Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

After everyone was freed from Scrubbit and Bleachers, they ended up in a small hotel just west of the Gallery Gourmet. It was quaint, but cozy and warm. Pretty much the opposite of the laundry, which was perfect for the bunch.

They had decided on renting the largest room provided, which included a compact kitchen area, a living room, and two bedrooms. Willy, Noodle and Piper were situated in one while Abacus and Larry stayed in the second and Lottie took the pull-out couch. Each room had two beds covered in hand-stitched quilts, and a round window that overlooked the city, providing a view Willy wouldn’t get sick of any time soon.

Currently, he and Noodle were waltzing around the room, giggles floating under the door to where everyone else was heling prepare dinner. Willy had taught her more steps since their adventure atop the glass-rooved gallery, and they had spent hours dancing around whatever space they could find. It was one of Willy’s favorite things in the world.

Actually, anything that involved Noodle was one of his favorite things. That was the funny thing about people; they found their person and life simply got better. It didn’t matter whether they were struggling through a book (Noodle’s theory was that if she left him on a cliffhanger then made him read the next chapter, he would learn faster. So far, it was exactly as she hoped) or making chocolate or evading the police. It always made a fond smile stretch his cheeks so much that they hurt.

He went to spin Noodle again when the door opened, revealing Lottie on the other side. She chuckled at the sight of Willy’s messy hair and Noodle’s glowing eyes, gesturing that dinner was ready. The two followed her out, both wondering what delicacy Piper had cooked up today. The woman made the best food Willy had eaten in his entire life, especially compared to whatever scraps they were fed at the laundry.

It turned out to be some kind of casserole covering in a layer of steaming cheese, and was just as delicious as it looked. As everyone dug in, Piper and Lottie shared a glance.

“So, you guys know I went back to work today,” Lottie started, sounding nervously excited.

Everyone nodded, intrigued.

“Well, I ended up being able to find Noodle’s mother. She owns a library a few miles from the river.”

Noodle’s eyes widened at this, shock registering in her expression. Then a surprised smile stretched across her face, and she looked up at Willy. The chocolatier shared a matching grin, thinking of when he had first heard about Noodle’s dream a couple months ago.

The nearly comedic expressions of the kids made the rest of the table laugh, all glad that the news had gone over so well. They made plans for Willy to take Noodle over to said library tomorrow right then and there, a strange mix of bittersweet emotion mixed with the unrealness of her dream finally being fulfilled.

That night, Noodle had trouble sleeping. She laid in bed for hours, just imagining how her life had and would change, while starlight scattered lazily across the room. With all the bubbling excitement earlier, the fact that she wouldn’t always be with her little, unusual family anymore hadn’t registered. Now that she was thinking about it, though, it stuck in her mind like a sickness that just wouldn’t go away.

Turning to her side, she sighed and glanced to where Willy was sprawled next to her. He had fallen asleep almost suspiciously fast tonight, nearly before Noodle even climbed into bed. His face was outlined by a thin stream of white light that spilled across pale features, and the quietest snores she’d ever heard occasionally whistled from his mouth. It brought a smile to her face, just thinking about all the fun they’d had in the past months.

Willy had been the one to save her, to sing and dance even in the darkest of times. To hold her after Ms. Scrubbit yelled too loud, or whip up a miracle chocolate that made all the bad melt away like butter on a summers day.

She would miss him. That much was obvious. Though, it wasn’t as if she’d never see him again. He’d told her earlier that he would come to the library as often as he could and that she could come to the store, but it wouldn’t be the same. As horrible as the laundry was, the evenings spent with her best friend were precious.

Almost as if he had read her thoughts, Willy stirred and shifted, eyes cracking open to focus blearily on her face.

“Noodle?” He mumbled; voice heavy with sleep. “What’cha doing up?”

The girl paused for a moment to think of what to say, then settled on: “What if my mom doesn’t like me?”

She hadn’t realized it was a worry until now, but voicing it made the question all the more real. Willy looked taken aback, like he couldn’t fathom how someone could dislike Noodle.

“What do you mean? I don’t think there’s a single person on this planet that wouldn’t like you.” He responded, pushing himself to an elbow as his brow scrunched. He said the sentence so adamantly, like it was just a fact of the world. It reminded Noodle of how lucky she was to have him.

“Just…maybe I’m not what she imagined. Maybe she won’t want me around because she thought I was dead for so long?”

Willy took a second to think of a reply. He knew how important it was to get this right, even if it was solely based on the vulnerable way Noodle stared up at him. Those eyes could speak a thousand words and he would drink every one in.

“You remember the first day I came to Scrubbit and Bleachers, Apple Strudel?”

She nodded, so he continued with a slight grin. “You told me to read the small print. Even though you knew it would get you thrown in the coop. To me, that selflessness is far better than being exactly what your mama wants or expects. And on top of that, you’re the smartest person I know. I mean it when I say that anyone who doesn’t see how special you are is the one in the wrong.”

Those words made tears bead in her eyelashes, and she didn’t respond as she reached up to swipe at the wetness. Willy looked like he was holding back tears himself, and could only murmur a quiet “come here.” Noodle scooted into his arms, the feeling of being held by someone who knew her so deeply familiar and more comforting than any words.

But still, the thought that she would have to say goodbye after being constantly with him for days was distressing.

“I’ll miss you,” she whispered, voice permeated with soundless sobs. Willy just hugged her tighter, one hand cradling her head and his lips pressing against her forehead in a lingering kiss. Noodle savored the moment, closing her eyes and squeezing Willy tight enough that maybe he would stay forever.

Of course, she knew he would. Deep down, it was fully in her knowledge that if she so much as stubbed a toe he would come running.

“I know, me too. But now you can teach me to read with any book you want!” He pointed out, prying a laugh from her crying.

“I’ll make you read the longest book I can think of.” She said, looking up at him and already imagining the fun they could have with free reign over whatever stories they wanted. Though, Willy’s almost unbelieve tales would still be her favorite.

“Oh, really? Well then, I’ll just have to come to the library every day so I don’t spend years reading one book.”

That sounded wonderful to her.

“I guess so,” she giggled, letting him move so he could pull a blanket over the two. Already, she felt a hundred times better about the whole situation.

They stayed curled up until Noodle’s eyes finally began drooping, and Willy ran a final hand over her hair. “Goodnight, my Noodle,” he whispered, his only reply being her slowed, sleepy breaths.

-o-

“We’ll see you soon, okay? You’re going to have so much fun.” Piper said, hugging Noodle where the group stood at the door. After breakfast, they had all gathered to say their goodbyes to her.

“You guys will come visit, right? I mean-“ She replied, sounding a little nervous.

“Of course!” Lottie interjected, shaking her head as if the idea that they wouldn’t was ridiculous. “We might even be able to come tomorrow. I don’t think Abacus has to leave for another few days?”

“Indeed. And I would love to go see the library.” The old man said.

Noodle perked up at this, pulling away from Piper to give everyone else hugs too. They squeezed her tight, knowing this new beginning would be wonderful, even if it was sad that the group was separating.

Once they each got a chance to say goodbye, Noodle grabbed Willy’s hand and the two stepped into the cold. Snow drifted leisurely onto rooftops and coated the ground in a pretty sheet of white, causing Willy to tip his face up and stick out his tongue as they walked.

Noodle laughed, a little unsure of what his goal in this was.

“Willy, what are you doing?” She asked curiously.

He looked back down at her and said, “catching snowflakes, of course. I’ve heard it’s good luck if you catch one.”

“Ohh,” She replied, joined him in the little adventure. Occasionally, snowflakes would melt inter her mouth and she skipped a bit with each one, hoping that was Willy had said was true. With all the bad luck in her life so far, she could really do with a bit of kind fortune.

The two nearly got lost on the way, too occupied with catching snowflakes and chasing each other around. Their footsteps wound around the streets as Willy followed her, quickly gaining speed. When she couldn’t run any faster, he grabbed her from behind and lifted her up, drawing a gleeful shriek.

When he put her down, both doubled over with panting laughs, they realized the library was in front of them. Noodle had been so distracted that she hadn’t seen it before now.

It was massive, with white columns and old-fashioned steps that led to an ornate set of front doors. The roofs sprawled over each different part pf the building, and the whole sight left Noodle’s mouth hanging open a bit. Willy smiled fondly at this, eyes still fixed on her. He didn’t know if he was quite ready to let her out of his sight. Or if he’d ever be ready.

But now wasn’t the time for thoughts like that. This was her dream, and it wasn’t like he wouldn’t see her again. In fact, he would probably show up tomorrow just to make sure she was happy and maybe get to know her mom a little better.

Noodle looked back at him, her expression a mix of wonder and a drop of fear. Willy bent so he was closer, grabbing both her hands.

“Are you ready?” He asked, reassuring smile hovering on his face.

“I…I think so. Will you come up there with me?” She responded, holding on tight to his hands and the moment.

“I sure will.” He said, and began tugging her along. As they got closer, a slight tugging appeared in his stomach, but he ignored it. It was probably just the apprehension of leaving his favorite person in the world with a stranger. But it would be fine, from what Lottie had told them she seemed like a very kind woman.

They made their way up the meandering path to the doors, climbing the stairs with fresh prints in the snow following behind. Before Willy could reach out to knock, Noodle stopped in her tracks and turned back to him.

He only got out one word before she tackled him in a hug. He squeezed her tight, lifting her feet up off the ground and pressing his face into her hair. The reality of the situation seemed a lot more real, now that they were literally at the front door, and he had the sudden instinct to just walk right back to the hotel.

Neither said a word, just stayed in their warm, little bubble until Willy set her down and ran a hand over her now-mused curls. Once he noticed a light shiver run through her, he tugged off his scarf and wrapped it around her neck, tucking it into her jacket just like how he always styled his. She almost protested when she realized it was his favorite; cherry red with ribbons patterned all over it, but having even this bit of him to hold onto while they weren’t together was insanely comforting.

“You have the time of your life, okay? I’ll come visit tomorrow, promise.” He said, mustering the biggest grin he could manage through the sudden tightness in his throat.

“Pinky promise?” She asked cheekily, those same barely concealed tears in her own voice as she stuck out a hand. He nodded, locking their fingers together for a moment before leaning down to press a last kiss to her forehead.

With that, he took a breath and knocked on the door. For a few seconds, nothing happened except the whistling of wind behind them. Then one of the doors swung open, revealing a woman who looked remarkably like Noodle. Her hair was short, and she had a kind smile already on her face. Willy hesitated, then offered his hand. She shook it, greeting him with a nod. Then, she turned to Noodle.

Later, Willy would know exactly why his blood seemed to freeze solid in his veins the moment a mother set eyes on her daughter.

But right now, he just stood there with his hands clasped, watching the two hug and exchange a couple words. When Dorothy invited him in, he so badly wanted to accept the offer and stay as long as he could. And he should have, in hindsight, but he politely declined and tightly hugged Noodle one final time before strolling back down the steps.

When he turned around, the doors were shut. The only evidence of any interaction was the footsteps quickly being covered with the now heavy snow. In the few minutes they had been distracted, the gentle powder had turned to wet clumps and frigid wind. Willy closed his eyes and composed himself, then started the walk back to the hotel.

