Work Text:
Wally woke up to the smell of burning.
He woke up to a loud crash coming from Poppy’s house. He woke up to Home wheezing in pain as the heat melted it’s internal structure.
Wally didn't have time to think as he shot out of his bed and exclaimed, “Home?!”
He didn’t know what was happening. As soon as he said this, Home stopped. His bedroom became still, and his floors stopped moving. Home was utterly still. Wally rushed outside, and for the first time in his life, he was terrified.
Home was dead. Home was dead, Home was dead, and he couldn’t do a thing-
He didn’t know Home could die! It was impossible!
But as he whipped around to face it’s dead, unfeeling eyes, it seemed as the though the world came crashing down all at once.
Home was dead.
The air was hot. Wally could barely breathe under all the smoke. He stared into the sky. It was burning. It would have been beautiful in any other context. He spun, trying to see his neighbors. The smoke was too thick. He’d have to navigate the neighborhood blind.
He wondered how Barnaby was doing. His best friend relied on his nose quite a bit, so surely-
Barnaby.
Where was Barnaby?
Wally quickly ran to Barnaby’s house, panicking. He felt the exterior and ignored how it burned his hands. It felt intact. He slumped his shoulders in relief.
Of course Barnaby was fine, why wouldn’t he be fine? But, when he entered his house, Barnaby was nowhere to be seen.
Wally started to spiral. What if Barnaby was out that night? What if he was already dead, but the smoke covered up his body? It was possible. Wally could barely see as it was.
As Wally searched his house, he heard a sickening crash. Moments later, he heard screaming. It didn’t sound like Barnaby, so he could safely ignore it.
Any other day he would try to help his friends; but Barnaby’s life could be in danger! He always took priority, as cruel as it sounded.
But what if it was Barnaby who screamed? What if the heat was getting to him? What if Barnaby was dead and he wasn’t there to comfort him, what if he was all alone because no one else cared-
Wally whipped around, running to Poppy’s house. A giant piece of wood was crushing it. Poppy was the one screaming. She was still screaming. He didn’t know her voice could go that high.
Poppy stopped screaming.
Wally tried to run closer, even as his breaths got shorter. Then, he saw Barnaby looking at Poppy’s house with a devastated expression. He was fine.
Wally stared at him for the longest time. Then, he remembered he had no time and barreled into him.
“Barnaby!” He yelled, tightly hugging him. Wally quickly let go of his friend once he felt his scorching hot fur. It was as if Wally had dipped his hand into lava. Did Barnaby feel that hot, too?
Barnaby slowly looked at him, panting heavily. “Wally?” He asked. He leaned backwards and tried to take a better look at the house. “I thought- Poppy-“
Wally, despite the heat, hugged him. It burned. “It’s fine,” he said. “It’ll be fine-“
Barnaby put his paws on Wally’s shoulders, gently pushing him away. “We-“ Barnaby chuckled grimly. “We’re dying, pal. I’m sure you noticed.”
Wally flinched as he heard someone else scream. He did notice. It was hard not to. But, looking around, there was no one around them. Well. No one alive.
They both needed a distraction.
Wally led Barnaby away from the burning house. He went as far as he could, eventually stopping in what looked to be the street. He couldn’t be sure.
Wally grabbed onto Barnaby’s paws and stared at him. He stared back. Wally hoped his idea would work. There wasn’t enough time for him to try something else.
By now, Poppy’s house was completely covered in flames. The heat grew closer.
“Hey, neighbor,” He said. Wally stopped to breathe, but it was mostly smoke. He coughed. “You- you should dance with me.”
Barnaby stared at him with wide eyes. “We don’t know how to dance,”
Wally grabbed his paws. They engulfed Wally’s small hands. “Please, Barnaby. It would be the most.”
Barnaby took a deep breath in, and coughed relentlessly. Steeling himself, he put his paws on Wally and started to move. They were clumsy, they were awkward, and Frank would have told them they were doing it wrong a hundred times over.
