Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters in this story, but I do own the story. If it resembles anyone else's in any way it is unintentional.
Author's Note: Awww, thank you guys for all your lovely lovely reviews! :DD Here is chapter two for you all. I would have had it up sooner except I've been really busy this past week (research paper many blahs/definitely not fun). Just so there's no confusion, only the first chapter was meant to be from Wilt's point of view. Everything else will be in third person. ...Or at least, for now it is XD But anyway, here we go :) Enjoy!
Looking For the SmileChapter 2: Relive Every Moment
From the very moment Wilt walked into the room, Eduardo knew something was wrong. One would think it would be easy to tell something like that with a person like Wilt. He was so happy all the time, any change in his mood should be easily apparent. But Eduardo had known Wilt a long time; he knew that normally Wilt didn't make it obvious if he was upset. He was always too afraid of making somebody else feel bad.
But not this time. Something was upsetting Wilt and he didn't seem to care if he brought the whole world to tears by showing it.
Wilt walked across the room, not in his usual stride, but rather dragging his feet with his eyes downcast. Without so much as a word or a glance, Wilt crawled under the bed somberly.
Eduardo glanced at Bloo and Coco. They hadn't seemed to notice anything; Bloo was far too caught up in what he was saying and Coco could never concentrate on more than one thing at once anyway. Ed walked over to the side of the bed and knelt down to peek under it.
"Wilt?" he asked. "What is wrong?"
The tall friend did not answer at first. But then, after a slightly long pause, he answered softly, "Nothing...." His mind was obviously preoccupied.
Eduardo tried asking again, though as politely as he could, so he would not seem like he was prying. "Something is wrong, Wilt. I can tell. ...You can tell Ed."
From under the bed he heard a sigh. "I'm sorry...don't worry about it, Ed. ...It's nothing."
Eduardo stared at his downtrodden friend beneath the bed, at a complete loss at what to do. All the time he'd ever known Wilt, he'd never known him to be like this. Just the way he walked into the room had been enough to make Eduardo worry. What could have possibly upset him so? His mind raced with a thousand things that it could be...but none of them really seemed that plausible. Wilt had always maintained a sunny disposition no matter what life threw at him. Eduardo didn't like seeing his friend like this.... He'd always been so happy, so optimistic. In all his life Eduardo had never known anyone like Wilt. What could possibly have hurt him so much as to take all that away?
His thoughts were soon broken. "Hey, what's the deal with Wilt?" Bloo asked, coming over. Peering under the bed, he said, "Come on, Wilt, it's only 2 o'clock, why are you going to bed now? It's not even dinner time yet."
He received no answer. Ever impatient, Bloo pounded on the top of the bed and shouted, "Hellooooo, Wilt?!"
"Azul..." Eduardo interjected, tapping the small blue friend on the shoulder, or at least where a shoulder should have been. "Wilt no es cansado, es muy triste." Bloo stared back with a puzzled look on his face. It took a moment for Eduardo to realize he'd lapsed into Spanish by accident.
"Ay, lo siento. What I meant to say was...Wilt isn't tired, Azul, he's upset."
"Upset? Wilt?" Bloo allowed himself a laugh at that. "Wilt doesn't get upset! Does he even know what that word means? The guy has like no emotional range whatsoever. It's happy, helpful, and apologetic. That's all he knows how to do."
Bloo pounded on top of the bed again and called, "You're not upset, Wilt, are you, buddy?!" No reply. He waited a moment for one, then turned to look at Eduardo and Coco. Ed had a look on his face; one that said, "See?"
"Oh, I see what's going on here," Bloo said. "Well, no worries, Ed, I'll get the truth out of him." With his small size, the blue friend walked under the bed without crouching or slouching in the least bit.
"Hey, Wilt, old buddy," he greeted, smiling the whole while. "What's up?"
Wilt, eyes downcast, only replied, "I'm sorry...I don't mean to be upsetting you all...."
"What?! Upset? Us?!" Bloo laughed. "The only person here who's a little off their rocker is you, pal. Now, why don't you just let little old Blooregard in on what's making you so down?" There was a long silence. After a while Bloo wondered if Wilt had even heard him.
But the truth was that Wilt really didn't want to say. The sudden, unexpected news of Frankie leaving had been such a shock...just now he was still processing the fact that he may never see her again. He wasn't sure how the others would take it if he were to let them know. He never enjoyed being the bearer of bad news anyway. As he considered whether to tell Bloo or not, the memory of the entire scene came rushing back to him. It pulled at his heartstrings so badly he soon didn't trust himself to look at Bloo with dry eyes. Rather than risk worrying his friends even more, he sighed and turned over, no longer facing Bloo.