It felt much longer than the way there. He stayed close to tilting walls and ducked into alleys when the gusts got particularly bad, but all he could really do was keep going. He pulled his coat tighter around him and lowered his head, only serving to end up with frost coating his hair. By the time he made it back, his nose and cheeks were flushed with cold and his entire body was shivering quite violently.

On top of this, his left leg had started aching. He would never admit it, but whenever he was stressed or had walked too much without his cane (he had forgotten it back at the room) his old injury flared up.

When he practically limped through the door, Piper stood from where she was seated at the table. Willy shook off a bit of snow, and almost made it past her before she gently grabbed his shoulders.

“Take a rest, okay? You’re shaking. Do you think a lie down would do you any good?” She asked, examining his pale face and worried eyebrows.

He almost shook his head, but the thought of a nap was very enticing. He had just been so bone-deep exhausted recently.

“Maybe. But I’m okay.” He replied, voice missing its usual cheerfulness. Piper waited a moment, and he continued. “Just…ever since I left the library, something feels so wrong. Like…well, I don’t know.”

He glanced up to see her face shift a little, pondering. “You and Noodle…there’s something special there. I know how hard it is to leave someone you love like that, but my guess is that you’ll still be able to be with her a lot. You’ll be able to take care of her. Right now, it’ll be hard. But things will look up and you’ll open your shop soon, right? Both of you will get your dreams.”

This was all very true, but it did little to settle his rushing nerves. He thanked Piper, and headed to the room they shared with-

Well, the room they shared.

He couldn’t muster the energy to do much other than grab a blanket and settle down on the window’s ledge, looking out at where the Gallery Gourmet sat. In the gray, swirling sky, he couldn’t see past the nest building’s chimney, but it brought back memories of his window back at Scrubbit and Bleachers. The first time he really met Noodle.

With a sigh, he sank into his bed with the full intention of getting up in a few minutes to make some chocolate. But when Piper and Lottie peeked in an hour later, he was fast asleep, hair spread across the pillow in a dark halo.

Chapter Text

Piper crept into the bedroom she shared with Willy, seeing him still out of it. She padded over, gently running a hand over his hair to wake him. His eyes fluttered a bit, and he shifted to a more upright position.

“Piper?” He mumbled, vision slowly focusing.

“Yep. Just came to let you know that dinner’s ready.”

“I’ll eat later.” He replied, yawning.

“Ah, no you won’t. And if you go back to sleep now, you’ll be up all night. Come on.”

Willy pouted, but rolled his eyes good-naturedly and followed her out. She kept an eye on his leg, watching him gingerly step onto it as he climbed out of the bed. It had worried her since she’d noticed the limp a little while after he came to Scrubbit and Bleachers, but seemed better with his nap.

Dinner was quiet, everyone still a little subdued. Without Noodle, the room was a bit dimmer. No one had realized how different it would feel once they lost a member of their group. With all their years spent in the same building, always checking up on each other and doing what they could to protect their youngest, being apart and somewhere different at the same time was almost whiplash.

A conversation was struck up when Larry asked what Noodle’s mom was like. Willy couldn’t very well say ‘oh, I got a weird feeling but it’s probably just my overprotectiveness,’ so he settled on telling everyone that she was nice and excited to see Noodle.

“The library was beautiful, too. She’ll love it there,” he added, imagining all the books she could read. They had only had a limited selection back at the laundry, and she could tell him the stories in detail easily. When they read together (well, when Noodle read a chapter then made him painstakingly read the last few paragraphs) she would never fail to watch for his reactions on her favorite parts or any time there was a cliffhanger.

It was even better than making chocolate.

Willy shook the memories from his brain, focusing on what Piper had started saying.

“-and I can get back to the trade at any time. Once we get the shop back up and running-“

“Wait, we?” Willy asked, cocking his head. He hadn’t thought much about the destroyed interior of the shop, but expected to work on it when everyone else went back to their lives.

“You didn’t think we would let you start it up again on your own, did you?” Lottie said, eyebrows creasing as she smiled at him.

“Oh, I mean. No?” He replied, secretly overjoyed with the information. He didn’t want to leave these new friends as well.

The whole table chuckled a little, and Willy felt a small grin creep onto his face. How could he have ever doubted them?

“I bet Noodle will want to help, too. It was her idea to rent it in the first place, after all.” Abacus added, taking a sip of his drink.

“When can we start?” Willy asked, leaning forward with a spark of his usual energy back in his eyes.

“Well, if we plan to visit Noodle tomorrow then we could start the day after that. You better not exhaust yourself making chocolate, though. We have more time now.” Piper said, giving him a look.

Willy almost rolled his eyes at that, but in truth, she was right. Those nights of non-stop chocolate making followed by running around to sell his product had left him more drained than ever. It would be nice to have a while to rest.

“Okay. I’m really glad to have all of you.” He said, sincere eyes peeking through sleep-mused curls. He hoped they knew how lucky he felt to have people that were his after so long spent on boat after boat.

Larry reached over to pat his shoulder, and various expressions passed over everyone’s faces, ending on fond smiles.

-o-

When Willy woke the next morning, light streamed into the room, forming puddles of gold on the wooden floorboards. He loved mornings like this, promising a lovely day without a cloud in the sky.

(Well, that’s what they usually promised. Willy never could have seen the massive storm clouds over the horizon.)

He hopped out of bed, feeling quite well rested after actually sleeping through a whole night. Once his signature scarf was donned and he had made sure to grab his cane and suitcase, he headed to the kitchen area.

Piper was already up, flipping pancakes at the stovetop while she hummed.

“Good morning!” Willy called, his mind focused on what the day had in store. He was beyond exited to see Noodle and hear her talk about all the books he knew she would be gawking over. His plan for the morning was to invent some special kind of chocolate just for her. He had promised her a lifetime supply, after all.

She glanced over and greeted him back, laughing a bit at his slightly disheveled appearance. He made a face at her, then settled at the table and opened his case. Flipping on the lights and pulling the various shelves into place, he pumped a squirt of hand sanitizer from the little bottle in the left side then rubbed his hands together.

This had to be his best chocolate yet. He knew Noodle was nervous about leaving, so he was hoping that this would be like a little bit of home she could always have with her.

He was also hoping that Noodle’s mom would like him enough that he could hang around a lot, because even being apart from Noodle for a night made his skin crawl with barely concealed worry. He was doing his best to not let any scary thoughts creep in, but if he was honest that weird feeling that something was wrong still hadn’t gone away. He just needed to see her, to know that she was safe and happy.

Everyone sat down for breakfast soon after he began producing chocolates, so he left the travel factory running and joined them. Lottie talked a little about work at the phones, and Larry shared some jokes that were actually pretty funny. They even got Abacus laughing a few times, which was impressive in Willy’s opinion.

After everyone finished, they decided no one wanted to wait anymore and got ready to head out. Willy fetched his coat and hat from upstairs, and a small jar to put Noodle’s chocolates in. Once he filled it, he tossed it into his hat and settled it on his head.

“Ready?” Piper called, waiting for everyone to come back to the main area.

Willy was the first to make it to her, though a kind of nervousness had formed in his stomach. What if Noodle didn’t want to see them? What if this life was so much better than them for her?

Then he remembered her face yesterday, the way she had hugged him tighter than ever. He couldn’t let himself worry about silly things like so-called ‘real’ family after all the nights spent curled around her after she had a bad nightmare or Scrubbit did something particularly awful.

Willy followed everyone out the door, breathing in the wintery-crisp air. It reminded him of all those days sneaking out in laundry sacks and having the time of his life selling chocolate. Somehow, it had been everything he imagined but so different at the same time. He’d wanted to open his shop after a few days and have business booming, but was so grateful that hadn’t happened. He never would have had these wonderful people, then, and they were his everything now.

The small group wound their way through cobbled streets, simply enjoying being outside without worrying about cops finding them. The day had turned out beautifully; blue skies all around and the weather not quite as cold as it had been for the last few months.

They reached the library in a little less than an hour, able to see its towering roof peeking over surrounding buildings. Willy’s pace increased until he was practically jogging, and on his long legs it made him get to the doors faster than anyone else. He fisted a hand to knock, then hesitated, looking back.

Everyone else was at the steps by now, and Piper nodded for him to knock. He did, three times, and stood back a bit with hands in his pockets.

When a minute or two passed with no response, something deep and dark shifted in his gut. He knocked again, this time a little frantically as he tried to convince himself that they just hadn’t heard.

Nothing happened.

“Huh, I wonder what they’re up to.” Abacus said, peering at the door through his glasses like he could see inside.

“Something’s wrong.” Willy decided, grabbing the handle and pulling to no avail. Piper frowned, trying the other side. Neither opened, prompting glances around. Larry stepped forward, pulling a pin out of his pocket and starting in on the lock.

“It’s a public library, it should be open. Right?” He asked, fiddling at the lock.

“Yeah…” Piper answered, looking around at the sides of the building to see if any windows were open. They weren’t, and now that she checked, most had curtains of various colors and patterns pulled over them. It was strange, especially considering what Larry had said.

When the door finally swung open, they were greeted with a dim, empty interior. It was a very nice space, with sprawling bookshelves visible past the entryway and carpets laid across the floor. But there was no one there. Not a sound echoed around the space except their footsteps, sounding oddly loud.

“Noodle?” Willy called, walking further in. Piper could hear the slight tremor to his voice and knew hers would probably sound the same. He was right, something was wrong. They just had to figure out what it was.

There was no reply, and Piper grabbed his shoulder to turn him back towards the group. “Okay, lets split up and look around. Maybe it’s just a slow morning. She might not have the library open until later.”

Everyone nodded and chose a direction. Willy set off up the staircase that sat in the back of the building, hand trailing along the polished handrail as he tried not to break out in a run. Piper was probably right, he was just overreacting. Noodle and her mom must just be asleep; the door was pretty far from where he assumed the living quarters were, after all.

Or that’s what he told himself. In reality, he knew that something was very wrong. He’d heard of parents having an instinct to know when their child was in danger, and knew exactly what that felt like. It had been the sick feeling from yesterday, the worry that had felt a little silly until now.

Raking a hand through his hair, he breached the top of the stairs and scanned the space. There was a couch surrounded by plush pillows in one corner, books scattered across the space. A kitchen made up of streaked marble countertops contrasted the gentle woodiness of the space, situated on another side of the room. To his left, a hallway with a few closed doors was dark, the light from a few windows not quite illuminating it.

He started along it, opening the first door he met. The apparent bedroom had a desk, bed, and small window with a translucent curtain over it. The bed was messy, sheets haphazardly thrown halfway over the floor. Willy felt his heart pound faster at the sight of the desk chair and a few novels strewn across the otherwise neat room. As he stepped further inside, he spotted a scarf tossed onto the bed. His scarf; the one he’d given Noodle yesterday.

He deftly scooped it up, breathing ratcheting up until it was all he could hear. Noodle never would have left this behind, and from the state of the room he could guess what had happened. How could he have trusted her mother, a complete stranger? How was he so stupid as to not notice that the whole thing wasn’t right?