In a dying world, it was exactly what they needed.
Wally stared at Barnaby, refusing to look at anything else. Every so often, someone would scream, and he’d instinctively look over. But Barnaby redirected his head every time. Wally wanted to cry.
The heat grew ever closer. Eventually, Barnaby stumbled on something, and they fell over. Wally fumbled around and tried to locate his friend. He felt for fur, for an unbelievably hot dog. It should have been easy given their proximity. He eventually felt singed hair.
“Barnaby?” Wally tried to call out. It came out as a dry wheeze. He felt faint, but he felt an urge to continue dancing. Otherwise, he would die in this reality.
He saw a flash of blue and grabbed it. Barnaby’s paws immediately encircled his waist and pushed him up against his chest. He looked up.
Barnaby looked devastated and relieved all at once. They were still alive. Wally gestured for them to continue dancing. The smoke was getting thicker, and the fire had finally engulfed everyone's house. Wally could taste it.
In the corner of his eye, he saw something pink. He saw it burn. He smelled her corpse. How far did they travel-?
Wally swiftly looked away. He would not- could not think about it. If he did, he would certainly collapse from grief. He didn’t have time to grieve.
Wally didn’t bother to breathe in again, instead tapping Barnaby’s foot. Thankfully, he got the message and nodded.
They took two steps before falling over. The smoke was too thick to continue dancing. He held onto Barnaby’s paw, afraid to lose him. He snuggled up against him and thought about the last time they cuddled like this. If he ignored the heat, Wally could believe he was really there.
As Barnaby curled up and held him, Wally was reminded of the last time they cuddled. It was only yesterday, after all.
—
“Barnaby!”
Wally burst into his house, startling him. He had a brighter smile on his face than normal. Barnaby put down his coffee and tilted his head, confused. “What’s happening down there, pal?”
Wally pouted, somehow still smiling. It was like that was the only expression he knew how to make. “Ha. Ha. Ha. Barnaby, don’t you know?”
This confused Barnaby even further. He not-so-discreetly looked at the calendar to check the date. It wasn’t marked. He looked back at Wally and shrugged. “Enlighten me,”
Wally scurried to him, making himself comfortable on the arm of his chair. “It’s Valentine's day!”
Barnaby furrowed his eyebrows and checked the date again. “Valentine’s day was three months ago. Wally, are you alright?”
This made the smaller pause in contemplation. Then, he asked, “I thought Valentine’s day was on the 14th?”
Barnaby shook his head. “Yes, it is, but only in February,”
This made Wally blush in embarrassment. Instead of avoiding his eyes, Wally stared into them further, causing Barnaby to avert his eyes. Wally’s staring could make him a bit uncomfortable.
“We could still do something special, if you want?” Barnaby offered. Wally lit up. Barnaby chuckled. For a puppet so stoic, Wally could be awfully easy to read. Or maybe it was just because they were alone.
He reveled in the thought. Then, Barnaby felt a pinch. Looking down, Wally was trying to get his attention. He huffed. Barnaby picked Wally up and plopped onto the floor, curling around him like a dog would. This would be because Barnaby was a dog, but he digressed.
They stayed like that for the rest of the day. Occasionally, Wally rambled about their neighbor’s recent shenanigans, but overall, they were content to sit in silence.
—
He was shaken back to reality. Wally stared at Barnaby. He put his head closer to him in an effort to hear his words.
“I-“ Barnaby wheezed. They could both feel the fire on their skin, now. It was making his hair disintegrate, and Barnaby’s back was full of holes. He continued. “I love you,”
Wally felt it. Barnaby’s time was almost up, and he wouldn’t be able to protect him from the heat for much longer. If it wasn’t so dry, he would have cried.
Wally gently pat Barnaby’s head. “I know,” he replied. Barnaby closed his eyes and Wally was completely consumed by the flames. He smiled bitterly.
“I’m glad I got to die with you.”