Work Text:
It was a sunny day.
Summer had finally arrived, after months of cold spring. Birds were chirping, the sun was shining, people got out to have fun and relax under the warm weather;
The people, in this case, were you and your beloved neighbors. Moving in the Neighborhood "Home" a few months ago, life couldn't be any better for you. On the contrary from your old neighbors, who were anything but nice to you, your new neighbors were like a breath of fresh air.
Sally, whom you assisted with plays, was the most creative person you've ever met, her countless ideas for spectacles never-ending.
Julie was the nicest one, she helped you with moving inside your home, assisting you with your bags and even making you a thousand of welcome gifts, claiming it's just what she's supposed to do for a new neighbor.
Barnaby was scary at first, especially with his big height. But even though he maybe wasn't as helpful as other neighbors, he was one of the only people- or puppets? You didn't know what to call them- who managed to make you laugh and get back on track on a bad day.
Frank was... Frank. He may be a bit grumpy sometimes, but he's actually really sweet inside. You've gone butterfly watching with him more than once, and while he rambles, he's anything but grumpy. It amazed you how much he knew about butterflies! He could talk about them for hours and hours.
Eddie was very good at comforting others, at finding the right words for everything. You guessed it was just his speciality from being a mailman for so long.
Howdy always provided the best products for the neighborhood, and he was just a nice person to talk to. You've volunteered many times to help him with his store.
Poppy always baked the best cookies ever, you won't ever forget the first batch she made for you when you became friends.
And lastly, Wally.
You didn't know what to exactly think about him. He was as welcoming as the other members of the neighborhood, of course; and out of all your neighbors, you've found him the most nice to be with. Something about his presence just always managed to relax you, make you forget about whatever you were worrying about, whether it was just talking with each other or painting something together. Although his staring is a bit...
A certain blonde haired girls' voice broke you out of your thoughts.
"Y/N, you're spacing out again! Did you hear what me and Sally said?"
"Ah, Julie... I'm sorry. Could you repeat what you said? I wasn't paying attention." You were beginning to feel tired, sleepy even. Did you sleep enough today? You couldn't remember.
"We were talking about Sally's new play, silly! We're going to go and rehearse it at her house, are you coming with us?"
"Ah..." You usually agree all excited, you wouldn't ever wanna miss participating in Sally's plays. But you just wanted to rest this time.
"I'm sorry Julie, Sally. I'll join you both next time. I'm feeling a little tired tonight."
"Oh, no worries Y/N! Don't feel forced to always join our plays! You're free to relax whenever you want, and we hope you feel better soon!! Rest up!" After a quick check up to see if you were really okay, Julie and Sally exchanged their goodbyes with everyone and then went away.
You breathed out deep for a moment. You contemplated joining Eddie and Frank's conversation, but decided not to. You knew how much these two liked each other, and hoped this time they'll finally confess their feelings. And if that happened, you wouldn't want to be third wheeling between them. Howdy and Poppy were watching Barnaby play tricks, but you felt too tired to join them.
In the end, you spotted an apple tree right next to the picnic basket. It had a warm shadow under it, just what you needed to take a quick rest!
You quickly got up and stumbled against the apple tree, breathing out a sigh of relief and closing your eyes when you finally felt the warmth of the sun not hitting you anymore. But you failed to notice the other person sitting right under the tree.
"Neighbor?"
His voice sent out shivers down your spine. The way he lied out those monotone syllables made you want to melt down and listen to it again and again. You forgot to answer.
"Y/N, are you okay?"
He said your name. Opening your eyes, you saw Wally, sitting right next to you, searching you with his eyes for any injuries. You quickly snapped out of your trance.
"I'm okay, Wally. Thank you. Just feeling a bit tired,"
"I wanted to take a short rest here, to hide from the sun. I didn't notice you, I'm sorry- Would you like me to go away?" You stumbled over your words, already going to get up when Wally grabbed ahold of your wrist.
"I don't mind you at all, please sit up and rest. The sun is particularly hot today, isn't it?" You obliged, sitting back at your place. Wally smiled at you, glad for the company, and his hand moved from your wrist to your hand, holding it tightly. You didn't mind it, or you didn't notice.
"It is," You sigh, "very hot. The change of temperature was too sudden for my liking. Though the picnic was very fun." You close your eyes again, feeling content to be able to relax.
He leaned closer to you.
"I'm glad you enjoyed it. I did too." A minute of peaceful silence passed between the two of you.
Wally was the first one to break the silence. "What play is Sally organizing this time?"
You opened up your eyes a bit and looked at the tree braches above. "Something about two people falling in love and going to conquer the world together. It has an unexpected finale to it, though. As all Sally's plays do."
"Sounds interesting. Falling in love..." He paused for a moment. "What role are you going to do?"
"Oh, I'm playing one of the main character's friends. Nobody too special, I think." You close your eyes again.
"Tell me more," he said. And you did. You rambled for a long time, talking about the play and how you were feeling in general. Somewhere in between, Wally managed to interwine your hands together and continued to listen. He was a great listener, you thought. Until eventually you wore down.
"..And then," You yawned, "and then Julie started laughing... And..." Oh, you couldn't get words out of yourself anymore. You gradually lost consciousness and fell asleep, your head falling sideways, on Wally's shoulder. He gazed at you amused, deciding to let you rest for a bit. His shoulder would feel sore later, but he doesn't mind. Right now it's just you two, under the apple tree, with you sleeping peacefully on his shoulder.
"Sleep well, Y/N."