Well, he had noticed. Just hadn’t paid attention to it while he could have saved his little girl.

“Piper!” He yelled as he rushed out of the room and back down the stairs. After a minute, she emerged from a side room, looking concerned.

“What is it? You didn’t find her?” She asked, taking in his appearance. His face was pale, and she could see him shaking from here. He was clutching a familiar looking scarf to his chest, eyes wide with fear.

“She’s gone, Piper, she’s gone- her room was a mess and she never would have left this-“ he said, holding out the fabric in his hands. ‘’It’s my fault, I should’ve been here or-or done something-“

“Hey, hey, stop. Nothing is your fault. Can you take a breath for me?” She said, moving forward to grab both shoulders. He nodded, trying his best to suck in air through the hyperventilating.

It didn’t work, leaving him gasping wildly as Piper quickly led him to a nearby armchair and pushed him to sit down. His entire body trembled as he dissolved into what Piper was pretty sure was a panic attack, and his practically collapsed into the chair.

“Willy, you have to breathe. Here,” she said, taking his hand to press against her sternum and keeping her voice smooth and gentle. “Breathe with me, slowly.”

“I ca-can’t, I can’t, Piper-“ He managed, wheezes coming even faster now as panic crept up his throat. “Noodle’s not here-“

“I know, I know. Stop talking, it’ll make it worse. We’re going to find her, okay?”

He nodded rapidly, still struggling to suck in any air. Focusing on it made everything worse, and after only a few seconds he couldn’t inhale at all. All he could think of was holding Noodle yesterday, fully believing that she would be back in his arms right now. The thought (and the fact that he couldn’t breathe) forced a keening whine from his throat as black spots swirled in his vision. Piper was saying something else, hands going to his face to catch his attention, but he couldn’t hear her over the roaring in his ears.

It only took a few moments more for his eyes to flutter weakly and his body to give out. Piper caught him, carefully lying him back to lean on the chair. After making sure he had resumed breathing in his sudden state of unconsciousness, she ran a palm over her face and called for the others.

While she waited, Piper brushed a hand through Willy’s curls, half hoping that he wouldn’t wake up for a while. She hadn’t gotten much information from his panicked spiel, but from what she had heard it seemed that Noodle was gone. Gone as in kidnapped, she assumed, because her mother wasn’t here either and there had obviously been a struggle.

Abacus reached her first, questioning eyes set upon the chocolatier. Piper told him she would explain when everyone else had arrived. It didn’t take long, so she stood and turned to them. All their faces were worried, especially as they observed Willy slumped in the chair with breaths whistling out of him.

“We think Noodle’s been kidnapped.” Piper stated bluntly, a glint of anger in her eyes at the fact. She couldn’t fathom how someone had been so horrible as to steal the sweet girl for any reason.

“What?” Lottie gasped, hands going to her mouth.

“How? What happened? And what’s wrong with Willy?” Larry asked, evidently sharing Piper’s sentiment. She didn’t know if she’d ever seen him look so angry.

“He found her room, all messed up, and a scarf he gave her. That combined with the fact that there’s no one here and it’s all locked up?” she said, letting the others puzzle through the information. They knew how much she treasured gifts, especially from her favorite person, after years of nothing but Scrubbit’s cruelty.

“But…why? Do you think it was her mother that did it?” Abacus asked, brow furrowed in thought.

“I…I don’t know. But we need to start looking for clues, or something. She can’t have covered all her tracks.”

-o-

The group ended up finding a drawer in the kitchen that housed receipts and envelopes. Lottie found a letter from none other than the chocolate cartel, addressed to one Dorothy Smith.

“It says they paid her a long time ago to give Noodle up. Slugworth was lying about what he told Willy and Noodle. They never planned for her to be discovered as her mother, so this was a surprise to her. The cartel told her to take Noodle away to…well, there’s no specific location. It just says ‘the decided upon coordinates.’” She read, glancing up at them.

Piper looked down, then spoke. “Willy told me yesterday that he felt so wrong about leaving her here. I just told him he was worried and that she would be fine.”

“It’s not your fault. It’s not anyone’s fault but those scumbags disguised as human beings with feelings.” Larry piped up, settling a hand on her shoulder.

“Agreed. Let’s see if we can find any other clues, then we’ll take Willy home.” Abacus said, brow set. They all knew he had a soft spot for both kids.

In the end, a few different items that they could find even a bit of significance in were gathered up, and they went back downstairs. Piper gently woke Willy, who nearly spiraled again until she told him they might be able to figure out where Noodle was. He was silent the whole way back, scarf still in his hands like if he let it go he’d lose everything he had left.

By the time they made it back to the hotel, the sky was darkening, and a drizzle had begun, leaving the bunch damp as they entered. Piper had noticed how exhausted Willy looked and forced him to go to bed. He only obliged with her promise that the rest would look over what they’d taken and try to find Noodle.

This was a little strange to Piper, considering she’d expected more of a fight. Willy had never been one to rest unless he absolutely needed to. (They had found this out the hard way when he took a nosedive into one of the wash bins and Abacus had to fish him out) When she thought more about it, she could recall multiple times in the last while where he’d almost seem sick, then be fine the next day.

Deciding to keep a close eye on the chocolatier, she closed the door to the room and headed to meet everyone else in the kitchen.

Chapter Text

Noodle wished she had never let go of Willy during that last hug. She wished she had never found her mother in the first place, because the way her heart tumbled all the way to her toes once the door closed was something she’d never forget.

It wasn’t necessarily anything specific that made her want to bolt out the doors and run straight back to her best friend, but she could tell something was off. Maybe it was the way her mother looked her up and down like she was just a girl from the street, or the obvious lack of care. She was left in her designated room after the woman showed her around, saying something about reading the books in there until she came to get her.

Noodle watched the door shut, barely registering the situation. She could practically see her precious dream of running into a loving mom’s arms melting into nothingness right before her eyes.

Glancing around, she saw a window on the far end of the room, and a bed pushed into one corner. A small desk was positioned against the wall, forming what was a nice space in theory. But Noodle felt trapped. She crept to the door, slowly turning the handle and pushing.

Nothing happened.

She tried again, a little harder, but still it didn’t budge. She was locked in, only minutes after arriving. Tears welled in her eyes, but she swiped them away. She couldn’t cry now. She had to get out of here.

Scanning the room more thoroughly this time, she noticed the lock on the window, further preventing her escape, but also spotted a stack of books piled on the desk. With a knowledge deep down that there wasn’t anything she could do to escape right now, she walked towards it. The books weren’t ones she had heard of before, but she supposed it would be better to at least have some kind of distraction from her situation.

As she thumbed through the novels, trying to decide what to read based on just the worn covers and unfamiliar summaries, she was reminded vaguely of a story she and Willy had read.

*

“Wait, she’s never tried to get out? After eighteen years?” Willy asked incredulously, unable to fathom the idea of being stuck in one place for so long.

Noodle giggled, tipping her head back to look up at him from where she was leaning against his chest. “Yep. But it’s just a story, so keep listening. It gets really good.”

“Okay, I trust you. But she can’t have believed that awful woman is her real mother.”

“Willy, she’s lived there her whole life. How would she know?”

“Good question. But-“

“Shhh!” She cut him off, playfully threatening to close the book. “If you keep talking, we’ll never get through a single chapter!”

He hummed, resting his head on top of hers and stemming his ever-flowing stream of questions. She continued reading, only interrupted a few more times about various details. After a while, she noticed that he’d stopped talking entirely.

Pausing her reading, she whispered; “Willy?”

There was no reply. It made a quiet laugh bubble out of her mouth, thinking about how domestic it all was. Reading late into the night by the light of a lantern and Willy’s travelling factory that was set up on the table, her best friend keeping his eyes open for as long as he could after their busy day of selling chocolate. That warm feeling that always bloomed in her chest whenever he called her one of the silly nicknames or made sure she didn’t get cold at night.

She never could have anticipated loving someone so much, yet here she was.

Setting the book aside, she reached for the lamp’s switch and turned it off. The room flickered into darkness, other than the twinkling bits of moonlight spanning the walls and floor. Carefully, she shifted so that she could lie down, tugging Willy along with her. He barely stirred, eyes only fluttering a bit as he adjusted to his side. Noodle tucked herself close, smiling as he mumbled something completely unintelligible.

“Goodnight, Willy,” She breathed, before shutting her eyes and drifting off into one of the most peaceful sleeps she’d ever had.

*

Noodle sighed, closing her eyes for a moment so she could imagine she was back there. It didn’t last very long, but she could almost picture Willy strolling into the room with some new invention or chocolate creation for her to try.

It was close to being funny; the fact that she would do anything to be back at Scrubbit’s right now. She’d haul laundry around every day if it meant she could have those quiet evenings back.

The thought made a tiny sob force its way out of her, and she pressed a hand over her mouth. She didn’t know anything about her captor yet, so it could be dangerous to make a sound.

What she did know was that Willy would come for her. He’d promised to visit the next day, so as long as she could hold out that long, she would be completely fine. Knowing him, he’d climb up to her window (much like the thief later in their storybook) just to make sure she was okay before he let anyone tell him otherwise.

Sitting on the bed and pulling her legs to her chest, Noodle sighed and rested her head on her knees. She didn’t want to sleep in fear of what might happen, but tiredness was creeping up fast and part of her didn’t want to be awake to worry.

She was about to lie down and try to think back to more fond memories when the lock clicked and the door swung open. Her mother was on the other side, something round and metal clinking in her hands. It took Noodle a second to realize what they were, and she balked at the sight. Her situation had just gotten far more dangerous.

The woman started towards her with handcuffs held out, not speaking until she was in front of Noodle. “Put these on. Don’t try to struggle, you’ll only make it worse for yourself.”

Noodle didn’t listen. Keeping her eyes fixed on the door, she shot off the bed and nearly made it before her jacket was yanked back. The collar dug into her throat, and she choked, stumbling as Dorothy pulled her back. Her leg hit the chair and she fell, giving the woman the perfect opportunity to pin her to the ground. The wood was rough against her cheek, drawing beads of blood. She couldn’t stop the terrified tears leaking from her eyes as she spoke.

“Try to escape again and it’s over. You’re lucky we’re keeping you alive, if only to get that idiot chocolate maker.” She said, voice low and dangerous. Noodle struggled, but the woman was too strong for her to have even a chance at escape.

“No-“ She cried, dread filling her stomach at the realization that they (whoever ‘they’ were) had a plan that would work without fail. Just minutes ago, she’d been relying on the sole fact that Willy would come, and now she wished it wasn’t true.

The handcuffs clicked around her wrists, and she felt hands near her neck, pulling off the scarf Willy had given her.

“No need for this ridiculous thing. Get up.”

Noodle had no choice but to scramble to her feet, head spinning. She was shoved out the door and down the hallway, nearly tripping over her own feet. Her whole body trembled as the staircase came into view and she spotted three men standing at its foot, their silhouettes too familiar not to recognize.

