⫸ Love rainbow factory Wally so much omg

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At first, you and Barnaby danced slow, following the flow of the music. Luckily, you understood how to do a basic slow dance. Barnaby seemed to recognize that you did not have the skill to pull off anything wild, because he followed your step, making slow little squares with his feet and being careful not to step on you.

The two of you giggled occasionally as you danced. You were beginning to feel the effects of your last drink warming your flesh; the fact that you already felt it proved how strong the drinks were. As the music began to swell, Barnaby asked, "I haven't slow danced in a while. How am I doing?"

You grinned up at him. "You're doing fantastic."

After dancing with Barnaby for a few more moments, the song changed, and people began to switch dance partners around you. Your hands loosened over Barnaby's shoulder and arm as you looked around; for a second, you had no idea what was going on.

You looked at Barnaby again. He gave you a reassuring smile before detatching from your arms. "Find a new partner," he said. Then he smiled mischievously and added, "I'm sure Wally's around here somewhere."

You blinked at him, debating on a witty response to bite back with, but he had already turned around and was swiftly sweeping up a lady with bright pink hair and curly beige horns that had flowers blooming from them. His absence left you alone amidst a bustle of arms and legs.

It was true that you wanted to dance with Wally. Earlier, he had looked so captivated with Julie — you wanted him to look at you like that. But, as you were turning around, you suddenly found yourself face-to-face with a chest dressed in a tuxedo.

"Oh hey, Charlie. Long time no see."

You looked up. It was Howdy, the man that owned and worked at Howdy's Place. He was smiling down at you. "Care to dance?" he asked, extending two of his four arms out towards you. 

You were hoping that Wally would have been the one to make a shocking appearance and ask for a dance. Maybe he did not know you were on the floor yet, or maybe he already found another partner. Maybe, once he realized you were on the floor, he would come ask you. Or maybe he was waiting for you to ask him first, but why would he do that?

But Wally was not here right now, and you did not want to dance alone for a whole song. You smiled at Howdy. "Of course."

You took one of his hands and placed your other hand on his chest. Howdy's shoulders were a bit high up, so it would be awkward to dance with your hand on his shoulder. All of it was kind of awkward, since he had so many limbs to account for; he had two hands on either side of your hips, one hand in yours, and the other up by your ribs. As the new song began, the two of you started to find your rhythm. His footwork was different from Barnaby's; Howdy took more control, holding you harder and swaying you about, whereas Barnaby had sat back and let you guide the footwork. A classical song that you could not name played slowly from above, guiding the waltz in Howdy's four feet.

"So, you like your new place?" Howdy asked.

"Yeah, I like it. It's nothing special or grand, but that's okay," you replied.

Howdy nodded. "I live above the grocery store, so I'm used to 'nothing grand'."

"Really? Above the grocery store? That's kinda cool."

"Yeah, it is, until Wally sneaks in at three in the morning to steal apples," he replied. You laughed in response.

The crowd shifted around you as the music continued. You tried to sneak glances around as you danced, when suddenly, Wally's figure flitted by. You looked over at him, first registering the new lady he was dancing with, then registering his stare, which was trained directly at you.

The stare was jarring and made your cheeks flush hot, so you turned back to look at Howdy.

"How long have you lived here?" you asked Howdy, refocusing yourself on dancing.

"A while now, ever since I moved out of my family home," he said, gazing down at you. "You may see them one day, they visit sometimes."

"I would love to see them."

"Where did you live before this?" he asked. His tone was particular, as if he knew you already told him where you had previously lived, but he could not recall where it was.

You frowned. Where was the place that you said you were from way earlier? You remembered a lie you told about where you were from back around when you went to Wally's painting class, but now the memory was lost. Thus, you settled on simply saying, "A small town, with my family."

"Do you think they'll ever come visit?"

"Hopefully, one day. But I left on a weird note, so... who knows."

Howdy nodded. He seemed to understand that he was not in a position to pry any more information out of you about the matter. A good choice on his end. It was hard enough keeping your anxiety at bay; talking about it would only ruin your perfectly sculpted mood.

