually married as you got ready to go out.
Wally was waiting for you downstairs when you finally decided you were ready. He stood next to the front door, eyes lighting up when you came in to view.
“There you are, my love. You look like the absolute most!”
Wally’s voice was soft as he complimented you. It made you feel all warm and fluttery inside. You tried to match the flattery but your voice was more shaky and unsure compared to his more blunt approach.
“Oh! Uh- Thank you. You look… nice as well.”
It was awkward and fumbled but it was music to Wally’s ears. He puffed his chest out proudly, that catlike smile on his face widening. He took pride in his appearance and liked it when his efforts were noticed and praised.
He then moved to your side and carefully interlaced his fingers with yours, holding your hand as though you were something delicate, something precious. Wally tilted his head towards the door as he spoke.
“Are you ready to go, my beloved?”
“Sure, I’m ready… honey?”
You attempted to return his term of endearment but it just felt weird. Wally was your friend! You weren’t used to being so close with him. At least he seemed happy with it. He was beaming as he led you through the front door and outside. It was yet another beautiful day in Home. The bright sun caused you to wince a little as though you hadn’t been outside in a while. Wally’s hand tightened a little around yours as the two of you said your goodbyes to Home and began to make your way to the Bugdega.
The walk was mostly spent in peaceful silence as you walked hand in hand with your husband. The only time the silence was broken was when Wally spoke up to point something out to you. Like when he saw a particularly pretty flower and said it reminded him of you or pointed up at a fluffy cloud that looked like a butterfly. It was nice. Even if Wally’s hand was holding yours in a way that felt like he was expecting you to run off if he let go.
You held hands all the way to Howdy’s. Wally parted from your side to open the door for you like the gentleman he was. You quietly thanked Wally as you entered the store. There were a variety of items dotted all over the bodega, both old and new stock. Howdy greeted you as Wally came in behind you.
“Well! If it isn’t the neighbourhood’s most darling couple, the Darlings! How are you two on this beautiful day?”
Wally was soon at your side, answering for you with the usual smile and smooth voice.
“Hello, Howdy. We’re good, we just needed to grab some groceries for the next few days.”
Wally grabbed your hand and gently pulled you with him down the aisles. You had no idea what the two of you apparently needed so you let him pick things up and put them in the basket he’d picked up at some point. He seemed to be grabbing a lot of your favourite foods! Huh. You briefly wondered how he knew what you liked to eat before you came to the same conclusion you’d been coming to a lot today because he’s your husband!
Yep. Still weird. You were struggling to see him as anything more than a friend. Sure he was charming and sweet but… Wally is a friend! It’s hard to think of him as a boyfriend, let alone the man you’re married to! You’d gotten along well with him before this weird morning but not well enough to somehow end up married to him. Surely you were awake enough now to remember literally anything about your romantic relations with Wally? Why couldn’t you remember?
… What if there was nothing to remember?
What if he’s lying to you? What if they’re all lying to you?
But what would be the point? Why play such a weird trick? Why go as far as to bring your belongings to your house and lie just so you and Wally could play house?
So many things weren’t making sense and it was beginning to give you a headache. The wedding band on your ring finger felt heavy, almost constricting. It had fit so well earlier but now it felt unpleasant. You moved your other hand to remove it. Just as your fingers curled around the metal and began to pull it off there was a hand on your shoulder. You jumped out of your skin, letting go of the ring and leaving it on your finger while your hands came to your sides quickly as though you’d been caught doing something wrong.
“Whoa there! Sorry for scaring you! I just wanted to make sure you were ok. You were staring at the products, I would’ve thought you had a personal vendetta against them or something.”
Howdy took his hand off your shoulder and began to rub the back of his head sheepishly. He hadn’t meant to scare you, he simply wanted to check up on you since you were glaring at the food on the shelf. You smiled up at him and attempted to ease his concerns.
“No, I’m fine just real interested in the nutritional facts of these… Generic Brand Cereal Loops?”
Now that you were actually paying attention to what you were looking at you were confused. What kind of cereal was that? Why did all the smaller bits of writing look like scribbles? Wait- it was like that with all of the packaging! Upon closer inspection, every product on this aisle seemed almost… fake. Almost like a prop on a set-
“My love? Light of my life? Where are you? Where’d you go?”
You didn’t have time to ponder why Howdy seemed to be stocking fake food, your husband was looking for you. While you were debating the legitimacy of your relationship and life in general, Wally had let go of your hand and gone on ahead to continue shopping without you. He seemed worried and maybe a little upset he’d lost you. You left Howdy without even really thinking about it to find Wally.
He was standing in the fresh produce section holding the basket in the crook of his elbow so he could support the hand holding his cheek. His smile looked more shaky and troubled than usual as though he were trying his best to keep it together. His worry was gone as soon as he spotted you though. Wally perked up when he saw you, standing taller and quickly walking over to you. He brought you into a tight hug while also making sure not to accidentally hit you with the shopping basket. The way he spoke made it sound like the two of you had been apart far longer than a couple of minutes.
“There you are! I was so worried something had happened. I’m so sorry I let you go. It wasn’t my intention to be apart from you, especially for that long.”