Shock rippled through her. It was the chocolate cartel, clear as day, in their usual business attire. Slugworth was in the middle, as usual, smug grin plastered across his face. At her expression, his smile only grew.

“You really thought we would be stuck in prison? We have friends everywhere, including the city jail. Not much a bit of chocolate can’t pay for.”

Noodle just glared, not trusting herself to speak. All she could think about was the shiny gun pointed at her and Willy before chocolate started pouring in from all sides after they were discovered down in the vault. That feeling seemed multiplied now, possibilities running through her head. What would happen to her? What would happen to Willy when he inevitably came to save her?

Ducking her head, she pulled against the cuffs for what felt like the hundredth time. Still, they didn’t budge.

Finally getting her voice to work, she asked, “What do you want?”

“That’s easy. We want Wonka out of the way. And this is the only way to do it.” He answered, then continued, words directed at her mother. “Take her away.”

Dorothy grabbed both her arms and dragged her down the long staircase, then out a side door. An inconspicuous truck was waiting, ready for her to be tossed into the back, which looked kind of like a smaller version of the giraffe’s carrier. Once the door shut with a bang and the engine started, she finally allowed sobs to echo through the dim space.

She struggled to sit up and lean against the wall, the bumpiness of the cobblestone street making it difficult to balance without use of her arms. As the minutes ticked by, everything that had just happened seemed all the more real, and the only thing she wanted was to curl up in Willy’s arms and pretend like this was all just a nightmare.

The one thing that kept her together for the winding ride was the deep-rooted knowledge that he would come. She didn’t need a pinky promise to know that Willy would never, ever leave her in the hands of the chocolate cartel.

-o-

Willy followed Piper along the sewer system, sounds from the water under their feet echoing off the walls. He had woken that morning (well, woken was a strong word. He’d spent much of the night drifting in between sleep and wakefulness, fending off nightmares) to discover that the others had found enough clues to locate Noodle. It seemed almost too easy, too planned, but none of them were willing to leave Noodle in the clutches of who they’d found out was the chocolate cartel.

Apparently, they had contacts everywhere and contingency plans for if they ever got put in jail.

Now, the group had split into two parts. Willy and Piper trekked underneath the city to the location, hoping to maintain a bit of the element of surprise, while the others scoped out what they could. If they could spot Noodle or any of their foes, the whole situation could be a lot safer.

The plan once they arrived was for Willy to go in and find Noodle as quickly as possible. Everyone else would be backup, ready to rush in if there was danger and keeping an eye out for any threats.

If everything went according to plan, Willy would have Noodle back in his arms within a few hours. He was pretty sure he’d never let her out of his sight after this.

Willy didn’t know how long they’d been walking when his vison blurred. At first, he was able to ignore it. Then the blurriness turned to black spots, and he got so dizzy so suddenly that his feet sputtered to a stop, causing water to splash onto the curved walls. Closing his eyes so he didn’t fall over right then and there, he vaguely heard Piper saying his name from what sounded like very far away.

The next thing he knew, arms were slipping under his and his legs had given out, leaving him mostly limp in Piper’s arms. He blinked his eyes open for a moment before the light became too much, barely able to focus on her worried face as she helped him to the ground. He would have tried to move, but sharp pain had begun shooting through his limbs and he wasn’t quite sure if he’d be conscious for much longer if he didn’t stay still.

Sitting beside him, back on the wall, she propped him up so he could lean against her side, head falling limply onto her shoulder. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t bring himself to lift his head or move or speak or do anything. His head was pounding in time with his heart, which had sped up and made him feel like he couldn’t quite get enough breath.

Finally, Piper’s voice broke through the haze. “Willy! Can you hear me?”

He forced his eyes open again, then tried his best to answer. All that he managed was a quiet hum that dwindled to a low moan as another twinge of pain traveled through his whole body.

“What hurts?” She asked, voice soothing as she gently examined his face and brushed a hand through his hair.

“Ev-everything,” he whispered, feeling his breath stutter in his lungs like they had forgotten to work properly. Even walking just a minute ago seemed years behind him, time warping with the pain.

“Okay. I’m not going to lie to you, I don’t know what’s wrong. But we’re just gonna ride it out, yeah?” She murmured, waiting for him to nod weakly, entire body shaking.

The two sat in relative silence, the only sounds being Piper’s comforting voice and Willy’s occasional choked-off gasps as the anguished waves slowly receded to a more bearable throbbing. After a while, he was able to shift so his arms wrapped around himself, legs pulling closer to his chest.

“Oh, hun…” Piper breathed, hand still rubbing over his shoulders while she made sure his scarf was keeping the cold from leaching in.

“What’s…what’s happening to me?” Willy got out, tears finally overflowing and sliding down his cheeks as his body gave him a moment of relief. The never-ending agony had faded further now, and now all he felt was achy.

“I don’t know, Will,” Piper started, hating that she had no idea what could be causing this. What had Willy ever done to deserve everything he’d been through, let alone this piled on top? “How are you feeling? Any different?”

“Just…just a little cold. Sore.” He said, voice still quivering with the thought that the torture might come back.

Piper laid a hand on his forehead, thoughtfully observing his face. He was pale, of course, but no heat radiated from him and now that the storm had let up, he did seem better.

“Let’s get you back.” She decided, torn between the two kids of the group. But they couldn’t very well send Willy in to save Noodle when he needed saving himself.

“No!” He gasped out, mind flipping completely to land back on the worries that had occupied him for the last hours. “No, I can come help, I’ll be fine.”

He pushed himself up, ignoring Piper’s protests. Somehow, he made it to his feet with only a little help from her.

“Willy. You can’t do this, you need to rest.” Piper said, holding his shoulders so he couldn’t start walking again.

“I can, I feel better! Absolutely splendid, actually.”

Piper hesitated a moment, then sighed. She knew no matter how much she insisted, he wouldn’t leave Noodle, even if he had just collapsed out of nowhere. It was certainly endearing, but made her even more apprehensive that he would just push through any pain he could in favor of getting his baby back.

In an ideal world, this was some fluke, or a result of him not sleeping enough. In reality, Piper knew something was wrong. This was just the icing on the cake, the final breaking point after all the small instances. His more and more frequent exhaustion, the random shivers she saw run through him occasionally. She hadn’t thought much of those, but now…

“If you feel bad again, even a little, you have to tell me. I’m not letting you get yourself hurt.” She said, then continued. “I want to get Noodle out too, you know that. But we already have an inkling that this is a trap, and your safety is important too. She needs you to be okay.”

(Later, Piper would wish that she had dragged Willy back and made him recover. She wasn’t quite sure how he made it through the next few hours)

He wilted at this, repose clear on his face even in the watery light of the tunnel. “Thank you. I will. I just can’t leave her there. It’s my fault in the first place and-“

“Wait, stop. This is not your fault. Whatever made you think that?” She asked, confused.

“I was the one who dropped her off…” He mumbled, looking down as he intertwined long fingers.

“Willy…she didn’t get kidnapped because of you.” Piper responded, seeing him wince at the word. “We all thought this was real. No one could have known this would have happened.”

Willy didn’t say anything, taking a deep breath. “I just want her to be safe.”

Piper had to take a moment to compose herself before laying an arm over his shoulder and starting back along the path. She kept her pace slow, making sure that he wasn’t limping at all, then spoke.

“She will be. We’re going to get her out of there. Those chocolatiers have nothing on family.”

Chapter Text

Willy and Piper emerged from the sewers on a completely empty street. As convenient as it was, it added more uneasiness to the plan.

Still, they hurried out of the open and to the nearest window that belonged to the building Noodle should be in. It hovered a few feet off the ground, with chipped framing and a lock that looked seconds away from snapping in half. Evidently, the building had seen many decades pass.

Piper broke the lock easily, tossing it to the floor in favor of helping Willy pry the glass up. It creaked loudly, causing both to wince and pause, looking around for any sign of danger. When nothing happened, they shoved it open all the way and Piper assisted Willy through. He landed with a light thump on the other side, then peeked his head out.

“Coast is clear!” He said, giving her a nod before retreating into the room. It was made completely of wood, with dilapidated floorboards and a few tables scattered across the space. There was no sign of Noodle, let alone any human for that matter.

Brow scrunched, the chocolatier started up the staircase to his right, each footfall making the steps dip under him. It didn’t make much sense as to why the cartel owned this building to him, and for a second, he wondered if they’d been duped on the location.

Then an unrecognizable sound came from above him. After a short pause, he continued around the corner landing and to the next floor. It was no different than the first, only smatters of decaying furniture and a couple small items littering the floor.

“Noodle?” He called, voice sounding very loud in the otherwise silent space. The only reply was the shifting of his own feet as he tested the floor. Part of him was worried it would fall through.

The rest of him was worried that Noodle wasn’t here, that they would never find her now that they’d wasted a day following a dead end. But he wouldn’t let that stop him from continuing up. From what he could remember from the brief time outside, there were three stories to the building.

Once he had climbed the second set of stairs, he could see how different the layout of the third floor was. It was round, with a large window letting much more light through than on the other stories. The ceiling rose in a dome shape made of crumbling plaster, making the space feel a lot larger than it really was.

And kneeling right in the middle of the far wall was the person he wanted to see more than anyone else.

“Noodle-“ he blurted, already rushing toward her. As he got closer, he could see why she hadn’t responded to him. There was a cloth gag tied over her mouth, thoroughly preventing any sound from making it out, and ropes looped around his wrists that trapped her arms behind her.

Willy reached the girl in seconds, dropping to the floor as soon as he was close enough. She was crying, struggling against the bonds in her desperation to get to him.

“Hey, hey, I’m here, I’m right here, honey,“ He said, voice quivering at the sight of her so scared and hurt. Carefully, he pulled the gag away, letting more heart-rending sobs escape.

“Willy-“ she got out, overflowing eyes fixed on him and pure stress stopping any more words.

He gently took hold of her face, thumbs rubbing over splotchy cheeks and catching tears that fell like raindrops on a spring day.

“Noodle…can you take a deep breath for me?” He asked, noticing how quickly her shallow breaths had started coming. She tried, sucking in a little more air than she had been as his warm hands imbued their own bit of comfort with their gentle touch.

“Good girl. You keep doing that, okay? I’m gonna get these ropes off.” He said, letting go of her face so he could move around to untie her. She followed him with her head, unwilling to let him out of her sight in fear that anything would happen.

Willy had never been more grateful for all his time on ships until he saw the knots. They were on the complicated end, doubling over themselves in a pattern only recognizable to only a sailor. It made him wonder who had tied them, but the thought was quickly chased from his head by the sight of Noodle’s wrists.

He had pulled away a bit of rope already, fingers deftly working at the strands to reveal angry, red lines wrapping around where they had been tied. They had to hurt, with the way each line seemed like a wrong touch would draw blood.

“Oh, Noodle…” he whispered, a tightness gathering in his chest at the sight of her so hurt.

Noodle herself seemed focused on a completely separate topic, barely flinching as his hand accidentally brushed one of the lacerations in his hurry to get her out of the bonds.

“You came.” She said, voice quivering.

Willy’s head snapped up so he could see those expressive eyes again, still brimming with tears.