The two of you talked about what baked goods and drinks Poppy had laid out tonight for a while, but eventually, the song switched. You and Howdy traded grins and kind farewells before you turned to search for a new partner.

Almost immediately, your searching eyes landed on Wally. He was looking around the crowd with a gentle smile on his face, possibly searching for you.

He was only a couple paces away, so you walked through the bustle of people to get to him. Once you were about to call his name, he saw you. You smiled and waved, closing the distance between the two of you.

"Well hello," Wally said, his arms behind his back.

"Hello again, Wally." You felt nervous under his gaze, especially since he looked so damn handsome. He was dressed up in a black tuxedo that hugged his figure, paired with a red tie, and his eyes were lazily running over your own figure. "Can I dance with you?"

His smile broadened. "But of course."

As he took hold of your hand, a song that sounded like a Mozart number began to play. You gently placed one hand on his shoulder and kept the other hand within his, preparing to dance.

However, Wally had other plans to take care of first, for he leaned forward and placed a kiss on your cheek. The gesture made you freeze, your muscles tense. He then leaned over to your ear as his empty hand found your hip and whispered, "Bold of you to look so delicious while dancing with others, (Y/N)."

He leaned away, and then the two of you began to dance. Your cheeks felt hot after his comment, and you thought you were going to trip over your own feet. It was even harder to maintain composure with his eyes trained on yours and his hand touching your waist.

Was he really jealous? The thought almost made you giddy. Then again, he was the one dancing with Julie earlier. He could have just as easily asked you to dance earlier instead.

"How are you liking the party so far? Have you had anything to drink yet?" you asked, ignoring your thoughts.

"I've been enjoying myself! I only had one drink before dancing," he said with a smile. His smile then faded, just slightly, and his eyes softened. "How are you feeling after... earlier?"

For a moment, you could not recall what exactly he was asking about, but then it came to you. Memories of this morning swirled suddenly through your mind — the news, the phone call, Home, and the anxiety surrounding it all. You swallowed. "I'm feeling better. Had a couple drinks and pushed everything out of my mind. I'm here to have fun, not think about my family."

Wally nodded, almost solemnly, but not quite.

"Speaking of which," you added, "did they... call back?"

Wally's lips pursed in a semi-smile. "No. I'm sorry, dear."

You nodded. "That's alright. I'll give it a couple days before I start to worry," you said.

"Good plan."

You paused. "Also... sorry for leaving without saying goodbye earlier. I didn't mean to leave when I did, but I wanted some alone time."

"That's okay. I get it." He took a breath, staring into your eyes, then continued, "I'm actually using this as my alone time away from Home. We got into a bit of a tussle after you left."

"Really? What happened?"

Wally momentarily looked embarrassed. His eyes broke away from yours — a rare occurrence — to glance around at the dancers nearby. He then looked back at you and said, "Home was just... being a bit... difficult. As per usual. But it's okay! Nothing serious." He grinned and shrugged one shoulder gently.

It seemed as if Wally did not want to go into any more details than that, so you did not press him for more information. If he ended up wanting to tell you more, you were sure that he would, and if he did not, you could ask him about it later. This was a party; you were all meant to have fun. Plus, he looked so dashing that you did not want to see any more ill emotions pass over his face.

Thus, the two of you continued dancing in silence beneath the warm yellow lights, surrounded by gleeful townies that had no idea that two serial killers were amongst them.

Wally's eyes remained locked on yours the entire time. He appeared infatuated, more so than he had when dancing with Julie and the other girl, and the acute observation gave you satisfaction.

When the song ended, Wally did not let go of you or step away, despite the crowd of people wandering about around you. "I'd like one more dance," he said quietly.

You smiled, trying to suppress how much you enjoyed the comment. "If you insist," you said.

Thus, another song began, and the two of you resumed your dance. He danced very smoothly, and he was not overbearing with his rhythm. Instead, he gently guided you, but also let you make your own steps. It felt right, as if the two of you were made to dance with each other.

"Want to go grab a drink with me after this?" Wally asked.

"But of course," you replied.

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