He pulled away from the hug to gently hold your face in his hands, softly stroking your cheek with his thumbs. Wally looked genuinely happy to see you. Had anyone ever looked at you like this before? With such love in their eyes?
Maybe being married to Wally wouldn’t be so bad. Why not go along with it? At least for now. Would it be selfish of you to pretend to love Wally so you could feel loved? Or would it be more selfish to break his heart after apparently getting married recently?
You laid your hands over his and gave him a warm smile.
“No, it’s my fault. I was distracted. I’m here now though.”
Your attempts to comfort him made his bright smile return in full force. Wally removed his hands from your face to instead hold your hand.
“It was no one’s fault, my dear.”
His monotone voice was soothing as he began to lead you to the counter to pay for your groceries. Howdy was back behind the counter as though he’d never left. You were surprised you never heard him walk back, the bugdega wasn’t exactly big and he’d surely make at least some noise with that many limbs.
There was an unsettling feeling beginning to brew inside of you. It’d been present when you woke up this morning and it’s only gotten worse. It felt like there was something wrong here but you couldn’t tell what.
You must’ve zoned out while trying to pinpoint why you felt so uneasy because suddenly you were walking home, hand in hand with your husband. He seemed to be in the middle of explaining something he learned from Frank. You didn’t mean to interrupt him but the change of scenery made you speak up without even meaning to.
“Huh? What…?”
“I was telling you a fun fact I learnt about butterflies!”
Wally didn’t seem upset you hadn’t been paying attention, instead he grinned and squeezed your hand while restarting his little speech again. You attempted to interrupt him again so you could ask him exactly when you left Howdy’s place but he kept talking.
“Hey, wait! I’m confused, when-“
“Did you know that butterflies will drink blood and tears if given the opportunity?”
His enthusiasm for the kind of gross fact floored you for a second, stopping you in your tracks as you looked at him in surprise. It was weird hearing bright and positive little Wally say something morbid. Just as you were about to ask him how he knew about it there was a loud yell that stopped you from talking.
“HEADS UP!!”
The two of you turned to look for the source of the noise only for you to get hit in the head by something, causing you to let go of Wally’s hand as you fell to the ground. Pain immediately bloomed from where you’d been hit by something. You opened your eyes to try and find out what had happened but the tears blurring your vision were making it difficult. You tried your best not to cry as you sat up. Your husband was immediately on his knees by your side trying to comfort you and look at your injury. Someone else was running over but you couldn’t make out who it was.
“Oh, my beloved! Are you ok? Let me take a look. I’ll be gentle, I promise”
Wally muttered softly as he began to carefully tilt your face so he could see the bruise now forming on the left side of your forehead. The next person to speak up was Barnaby, surprisingly. He must’ve been the one who tried to warn you.
“I am so sorry! You ok, bud? I didn’t mean to throw the ball that hard or at you, I swear!”
You couldn’t even get a word in because Wally spoke up for you sounding… angry.
“Barnaby! What have I told you about being careful with your strength? You know how delicate they are!”
Both you and Barnaby were taken aback by Wally’s anger. He was such a laid-back guy, you couldn’t remember ever seeing him annoyed. No matter how hurt he’d get or if something he loved got broken he never got mad at someone. Especially at his best friend of all people!
Barnaby spoke up again, sounding more apologetic and maybe a little hurt at Wally’s tone.
“It was an accident, Wally, they’re not that fragile-“
“You don’t know that! You have no idea how easy it is to hurt them!”
Wally held an arm out in front of you almost protectively as he continued yelling at poor Barnaby. His yelling was making your head hurt even more on top of the new bump. You couldn’t take it. You hated seeing him like this. He was still smiling but it felt almost threatening, his eyes were wide and laser-focused on Barnaby and you swore you could see Wally shaking slightly.
You wanted to stop an argument from breaking out, even if it felt like your head was splitting. You placed a hand on Wally’s arm and tried to push it down as you spoke up.
“Calm down, I’m fine. It’s just a little bump.”
Your voice was shaky as you continued to border on tears. Your husband was immediately paying attention to you, carefully helping you up before sending Barnaby his best attempt at a glare. He wasn’t yelling but he still sounded angry as he practically snarled.
“You’re lucky it’s just a little bump. If this happens again, and god forbid if it’s worse than a little bump, there’ll be hell to pay. I don’t take my spouse getting hurt lightly, even if it’s you, Barnaby.”
Before you or Barnaby could react, Wally was already pulling you home with him. You felt bad you’d inadvertently caused an argument between two best friends but the throbbing headache you were getting was making it hard to try and talk to your husband. It was only when you were inside Home and he’d pulled you into the kitchen when he spoke again. Wally looked so worried as he had you sit down so he could look over your injury again.
“You poor thing… Aw, look what he did to you…”
He cooed softly as he cupped your face in his hands for the second time that day.
“Here, let me kiss it better.”
Before you could even react he leaned in and placed a kiss as light as a feather on the bruised bump forming on your head. The weirdest bit was the loud ‘muah’ sound he made as he did it, as though he thought putting his mouth on you and saying ‘muah’ was a kiss. It made you wonder if he did the same thing on your wedding day. You still couldn’t remember that, after all.