“Of course I did! I would never leave you. You’re my apple strudel, remember?” He said, mirroring the tiny smile that spread on her face at the nickname. She nodded, watching him finish with the ropes, ever so gently freeing her from the last couple knots.

The moment the last loop fell away, both reached for the other- Noodle scrambling to turn around and diving straight into Willy’s outstretched arms. He hugged her back, heart finally settling after all the stress of the last days as he held the girl who was his child in every way but blood.

When he felt her body rock from a quiet sob, he cooed softly, squeezing her even tighter. “Shh. I’ve got you now. It’s okay.”

“It was-it was so scary, Willy.” She cried, tucking herself impossibly closer to him.

“I know, I’m so sorry I couldn’t come sooner,” he murmured, stroking her hair as he continued. “But I’m never letting you go again. You’re stuck with me.”

She nodded almost frantically against his chest, curls brushing his chin as her crying steadily dwindled. He laid his head down on hers, rocking back and forth slowly to a tune that had started unbidden from his lips. The shapeless hum accompanied the next few minutes as both sets of breathing evened out and the desperate fear of being so alone drained from Noodle.

Her shoulders slumped as time passed and she melted further into Willy’s arms, making him worry she would fall asleep right then and there.

“Noodle,” he said, voice kept low, “we should get out of here. Can I see your wrists really quick?”

She shifted so she could stay curled in his lap, leaning her shoulder against his and sitting sideways to reveal ravaged hands. Keeping an arm around her, he pulled off his scarf and began wrapping it around one wrist. After securing it with a loose knot, he pulled out the extra scarf he always carried in his back pocket for the other hand.

“There we go. We’ll clean them up a little better when we get home.”

“Thanks, Willy.” She whispered, wrapping her arms around his neck so he could stand up. He propped her on one hip, making sure she wouldn’t fall, before starting back to the staircase.

As they reached the second floor, Willy spoke. “The others are going to meet us outside. Hopefully we can-“

He was cut off by a cracking noise so loud they both flinched. Noodle clung even tighter, scanning the room for any source of the sound. After only a couple seconds, more creaking and groaning joined the first, prompting Willy to keep going. He sped up, hurrying down the second flight of stairs while trying to puzzle out what was going on.

His question was answered when a massive section of the landing in front of them was punched through with a beam as thick as a tree. He reeled backwards, one hand automatically going to protect Noodle’s head as he nearly tripped over his own feet. Another crash came from behind, causing him to whirl around and see that they were trapped.

How had the building started crumbling so fast? And at the perfect time that they were thrown into this situation?

He didn’t have time to think these inquiries through as the flimsy, wooden planks under his feet shifted. He hopped out of the way just in time to watch them clatter to the floor below, head whipping around to find any source of safety.

Finally, he spotted a thin section of support beam that ran parallel to the second half of the stairs they had been aiming for in the first place. As he rushed along it and down what stairs were remaining, he was reminded vaguely of the ships’ masts he used to climb and watch the ocean for miles.

The bottom floor was a disaster, forcing Willy to pause at the foot of the steps. Until now, he hadn’t realized how absolutely terrifying this was, but now that he was thinking about it his toes tingled and his heart seemed intent on beating right out of his ribcage. He had no idea to get out. Even though the front door was in sight, there was no way he could get through the falling rubble and collapsing ceilings unscathed.

And he had Noodle, who he simply refused to let get any more hurt. She had her face shoved in his throat, shuddering breaths escaping with fresh tears. Willy understood, knowing how scared she probably was after everything that had happened.

Time seemed to slow as he hovered in one of the only safe spots, hesitant to move even a little bit. The beam he had crossed above was now acting as a pseudo umbrella, protecting them from large sections of falling floor and various pieces of the roof. He could see bits of robin’s egg blue plaster scattered among the other debris that was piling up so fast it made clouds of dust swirl.

Coughing, he glanced down at Noodle, who emerged to stare back at him with so much trust in her eyes. Too much, he thought, still at a loss for what to do.

When a deafening crack came from right above, they were forced to slip under the stairs. Part of the wall was collapsed, leaving a hollow just big enough that the two would fit comfortably inside. Willy sank to the floor, hoping against hope that this small section of building would stay structurally sound long enough for the others to find them.

He knew they were waiting outside, ready to collect he and Noodle once they emerged, but this sudden collapse had changed plans. If they could avoid being crushed by falling rubble and splintering wood, everything would be alright.

“Willy!” Noodle gasped out, craning her neck to look out the opening.

“We have to stay here, okay? We’ll just wait it out.” He said, voice scratchy from all the dust as he adjusted them so he was in front, mostly shielding her from any debris that might come near them. She clutched his coat, clinging to any source of comfort she could get.

As the minutes ticked by, the building settled. The two stayed curled in the tiny nook, watching with wide eyes and held breaths as less and less wood rained down and the groaning collapse shuddered to a stop. Once everything had gone still and the only thing left was draining adrenaline and the euphoria of surviving something so catastrophic, Willy turned and pulled Noodle into his arms again.

“Are you okay?” He asked, suddenly worried that he hadn’t been able to protect her from everything.

She only nodded, shaking against him and thinking to herself that she would be completely fine with staying folded into his arms for the rest of her life. He pressed his face into her hair, forcing himself to breath against the remaining panic and being ever so grateful that his little girl was okay.

Exhaustion swept over him, and he had to fight the sudden dimming of the edges of his vison as voices began to reach his ears. After a few seconds, he recognized them as their friends, sounding frantic. Carefully, he gathered his legs under him and tugged Noodle along, moving far enough out of the shelter that Piper could spot them from where she was searching through the rubble.

His left leg- the one he’d hurt all those years ago- was aching in time with his heartbeat, forcing him to stop after only a few feet. Noodle looked worriedly up at him, seeing the crinkled expression of barely concealed pain.

“What’s wrong? Are you hurt?” She asked, voice growing more frantic towards the end as she scanned him for any injuries.

“I’m okay. Just my leg acting up a bit, nothing to fret about.” He responded, smiling at her in that fond way of his as he completely ignored how much it had started hurting.

“You should sit down.” She decided, nudging him just as Piper reached them. It was a good thing she did, because as Willy went to sit back down, his leg buckled, and he nearly fell flat on his face. She caught him under to arms, her relief at finding them in one piece dwindling with this new problem.

“Willy, what happened?” She inquired, helping him to the ground. Noodle stayed right by his side, still holding one of his hands tightly.

“I’m okay, it’s not-it’s not that. I don’t think.” He said, feeling the tiniest bit sheepish. In his defense, the injury hadn’t acted up this much in years, and he had thought it was finally all the way healed.

Piper knew what he was talking about. That random bout of pained, dizzy unconsciousness in the tunnel had been on her mind while she waited for him and Noodle to come out of the building, turning over and over as she tried to puzzle out what was really going on with the chocolatier.

“Well, either way, let’s get you two back. We can call a taxi.” She decided, rubbing his shoulder and glancing over to check on Noodle. She was covered in dust (as was Willy), with rumpled clothes and two of Willy’s familiar scarves wrapped around her wrists. Piper ran a gentle hand over her hair, feeling her tremble minutely, eyes fixed on her best friend. He had his own eyes closed, leaning against a larger piece of wood. Piper wondered if he had fallen asleep. Or passed out.

“He’ll be okay, hun. How are you feeling?” She asked, seeing the girl relax at the statement.

“I just wanna go home.” She said, and they both knew exactly what she meant. Their little hotel wasn’t really ‘home;’ it was the hours spent reading or dancing or making chocolate. The silly songs Willy made up and being surrounded by people who she knew she was safe with.

“I know. Just a little bit longer, okay? Does anything hurt?”

Noodle shook her head, distracted by the others approaching. They crouched, joining the little gathering in the middle of a recently collapsed building. If you had told any of them that they’d be here with this strangely specific group of people five years ago, they might’ve laughed in your face. Now they just looked concernedly at the two kids, minds still stumbling over the fact that a whole building had just crumbled before their eyes.

“Is everyone alright?” Asked Abacus, peering over the rim of his glasses.

“They’re not hurt, if that’s what you mean. But Willy’s leg is acting up, so he might need a lift out of here.” Piper responded, bringing a hand to Willy’s face and getting no response. “He’s pretty out of it.”

Abacus nodded, thinking back to what Piper had told him a bit ago about what happened on the way there as they waited for the rubble to be safe. It was worrying, having no idea what was wrong, but all they could do for now was get him somewhere safe. They also didn’t want to worry Noodle, so keeping it under wraps was the best option.

They were able to flag down a taxi and ride back to the hotel, all crammed in the back except for Larry, who took the passenger seat. Willy only stirred briefly, mumbling Noodle’s name with half-closed eyes until she leaned into his line of sight, and he could see that she was okay.

The group finally had to rouse Willy once they got back to the hotel so they could get him all cleaned up. He seemed exhausted and a little floaty, but overall, Piper could tell he wasn’t showing any other symptoms from earlier. That was promising, causing her to worry a little less. Maybe all he needed was some good sleep and a week off.

Willy was already in bed by the time Noodle finished getting bathed and into night clothes but woke when she crawled onto the sheets next to him.

“Apple strudel?” He whispered, arms automatically wrapping around her as she tucked herself into them. Even being apart from him for a little bit had made her heart stutter.

“I love you, Willy.” She murmured, surprising herself a little with the suddenness of a truth that was anything but sudden. He didn’t say anything, and for a moment she thought he must’ve fallen back asleep.

Then, in a slightly choked voice, he responded. “I love you too, Noodle.”

She giggled a bit as he kissed her head and his hair brushed her face, closing her eyes. She could have forgotten all that had happened in the last day easily then, just curled up with her favorite person.

Little did she know that life could be a cruel soul, ready to steal and plunder whatever it wanted.

Chapter Text

Noodle stood in the middle of the cathedral, looking around at all the intricate detailing and carved, gold trim. She stared around at it, unsure of why she was here, until muffled sounds came from beneath her, prompting her to look down at her feet. She was standing on a glass window with inlaid metal surrounding its edges that revealed a massive chamber below, only illuminated by light from above.

It was filled halfway with swirling chocolate, and right in the middle was a very familiar figure with dark, messy curls and slightly mismatched clothes. He stood facing the only exit, which was now being closed as the giant blades began to spin and vents opened in the walls, releasing more sticky, brown liquid.

Noodle fell to her knees, banging on the glass as panic flooded her senses and images from her own time in the tank flooded her head. The chocolate was already lifting him up, bringing him closer and closer to the top. It was worse watching it happen than actually being in the pool, to Noodle. She could see the terror clear on Willy’s usually sunny face and none of her efforts to break the glass worked even slightly, causing desperate tears to drip onto it.

“Willy!” She screamed, and he looked up. He still wasn’t quite close enough to reach the glass, but he lifted an arm up as if he was waving at her. The lack of paddling on one side made him sink a bit deeper, and Noodle’s heart flip flopped.

“Please, please, hang on Willy-“ she cried as an idea raced through her mind. Glancing up, she searched for the nearest heavy object- a long candle holder perched on the pulpit- and rushed to run and grab it. By the time she made it back to the window, Willy’s chocolaty fingerprints were smeared across it and he was gasping for breaths.