"Nothing. I'm just tired," he lied. It hurt to lie to Bloo's face like that, but what else could he do? All he wanted right now was to be left alone...and he didn't want them to feel what he felt. To lie was the only answer he could find. Yet Wilt never lied...and he was so bad at it he wouldn't be surprised if Bloo saw right through it regardless.
Whether he saw through it or not, Bloo didn't like the answer. "What?! Oh come on, you big red beanpole, you are not!!" He started to walk around Wilt to face him again, but before he could get very far, Eduardo reached under the bed and grabbed Bloo, gently dragging him out.
"Come on, Azul," he said almost pleadingly. "Leave Wilt alone if he is tired."
"He is so not!" Bloo protested, flailing around uselessly in Eduardo's grip. "He's hiding something, I just know it!"
"Azul, he does not want to talk right now," Ed tried to reason with him. Wilt so rarely asked for space Eduardo thought it was only right that they allow him some.
But Bloo's natural curiosity never failed. "Ed, come on! There is absolutely nothing in this waking world that makes Wilt act like that! Aren't you just the least bit curious as to what it could be?"
"So?" A warning tone was beginning to creep into Eduardo's voice.
"So? SO?! Eduardo, just let me ask him!" Bloo started to squirm and struggle again, this time harder.
"Azul," Ed protested, holding him back with both hands now, "he already told you once that--"
"STOP!!"
The voice came so suddenly that for a moment none was sure where it come from. Bloo stopped his struggling and Eduardo let him down, slightly surprised. After a while it had become apparent. ...Wilt had just shouted at them.
Yet it wasn't exactly what he said that had caught them by surprise...it was more the way he said it. That desperation and sorrow in his voice. That desperate pleading which had enveloped each word. Was that really Wilt? ...Why would he say something like that?
"Stop fighting!" Wilt shouted from under the bed. "You sound just like them!!" He could trust himself to say no more words with an unwavering voice. He resisted the urge to pound something with his fist and instead laid his head against the wooden floor. He resolved to be silent until they left him alone.
Eduardo cautiously, concernedly, peeked under the bed. "...Altísimo?" he asked quietly, using the name he'd called Wilt for the first little while they'd known each other. He didn't use it so often anymore, other than as a term of endearment.
Wilt stared hard at the wall before him, determined to say nothing until they were gone. Determined to not let them see the extent of his grief. He wouldn't say a word.
For a while it was silent in the room. Eduardo stood there, waiting for some sort of reply from his friend. Bloo was simply dumbfounded; Wilt never acted like that. Wilt never spoke like that. ...He never shouted at all. Bloo was not used to being so confused. Coco wasn't sure what to do herself. She had a very simple way of thinking, and all that she could gather from the situation was that her friends were sad, over what she didn't know, and she didn't like the feeling.
Eduardo and Bloo shared a glance, both indicating they were at a complete loss at what to do or say. The atmosphere was becoming too awkward to stand. A silent understanding was passed among Bloo, Coco, and Eduardo: perhaps they should just leave Wilt alone for now. Bloo crossed the room without a word. He quietly opened the door and left, followed closely by Coco.
Eduardo stayed back, somewhat reluctant to leave Wilt the way he was. But what could he do?
"...Altísimo?" he asked again, a little more cautiously this time. No answer. Nothing. It was pointless to prod further. Not wanting to, but knowing he really had no choice, Eduardo left the room and closed the door behind him.
Wilt waited until he was certain they were all gone. And it was only then that he stopped the painful repression and let the first of his tears fall freely. Why had he created more yelling? Bloo and Eduardo hadn't even really been fighting. Bloo was just being his natural, curious self...and Eduardo was just trying to leave Wilt alone, just like Wilt wanted. ...Had that called for Wilt to just snap at them like he'd done?
But it was too late now. It was too late for everything. Too late to stop Frankie, too late to say he was sorry. ...Again.
Why had he created more of what he hated so much? Idly he wished Eduardo were still in the room. He felt more in the mood to talk now. But he'd been left alone. ...All alone. Just like he'd wanted, right?
Why did the life of an imaginary friend involve constant abandonment, he wondered. Wilt had been abandoned by his creator, by his own friends...was Frankie abandoning him too?
He didn't want to think that way. Not now...not yet. Instead he simply drew his knees up closer and let his tears fall as they pleased, while trying, futilely, to think of other things.
Leave me a review and let me know how you liked it :DD
Oh, wait, you want the translations for Ed's Spanish? ...Well...I suppose I could give them to you :P The only word that wasn't really translated in the chapter was "altísimo", which literally means "very tall". You know what the thing about writing for Eduardo is? I actually know Spanish! I also write some X-Men stuff, and writing Kurt's German is sometimes so hard...because I don't know German. But I do know Spanish :D So writing for Ed will definitely be easier in that sense.
I suppose I should stop talking now. Leave me a review and tell me what you think :DD