You were still pretty flustered at the sudden display of affectation. Your face felt all warm and tingly. Weirdly, your head stopped hurting too. You guessed it was the effect of the happy chemicals your brain released from the kiss. How else would the kiss make you feel better?
Either way, Wally seemed pleased with himself. He squished your cheeks for a moment before dropping his hands back to his sides. Now that he’d sorted out your injury he moved on to what to do next.
“Ah, that kiss made me feel nostalgic. I know! We should look at our wedding photos! It’ll be a fun way to spend our evening.”
Wally was once again grabbing at your hand and leading you somewhere. He took you into the living room and sat you on the couch before rushing upstairs.
Wait- Did he say evening?
You looked outside and were surprised the once bright blue sky was now a pretty orange. Where had the time gone? It was late morning when you left the house. Surely you hadn’t spent that long out? You’d never even eaten lunch, right? Yet you weren’t even really hungry. Probably because it felt like you’d only eaten breakfast like an hour ago. Plus what happened to the groceries!? Did Wally even have them when you were outside earlier? Did he put them away already? Why was your brain cutting out so much time? Was this why you couldn’t remember your relationship and wedding?
What the hell is going on-
“I’m back, sweetheart! Did you miss me?”
Wally was at your side, sitting down next to you on the couch with a fabric-bound book. The only words on the front were ‘Wedding Album’. It reminded you of the generic foods at Howdy’s. The worrying feeling from before was beginning to arise again.
Just as you began to question everything again, your husband shuffled closer to you so you were sat side by side before opening the book. The pages looked almost like a scrapbook. There were a variety of pictures, pressed flowers and leaves, stickers and more. The pictures consisted mostly of you and Wally as well as your friends. There were a couple of scenic photos of where you were guessing the ceremony took place in the grassy fields of Home. It looked beautiful. Everyone looked so happy. It felt… nostalgic. Maybe the memories were there, just deep deep down. The bonk on the head you received today probably didn’t help.
You stayed silent as Wally slowly flicked through the wedding album, commenting on little things like:
“This is a flower I picked just before the ceremony. You remember how I put it in your hair when I said my vows, don’t you?”
“This picture may be my favourite. We look so happy together, right?”
“You see this little bit of writing? I wrote it over and over again on a scrap piece of paper until I was confident I wouldn’t mess it up.”
“No, this is my favourite picture! Everyone is in this one and the way you’re smiling in it still makes my heart flutter no matter how many times I look at it…”
Wally’s little comments made the moment between the two of you feel all the more heartwarming. His soft voice conveyed genuine warmth and affection as he’d give you a little tidbit about each page. If you thought hard enough then you felt like you could maybe remember some of it. But that may just be because of the scrapbook and the way Wally was painting such a perfect picture of your wedding day.
You even began to feel a little sleepy! The warmth of your husband being by your side as well as his soothing voice practically telling you a story about how the two of you tied the knot was making your eyelids feel pretty heavy. You almost didn’t notice the way he hesitated on the last page of the wedding album.
His hands stilled as he stared at the page in confusion. In the corner of the page, for the first time in the entire book, there was something written in your handwriting.
‘Don’t forget.’
Huh, past you must’ve had a feeling you’d be forgetful. You felt a little bad you hadn’t obeyed your past self but then again you didn’t choose to forget.
You leaned back into the couch cushions and yawned. You blinked slowly as you looked up at the ceiling. It was dark in the living room now, the only source of light was the warm glow of the lamp beside the couch. It felt comfortable. Cosy.
Which is probably why you jumped so hard when Wally suddenly slammed the wedding album shut.
“What was that about?”
You looked at him with wide eyes as you asked him. He gave you a sheepish smile as he held the book on his lap in a vice-like grip. The contrast between Wally’s embarrassed smile and the way he clenched the wedding album in his hands should have concerned you but you felt so so sleepy.
“Ah- Sorry, my love. I didn’t mean to startle you. I don’t know why I did that.”
He apologised as he slowly stood up with the book still clutched in his hands. You didn’t even have time to say anything once again as he continued speaking.
“I’ll go put this away so it doesn’t get ruined.”
Wally excused himself before quickly walking out of the room and upstairs. You sighed quietly as you curled up on the couch, using the arm as a cushion. You’d had a long day of being married and getting a minor head injury, you felt like you deserved a quick nap. The lamp beside you flickered but you were sure it was probably Home trying to prompt you into going upstairs and sleeping in bed. You couldn’t be bothered to do that though. Your eyes soon fluttered closed as you have in to your urge to sleep.
You didn’t get that far though. Your husband returned to the living room a few minutes later and sat down on the couch. He placed his hands on your shoulder and carefully guided you to rest against his chest while he shifted to lie down on the couch. When the two of you were both together and comfortable, Wally then began to gently rub your back as he quietly sang some kind of lullaby. His voice was so quiet and soft that it’d dip between singing and whispering. You didn’t mind, it still had the intended result.
You fell asleep on your husband’s chest, the complete opposite of how you woke up that morning.