She hit the glass over and over to no avail, the metal creating resounding clangs that echoed through her ears as she watched the chocolate close in on the top of the chamber. After a few more seconds of throwing her whole weight into each swing, she could only kneel back down and press both hands against where Willy’s rested on the other side. Time seemed to slow as the chocolate ebbed over his ears, then cheeks. His eyes were fixed on hers, trying to communicate how terribly sorry he was, how he knew exactly what it felt like to lose a parent.

“Willy…” she whimpered, the only thing keeping her from closing her eyes to shut out the horrifying sight being the fact that this could be her last time seeing him. She tried to memorize every inch of his face as her vision darkened and he was fully submerged in the chocolate, the sight burned into her mind.

Then her sight went completely black. Someone was saying her name, gently shaking her where she laid on a…bed? What had happened? Why did the voice sound so much like Willy, who had just-

“Noodle! Wake up, I’m right here!” He said, finally dragging her from the depths of the dream. Or, nightmare was probably a more appropriate word choice in this case.

“Willy!” She got out, tears blurring her vision as she forced her eyes open to see him hovering over her, face filled with worry over how distraught she appeared. He let out a quiet ‘oomph’ as she practically tackled him, breathing ratcheting up as she registered that what she had just seen was just a dream. But she couldn’t stop the pure panic that came with it and closed her throat, leaving her sobbing as she choked on air.

Willy sat them up so she was more supported, rubbing her back.

“Honey, can you take a deep breath for me? I promise it was just a dream, everything’s okay.” He murmured, hating the way her small body trembled almost violently against him.

Noodle tried, but couldn’t manage to drag in any more air than she already was. It made the already steep panic bloom through her whole body, and she curled her fists into Willy’s shirt.

“I ca-can’t-“ she sobbed, feeling him push her back far enough to see her face. He had gone blurry and she couldn’t see the details of his face, too focused on her begging lungs.

“Okay, hey…can you feel that? Can you feel me breathing?” He said, trying his best to not freak out while he watched Noodle struggle for breath like she’d been held underwater for too long. He had grabbed one of her hands and pressed it to his chest, taking exaggeratedly deep breaths. For a moment, nothing happened, and he worried even more that she would pass out. Then, ever so slowly, she was able to pull in a little more air.

“There we go,” he whispered, moving the hand previously holding hers to her face, thumb lightly collecting tears. Her eyes fluttered shut, lashes dark and wilting like flower petals in a rainstorm.

He ran a hand through her hair, keeping her sitting up for another few minutes until her breathing evened out to soft puffs against his fingers.

“How are you feeling? Do you wanna lay back down?” He asked quietly, torn between trying to get her back to sleep and figuring out what had made her so scared.

She didn’t say anything, just scooted forward, back into his arms. He grabbed the blanket from where it had been shoved to the side when Noodle startled awake, tugging it to cover them both as he pulled her down onto the pillow. She curled into him, still shaky and clearly thinking about the nightmare.

“Please don’t leave me,” she whispered, voice lilting with concealed fears. Willy’s heart stuttered at these words, and he squeezed her tighter, lips bushing her forehead.

“I won’t. You’re gonna be stuck with me till I’m all old and gray and you get sick of chocolate.” He said softly, eyes flicking down to see a hint of a smile on her face.

“I’ll never get sick of your chocolate,” she responded, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

“Good. I’m gonna need someone to test all the new flavors when we open the shop.” He said, feeling her gradually relax further. “You ready to sleep?”

At this, she tensed, and her arms nearly took the breath out of him. “No! I can’t…I can’t see that again.” She whispered, fear creeping back into her tone.

“See what?” He asked gently, very much wondering in the dream had made her so frightened.

She hesitated, then spoke. “I dreamed that you were drowning in the chocolate. And I couldn’t do anything; the glass wouldn’t break and no one was coming, and-“

“Shh, hey…it’s okay,” he cut her off, rubbing her back as he thought of her earlier pleading that he wouldn’t leave her entered his mind. “I’m right here. And we’re okay now. As long as we’re together, right?”

This got a heartfelt nod and a slightly wobbling voice. “Mhm. Forever and ever and ever.”

“That sounds perfect,” he hummed, wondering what he had done to deserve this precious girl.

After a minute of comfortable silence and drooping eyes, Noodle asked a question so quietly he barely heard her.

“Will you sing to me?”

“Of course. What do you want to hear?” He responded, glancing down at where her face was squished into his neck.

It only took a moment of thought for her to decide. “The one from the zoo?”

“That sounds wonderful,” he said, and began to sing.

His voice was fond and quiet, turning the song into much more of a lullaby in the darkness of the room. Noodle could hear his smile in the words and sighed contently, feeling so at home here in Willy’s arms. As long as she always had this, everything would be okay.

-o-

The group had a single day of bliss.

(Later, Piper would realize this was the perfect word to describe it. People always said that ignorance was bliss, and until the next few days transpired, she had never quite understood why.)

Everyone was still attuned to the washhouse’s early mornings, so most were in the living area as the sun peeked over distant buildings. Piper was at the stove with eggs scrambling and French toast, which was one of her specialties, steaming. The day was beautiful; sunlight streaming through the windows and making everyone’s hair glow.

Miraculously, Willy and Noodle hadn’t been more hurt than the cuts from the ropes on the girl’s hands. They had been cleaned and bandaged last night, and so far, there was no sign of infection. Willy’s limp had retreated significantly, but Piper was still worried about the event in the tunnels. He seemed perfectly fine right now, but also wasn’t one to tell people when he was hurting. She knew from what he’d told her a while ago that his injury had never healed right and acted up whenever he was tired or sick, so it was possible he was just downplaying it.

For the time being, she would just have to keep an eye on him.

Aside from any physical injuries, Piper could guess that there would be some more emotional problems. Even now, in the safety of the hotel and people that would do pretty much anything for her, Noodle clung to Willy. The two were on the couch right now, Willy talking quietly while Noodle smiled along, the occasional giggle slipping out. She leaned against him, one hand curled into the sleeve of his shirt while he absentmindedly played with a stray curl, eyes alight as he told some unbelievable story.

It really was a sweet sight, and to be fair, the two needed a break. Maybe now that everyone was together and safe, they could finally have time to actually live. Willy could open his shop, Noodle could stay with him wherever he ended up living and everyone else could go back to their families. Piper knew they would stay in touch, probably see each other more than necessary.

When breakfast was ready, she brought it to the table and everyone sat down. Not a single thing was said about the day before; no one wanting to think about how terrifying it was to be in or watch a building collapse. Abacus, who had read the letters more carefully while he waited for the food to be ready, didn’t say anything about the new tidbit of information he had learned.

To be short and sweet, the cartel’s plan all along had been to lure Willy right into their hands and end any chance of him selling chocolate by collapsing the building. It drove a shudder through him to think about, but it was okay now. Everyone was fine.

The rest of the day was spent lounging around, munching on a few chocolates, and reading. They all ended up on couches and armchairs while Noodle read from her book, clearly delighted that everyone wanted to hear the story.

It was quite interesting, and Piper found herself very much into the story by the time dinner rolled around. Clouds had drifted over the sun, washing the room into a cozy, dim atmosphere. Willy was asleep, head resting on Noodle’s as she finished a chapter. Piper was glad he was getting the rest, and wouldn’t be surprised if his body had just done too much in the last weeks and was shutting down now that he was in a safe environment.

The peace only lasted until darkness came. Piper had ushered Noodle and Willy to bed after watching her start yawning every few minutes, and the others stayed in the soft light of the lamp. They had to start getting their lives set up again, and all wanted just a bit more time. After so many years together in the laundry, it was strange going their separate ways.

The conversation was interrupted after a couple hours by screams. Piper was on her feet in an instant, recognizing the sound of Noodle’s terrified young voice.

“Willy! Willy, please! HELP!”

Piper wasn’t sure if she’d ever run somewhere faster. With the others hot on her trail, she burst into the room to see Noodle, tear-streaked face now illuminated by light from the hallway, hovering over Willy. He was shaking- entire body rigid and tortured cries escaping his mouth.

The four rushed to the bed, fragile tranquility shattered like flimsy glass.

“Lottie, get Noodle out.” Piper commanded, not wanting the little girl to see any more of this. She could only guess that this was the same as he tunnel, but it already seemed worse. Strangled wheezes poured from Willy’s mouth, and it almost looked like he was having a seizure.

Lottie grabbed Noodle, dragging her off the bed as she struggled and screamed. “It’s alright, shh, come on,” she said, making sure the girl’s head didn’t hit the bedframe as she was pulled off the mattress and out the door.

Piper hesitated only a moment before focusing back on Willy. Now that she looked closer, she could tell his eyes were open and mostly aware, brimming with fear and agony as his body betrayed him. As gently as she could, Piper grabbed his arms and propped him up. His tensed muscles fought against her, but Abacus jumped in to help hold him steady.

“We-we just have to wait it out. Make sure he keeps breathing.” She said, squeezing his shoulders as a particularly bad tremor jolted through him. He whined, eyes shutting against the torrent of misery that seemed set on destroying him from the inside out.

“Willy, we’re right here,” Piper murmured, not sure if he could hear her. “It’s gonna end, just relax as much as you can.”

“Is this like earlier?” Abacus asked, worry clear in his tone.

“Not…exactly. This seems more…unorganized? Before he went pretty much completely limp for a few minutes before coming back.”

The old man hummed, hand rubbing up and down the chocolatier’s arm to get a little warmth into him.

“Larry, can you go grab a glass of water and a cool cloth?” Piper asked, not taking her eyes off Willy as he agreed and left, the door clicking shut behind him.

As another minute passed, Willy’s condition seemed to worsen even more. It was like his entire body tensed but went completely limp at the same time. His head tipped back, almost hitting the wood behind him before Piper could get a hand behind it, and his arms jerked in like he’d been burned.

He let out a choked off gasp that she wasn’t sure would leave her head anytime soon as tears streamed down his pale, glistening face. Piper ran a hand through his hair, muttering sweet nothings and desperately hoping that this would end. Part of her wanted him to pass out so he wouldn’t have to feel it anymore, but she wasn’t sure how well he was breathing or if that would make it worse.

Larry re-entered, holding the items she’d asked for and slumping as he saw that Willy was even worse than a few minutes ago.

“Piper, what’s going on?” He asked, feeling his own hands shake.

“I…I don’t know. I mean, I’ve noticed recently that he’s been getting pretty exhausted, then something similar to this happened while we were on the way to get Noodle. I’ve never heard of anything like this happening.” She responded, mouth twisted and eyebrows furrowed as she tried to connect any dots she could.

After a moment, a seemingly random thought entered her mind. How had Willy said his mom died? She had been sick, right? What if-

“Oh, no…” she whispered, trailing off as she remembered the conversation she had with him almost a month ago.

*

“She was amazing,” he said, stars in his eyes as he thought back to that little longboat.

“What happened?” She asked, not quite sure why.

