Gradually Falling
a Wander Over Yonder fanfiction
by Marcipie

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This chapter: The Good Deed

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Sylvia wasn't entirely sure she believed in good luck.

She also wasn't too fond of "fates" or "karma" either. But if there was one thing she believed in it was incredibly well-planned coincidences. And she and Wander were certainly having a ton of those today. Every single time Wander attempted to right one of the wrongs he unintentionally caused, it would set off a chain of unfortunate events that almost drove the small nomad into ripping his hair out.

And Sylvia was on her last thread of patience.

There was absolutely no arguing with her pal and he was certainly not willing to give up until everyone was happy because that's just what he did. And Sylvia knew that Wander had everyone's best interests at heart but that didn't stop her from becoming increasingly frustrated with how their normal good fortune was turning out. She was also becoming a little concerned when Wander seemed to be growing more and more flustered with every good deed gone wrong.

And that didn't set right with her.

Wander wasn't supposed to be getting discouraged from doing good deeds. He was supposed to have endless courage and sunny smiles and cheerful enthusiasm like he always did. But as the day wore on she couldn't help but notice how drained he was starting to look, especially as they watched the missile being launched from Lord Hater's ship. Sylvia felt her mouth drop and she could only stare after it in disbelief.

"I don't know how but I am pretty sure that is our fault." Wander mumbled from beside her. Filled with a sudden fire, she found it was easier than she thought to believe it would all be okay. Hanging around a do-gooder for as long as she had would do that to you.

"So what? We've righted these wrongs all day, so what's stopping us now?" Encasing herself in an orbble bubble, she had to say she was a little surprised to find Wander had remained in the mud a few feet away. It wasn't until they were standing apart, staring at one another, that she realized just how much it was all affecting him. He looked so defeated and she felt a knot of dread drop in her gut when he opened his mouth.

"Sylvia, I've been thinking…" He began hesitantly and slowly began sinking into the mud. The Zbornak frowned at his reluctant tone. "Maybe, um, we shouldn't stop it."

Oh no.

Her first initial response was anger.

She couldn't believe even for a second that her best pal, the one who was constantly looking on the bright side of things, was giving up. Wander never gave up if he could do something about it and the thing with that was Wander always found some way to help. Never had he abandoned an opportunity to do a good deed simply because he didn't think any good would come of it.

But here the little nomad was thinking that doing nothing would be better than helping. But as he spoke his silly little saying about starting on the right path and ending up in the right place in a tone of voice she wasn't used to hearing from him, she couldn't help but deflate if only slightly. The anger sizzled out of her abruptly and she could only watch him in silence while he continued to descend into the mud.

The miserable look on his face was causing her heart to pound mercilessly in her chest and when he got so far into the mud that she could no longer make sense of his words, she turned away. His talk of everything they could possibly do from this point out would get worse and cause even more bad things to happen had her wondering just how badly their luck must be to make even the purest of do-gooders want to stop helping those in need.

"Wander, with the day we've been having, that is entirely possible."

There was every reason for her to let it go. And in the past, she would've been more than happy to let that missile destroy the sun and not feel a bit of remorse for it. But with as long as she'd been hanging around Wander, she knew that strange feeling in her heart wouldn't let her abandon her companion either. But she needed him to do good deeds. She needed him to help and be happy and cause joy (or annoyance) everywhere he went because it was what she'd come to expect out of this silly little creature she called her best friend.

And if her one and only pal was feeling a little down in the dumps, who was she to stand by and let him drown in his own sorrows and insecurities? No, she wouldn't allow it. Swallowing down her dislike for grand speeches, she continued in the hopes his spirits would rise up against whatever gloomy thoughts that were weighing him down.

"But I'm also saying that if doing a good deed leads to the universe getting destroyed," She easily slid her fingers through the bubble surrounding her, extending the palm, face up, to her mud-covered companion. "Partner, that's not a universe I want to live in anyway."

Several seconds passed and Wander hadn't budged an inch.

Her eyes widened as she waited. He couldn't have given up so much that he was willing to suffocate in the mud, was he? She was going to have to jump in there after him and pull him out. How long could he hold his breath? She wasn't so keen on finding out the lung capacity of her little nomad. Was he even able to hear her through the crud blocking his ears? She tensed in preparation for hopping in after him when suddenly his small hand flew from the mud and latched onto hers.

She immediately released the breath she'd been holding.

Sylvia didn't believe in good luck or karma. She had never been the superstitious type and she honestly couldn't ever picture herself tossing a handful of salt over her shoulder. But she knew, deep down in her gut, the very second Wander's hand found hers – that feeling had been unmistakable. Her heart had soared despite her best efforts to ignore it. Her pulse had quickened in her veins. The steady heat she'd found flooding through her chest at the contact was nearly enough to cause her to drop his hand in surprise.

But as she thought back to that moment – and how she'd reacted when the two of them locked hands – she had to say that maybe she didn't need to believe in it. Maybe all she needed was to believe in her little nomadic best pal.

And that was enough for her.

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Writing these give me some feeling of closure for whatever reason.