Willy glanced down, sad smile gracing his face. “She got sick. It…it was really scary, because I didn’t know how to help, so she’d send me off the boat or just to the deck. One time I caught a glance her through a window. She was in pain, I could tell, but she always said it was fine. She promised she’d be with me when we got to the Gallerie Gourmet, but…” He shrugged.

Piper stayed silent, bringing one hand to rest on his knee. “Sometimes…sometimes the best people get the shortest time here.”

He nodded, one finger running over the worn wrapping on his mother’s last chocolate bar. He had pulled it from his pocket unconsciously, almost an automatic reaction to thinking about her and the dreams she had led him to follow.

“I wonder a lot if she’d be proud of me. Especially after all this and all my mistakes.”

“She would,” said Piper, before she even thought about it. Even after only knowing Willy for a short time, she could see how hard he worked. How purely good he was in every way.

“You think so?”

“I do. Don’t let anything- or anyone- get you down, okay?”

He chuckled as he dropped his head and nodded. Piper smiled, something akin to family blooming in her chest.

*

“Benz, what is it?” Asked Abacus, seeing the deeply concerned expression that had suddenly appeared on her face.

“I think…I think I know what’s happening. Or I have an idea at least, but it’s not good. I’ll tell you details later.” She promised, focusing back on Willy. He looked a little more aware, now, eyes fluttering weakly and hands clenching in and out.

“Will, can you hear me?” Piper asked, taking one of his hands while the other stayed on his hair, thumb stroking his forehead. His fingers were cold, and trembled insistently as they curled around hers in the only control he had.

His head bobbed a tiny bit, and his mouth opened and closed a couple times before he finally forced words out.

“It-it hu-hurts, Piper-“ he managed, voice strained and pleading.

“I know, hun. I’m so sorry. Can you take a deep breath?” She requested, thinking that maybe if they started with his breathing and getting him calmer the pain would lessen.

He sucked in a deep breath, but it left him coughing and doubled over, panic flaring through him for a moment before he was able to get in more air.

“Slow, it’s okay. You’re okay,” Piper soothed, rubbing his back and watching carefully as he tried again. This time, he relaxed and the slight wheezing coming from him had ceased.

“There you go. Is it any better?”

“Mhm,” he hummed, exhaustion closing his eyes and blocking off his blurry vision. The pain had ebbed, leaving his limbs throbbing in time with his heart. It was miles better than it had been, though, and at this point he would take anything he could get.

He was asleep before Piper could speak again, drifting off into shapeless dreams.

She caught his head as it dipped, and Abacus helped lay him back down on the pillow. He had gone limp, lashes heavy and hair messy as ever. Piper reached for the cloth, draping it over his sweaty forehead as gently as she could.

Looking up at the other two adults, she saw her heartbroken expression mirrored on their faces.

“His mother…she died of a sickness. He said she was in pain before she-“ Piper cut off, not wanting to say any more out loud. The parallel was obvious in her mind, and she was sure the others knew what this could mean.

“Maybe we can figure something out. Maybe there’s a cure, or…I don’t know. Maybe his magic can help.” Larry pointed out, always looking for the pinprick of light.

“Maybe.” Piper whispered, glancing back down at his sleeping form. He looked so peaceful, like he hadn’t just spent what felt like hours (but was really only minutes) suffering more pain than she could imagine.

The three hesitantly left the room, finding Lottie and Noodle in the hallway. They were both on the floor, Noodle in Lottie’s arms as tears streamed down her face. Piper crouched next to them, reaching out to run a hand over her curls. She stared back with terrified eyes, distress drowning those deep irised.

“He’s…he’s okay. I’m not going to pretend that nothing’s wrong, but it’s over, for now.” She said, hating that she had to tell Noodle her favorite person in the whole world was so sick he could barely speak.

“What was it?” Noodle asked, voice wobbling as she tried not to imagine waking up beside him to almost frantic shaking and strangled whimpers.

“We don’t exactly know, but he’s sick. I’ve noticed a couple things recently, but he went downhill today. We’ll just have to wait and see what happens and how we can help. Do you want to go see him?”

Noodle could only nod, letting Piper guide her into the dark room. He looked so…normal, lying there in the bed with his chest rising and falling slightly. Approaching the bed, she could see his slightly rumpled shirt and the cloth laid over his head.

“Can I-can I touch him?” She whispered, scared to move in case he woke up.

“Yes. I think he’ll want you right there when he wakes up.”

Noodle climbed onto the mattress, already feeling a little more comfortable as she curled into his side. She couldn’t stop a few more tears from leaking down her face at the unfairness of it all. Why did he have to hurt so much?

“Do you want me to stay?” Piper asked, waiting for Noodle to nod before pulling up a chair close enough that she could rest a hand on the girl’s back.

“We’ll figure this out. He’s here.” She murmured, watching Noodle’s watery eyes close in exhausted worry.

As much as she fought it, Noodle drifted off within a few minutes. Piper stayed up, eyes fixed on the two kids as she tried to think of anything that might help. The night was spent in awful anticipation that whatever it was would attack again, doing its best to steal away their precious Willy.

In the end, all she was left with was the realization that Noodle may have to grow up without the one person who had loved her from the very first day and had never stopped since.

Chapter Text

Piper had once heard Abacus talking about life. He had said most things were exponential in some way, and she hadn’t thought about it again.

Until now. Whatever sickness had Willy firmly in its grasp had gone from infrequent bouts of exhaustion to these…attacks? In a matter of days. She could see what Abacus had meant now.

Willy had slept through the rest of the night, only waking when Piper moved closer to place a light hand on his forehead and check for a fever. His eyes flickered, blinking up as her in the sparse morning light.

“Hey, there. how are you feeling?” She asked, keeping her voice quiet in hopes that she wouldn’t wake Noodle, who had her face hidden in his side.

“Sore,” he answered, confusion scrunching his face. “What happened? Is something wrong?”

“What’s the last thing you remember?”

“We were hanging out? Then me and Noodle went to bed.”

Piper was glad that Willy didn’t remember last night’s events. She didn’t want him to be able to think back to the torture.

“You…well, something happened. We don’t know exactly what, but you woke up in a lot of pain. It was really awful to watch, you were so shaky and kept having muscle tremors or cramps.” She said, eyebrows creased as she watched his reaction.

He seemed to puzzle through her words before asking, “Did Noodle…was she there?”

Of course, that’s what he thought about first. This world didn’t deserve him.

“Just the beginning. Lottie took her out when we got here.”

“That’s good,” he whispered, eyes far away as he processed the sudden load of information.

“Willy,” she started, unsure of what to say. It wasn’t like she could tell him that everything was fine, especially with her theory about his mom. “We’re going to do everything we can to fix this, okay?”

“Okay,” he responded, looking back at her with that always-trusting gaze. But they both knew how bad this was. They both knew that he might not make it out of this like he had slipped from the grasp of law enforcement so many times.

“Can you something for me?” He asked, maybe looking more serious than she’d ever seen.

“What is it?”

“Promise that you’ll take care of Noodle? If anything happens, or…or I can’t anymore. I just-“

“Of course.” She cut him off, hating how his voice quivered as he tried not to imagine any possibilities. “You don’t even have to ask. She’ll be safe, I promise.”

“Thank you,” he breathed, glancing down at the girl. She was still fast asleep, tucked into Willy’s side as her hair spilled over his arm. He let out a wet chuckle, and Piper brought a hand to cradle his face.

“Get some more sleep, okay? We’ll be here.”

-o-

Noodle woke to someone shaking her shoulder. For a moment, nothing that had occurred the night before registered in her memory, and she almost pushed the hands away. Then a flash of panic jolted through her, and she shot up, nearly knocking heads with the person sitting beside her.

To her relief, it was Willy. He was grinning a bit, waiting for her to wake up enough to know what was going on. She stared at him; eyes wide with fear that something else bad had happened. At the realization that he seemed completely fine, her composure crumbled.

“Willy-“ she got out before a sob ripped through her. He caught her as she practically threw herself into his arms, making quiet shushing sounds as he stroked her hair.

“It’s okay. I’m right here, honey,” He soothed, beginning to rock back and forth.

“You were-you weren’t-“ she managed, unable to get any more words out. Every sensation of waking up to Willy in so much pain next to her was burned into her mind- the way the darkness hid a lot of his face, the strangled gasping that she’d never heard from a human before. The door bursting open as she screamed for help, leading her to be carried out of the room as she kicked and fought to stay by his side.

“Shh, I’m alright. We’re alright. Just focus on right now.” He murmured, squeezing her tight.

Slowly, her crying ebbed and she relaxed against him. He kept her close, not wanting to let go either.

“There we go. Better?” He asked, bringing a hand to her face so he could see her tear-streaked cheeks and overflowing eyes.

“Willy, Piper said- she said you were sick.” Noodle said, voice wet with unshed tears as she examined his expression for any sign of pain.

He sighed, one finger rubbing her temple so lightly she could barely feel it. “I know. I’m so sorry I scared you. But I’m okay right now, really.”

“You’re not hurting?”

“Just a little achy. Nothing awful.” He said, tone hiding the shivers of pain that occasionally snaked through him, intent on drawing a surprised gasp or wince.

“Really?” She asked, knowing she already believed him fully. Who could distrust that sincere gaze?

“Mhm.” He affirmed, watching her shoulders relax minutely at the confirmation. She laid her head back down on his shoulder, not wanting to let go yet. A kiss was pressed to her hair as they sat in comfortable silence, unwilling to shatter the safety of hiding away in each other’s arms.

Willy held her until the sun had fully risen and Piper called that breakfast was ready. He was able to keep away the scarier thoughts, but images of his mom’s last few weeks on earth were creeping on the edges of his mind. He shuddered to think that there was a chance that he would leave Noodle like that; with the unspoken trauma of watching a parent unable to fight off the sickness ailing them. It made him promise himself that he would fight his own sickness, no matter how bad it got. He couldn’t leave his little girl right after they had finally been reunited and had their happy ending.

-o-

“And…there!” Willy announced, flipping a lever on his travelling factory and waiting as the chocolate he had made (with Noodle’s careful observation and a little help) popped out. It was perfectly round, with a nearly overflowing well of raspberry syrup right in the middle and tiny sprinkles of gold throughout the rest.

The chocolatier picked up the creation, handing it right to Noodle. She took a bite, eyes widening at the burst of flavors. Even after trying dozens of different chocolates, she would never get sick of them.

“That’s so good!” She exclaimed, wide smile mirroring Willy’s.

“That’s splendid. But you’re biased, you like all chocolate.” He laughed, raising his eyebrows when she went to protest.

“Not all chocolate! Only yours. I’m pretty sure the chocolate cartel couldn’t make good chocolate even if they stole all your recipes.” She stated, sounding as if it was pure fact. Willy rolled his eyes fondly, ruffling her hair.

“Want to make one yourself?” He asked, watching her eyes widen a bit.

“By myself?”

“Sure! You make me read sentences alone, so now you get to make chocolate alone. You’ve got it; you’ve been watching me make it since the day I got to the laundry.”

That was true, she ceded. She had spent many hours on a stool beside Willy or peeking over his shoulder as he worked, each candy a masterpiece as it rolled out and was tossed into a jar.

“Okay.” She agreed, nervous excitement bubbling in her. She decided to start with liquid sunlight, knowing it was one of Willy’s favorites, and pressed a couple buttons to start the contraption. She was pretty sure it worked on some kind of magic, because as long as she tried to puzzle out exactly how it made such intricate designs she could never figure it out.

Willy rested his chin in his palm, pride filling his chest as Noodle worked methodically, selecting another vial and pouring the exact right amount into the glass tube. Once it had trickled down, the yellow from the liquid sunlight swirled into it and the factory did its work. After a few seconds, Noodle pulled the lever and a pretty chocolate appeared.

Picking it up, the girl held it out for Willy to take. He did, biting into it with gusto, and didn’t have to fake the hum of satisfaction.

“My dear Noodle, I think you’re well on your way to passing me up! Your first chocolate, and its scrumptious.” He said, relishing in the slight blush that crept into her cheeks as her head dipped.

“Willy,” she responded, the word drawn out as she tried to dodge the compliment. After years of barely a glance from anyone, her best friend’s unending affection still felt so special. Especially since now, she didn’t know how long it would last-

The thought got stuck in her brain, causing her good mood to vanish like it had never existed in the first place. She had tried desperately to block out any fears that pertained to Willy leaving her forever, but they were like a virus. She couldn’t help but wonder if the adults were just saying he was okay, just pretending that everything would work out.

Willy immediately noticed the sudden mood change and reached out to lift her chin with a gentle finger.

“Hey, what’s wrong? What happened?” He asked, worry seeping into his tone like water through moss.

Noodle met his eyes, their shifting green hues a comfort in themselves. After a moment of hesitation, she spoke, voice much quieter than before and hands fidgeting in her lap.

“I’m so scared, Willy.”

He didn’t need to ask why. He knew that she was smart, maybe too smart for her own good, sometimes. She had been there for part of his first attack, had witnessed his sudden, rude awakening and pained gasps. As mature as she was, she was still just a little girl (my little girl, he thought unconsciously), and Willy absolutely hated that she had to experience this.

“Oh, sweetheart,” he whispered, taking her hands in his. “You don’t have to be scared. Everything is alright.”

The words didn’t have quite the effect as he hoped, making her brow crease. “But it’s not. It’s not alright, you aren’t okay.”

And that was it. She had put the thoughts running through everyone’s minds into three simple words. As much as they said it over and over again, ‘it’s okay,” wasn’t necessarily true. And maybe this sickness would just turn out to be a bad virus or allergy, but so far it didn’t fit in any category of a more benign illness.

“Noodle,” he started, then paused. What could he say that would make her feel better? Nothing came to mind that he thought would actually help the situation, so he brought a hand up to her cheek and leaned forward to kiss her forehead. (He had been doing that a lot, lately, he realized wryly) Not quite inadvertently, a bit of magic left his fingertips and ghosted over her skin, causing her eyes to widen a bit.

“Better?” he asked, her strange expression nearly drawing a laugh. The magic was something his mother had taught him long ago; something that could bring a bit of happiness to even the darkest of situations. He didn’t have many opportunities to use it, but now seemed the perfect time. If his words failed, magic was what he always fell back on.

In this case, literally ‘fell back on,’ because only a moment later, his vision had gone from completely clear to so blurry he couldn’t make out his own hand only inches away. His sense of balance left like a butterfly in winter, leaving him tipping sideways completely out of his control.

Surprised fear jolted through Noodle as she automatically lunged to grab him, catching sight of his rapidly paling face out of the corner of her eye.

“Willy!” She cried, feeling him flounder for anything to hold onto as his posture gave out and he sunk to the floor. She had been able to keep him upright for a few seconds, but once he was sitting, his eyes flickered dangerously, and she guided him to lay fully down on the rough, wooden floorboards.

“Willy, please, what’s wrong? What’s happening?” She pleaded, eyes fixed on his now-still face. As gently as she could, she shook his shoulder, holding back the tears that begged to fall. She couldn’t cry now, she had to help him. No one else was at the hotel right now due to various jobs and errands, so it was all up to her.

As she agonized over what she should do, his eyes opened back up, fixing on her terrified face.

“Noodle?” he slurred, sounding beyond confused.

“I’m right here. What’s wrong?” She asked, a bit of elation breaking through the worry now that he was back with her so quickly.

“I’m so dizzy,” he managed, not even trying to sit up. Everything was a swirling, bright mess above him and he wasn’t sure he would stay conscious if he moved.

“Just…just stay there. I’m gonna-“

She stopped. What was she going to go do? She didn’t know how to call anyone, let alone if there was a phone in their room, and she’d never seen anything like this happen before. It didn’t seem the same as whatever last night’s episode was, which was somehow even scarier.

“Noodle?” He called, bringing a hand up to hover in front of him to try and find her. She sounded scared, though he couldn’t figure out why. His thoughts were all tangled up, making him wonder why he was lying on the floor.

“It’s okay,” she soothed, scooting closer so she could run a hand over his hair like she’d seen Piper do.

“What’s going on?”

Noodle’s heart clenched, worry clouding her vision. How had this happened so fast? Just a minute ago he’d been the one comforting her, but now here she was.

“Nothing, Willy. Just relax,” she murmured, focusing back on him.

“But…but, what? Are you okay?” He asked, prying open his eyes to catch a glimpse of her anxious face hovering over him.

“Yeah, I’m fine. How are you feeling?” She responded, thinking it was completely ridiculous that he was worried about her right now. It almost drew a tiny, hysterical giggle, bubbling in her chest as the sudden adrenaline rush died down and she realized that he really was okay. Maybe just a bit confused and dizzy, but hopefully he would be back to his normal self in a few minutes.

“Strange,” he answered quietly, closing his eyes against the light that had quickly begun to feel like sparks of electricity in his head. As the seconds passed, he already felt more lucid, though the unbalance hadn’t left yet. It reminded him of his years as a sailor; sleeping in a rickety cot with nothing but the rhythmic rocking of the ship and distant voices above deck.

Noodle took a deep breath, trying to figure out what to do. Piper would probably be home first, as she was on a trip to the market, but she’d only left an hour ago. Everyone else had gone to find family or work, so she had no idea if she could rely on their timing.

Deciding that she probably shouldn’t try to get him in bed due to the clear dizziness and the fact that he was much taller than her, she lingered for an extra moment before making up her mind.

“I’ll be right back,” she said, not sure if Willy heard her, and hurried to the living area. They had left their current book there yesterday after the group spent hours listening to her read and just enjoying each other’s company. She fetched it off the small side table and went right back to the bedroom, shoulders tensing more with every second that she couldn’t see her best friend.

He was in the same spot she had left him, looking a little like he’d just laid down on the floor for a leisurely nap. She knelt, lightly touching his shoulder. He blinked his eyes open, a small smile growing on his face when he saw her.

“Can I read to you?” She asked, holding up the book, though she wasn’t sure how well he could see it right now.

“I would love that, Apple Strudel,” he replied, still unmoving as Noodle grabbed the pillow off the bed and tucked it under his curls.

“Okay. We were on chapter eleven, I think,” she said as she adjusted herself by his side, lying down on her stomach and holding the book so it was propped up by his head.

Once she started reading, Willy let the words wash over him as the lightheaded dizziness slowly ebbed. At some point, his eyes drifted shut, and it took everything in him not to fall asleep as the story continued to unfold. He didn’t want to miss anything; reading with Noodle was practically his favorite thing and he had to savor every moment.

That was one fight he lost, as when Piper arrived home to complete silence and hurried to make sure that everything was okay, she found both kids fast asleep on the floor next to the desk. Willy was sprawled on his back, cheeks slightly peaked compared to the rest of his face. His little shadow was curled up by his side, still holding the book she had apparently been reading. Her head rested on his arm, face looking too relaxed for the uncomfortable surface the two were lying on.

Piper chuckled lightly, but wondered why they were on the floor. Had Willy suffered another attack? He had seemed completely fine when she left, even after the rough night.

With a sigh, she plucked a blanket from where it was draped over the armchair in the corner and tucked it around Willy and Noodle. Neither stirred, so she left them to nap and quietly exited so she could put away the fresh groceries.

Chapter Text

Piper sat on a plush armchair in the living area, lazily scanning over a book she had found when shopping as soft lamplight illuminated the yellowed paper. It had been a day since she came home to find Noodle and Willy curled up on the floor after what Noodle described to her as a dizzy spell. Piper would always remember the way the girl’s voice shook as she described how quickly he’d gone from laughing and making chocolate to flat on the floor, barely responding.

Apparently, he had been trying to comfort Noodle and used a bit of magic right before it happened. Piper assumed that was the cause, but worried that it was deeper than Willy just exerting himself too much. With her idea that this sickness was connected to how his mom died, Piper could imagine that magic played a role in one way or another.

With a sigh, she turned the page to keep reading, but was interrupted by movement in the corner of her vision. She glanced up, spotting Willy hovering in the doorway. When he saw that she’d noticed him, he came towards her, sinking gingerly onto the couch that ran adjacent to her seat.

“Hey, Willy. How are you feeling?” She asked, frowning at the way his eyes squinted even in the dim light.

“Okay,” he answered simply, evidently not ‘okay.’ Still, even the fact he wasn’t saying he was good was beyond worrying for their usually over-optimistic chocolatier.

All Piper had to do was give him a few seconds before his shoulders slumped slightly and he continued.

“My head really hurts.” He whispered, leading Piper to understand his stiff posture and half-lowered eyelids. It would make sense after such an intense bout of dizziness.

After a moment of thought, a solution formed in her mind. It was something she used to do for her young cousins before she’d breezed over the small print, and never failed to help with a variety of aches and pains.

“I have an idea. Come here,” she said, taking his arm and pulling him to follow her to the kitchen. He did, tilting his head a bit in question.

She directed him to sit up on the coffee-buffed counter next to the sink, hushing his quiet protests.

“What are you doing?” He asked, watching as she opened drawers and searched through their contents, finally pulling out a faded, green dish towel that she rolled up as she returned to his side.

“I’m going to wash your hair. It’ll help with the headache, I promise.” She informed him, causing an emotion she couldn’t identify to flicker in his light, olive gaze.

“Oh,” he said simply, making a fond smile appear on Piper’s face at the slight surprise in his tone.

“Here, lay down,” she instructed, guiding him to lie back so that his head hung over the porcelain sink and tucking the towel behind his neck. He followed without another question, listening to the water that rushed from the tap as Piper turned it on and checked the temperature. It was calming, and already seemed to sooth his pounding temples with its constant litany of puddling water droplets.

Once she deemed the water warm enough, Piper let it slide over her hand and cascade through Willy’s silky curls. He shivered slightly as his spine tingled, not used to the sensation.

“Too cold?” Piper asked, leaning over so he could see her face.

“No,” he responded, “just feels nice.”

She didn’t respond, instead running her fingers over his crown and slowly working the water to his hairline, careful not to let it drip onto his face. He sighed at the gentle feeling, lashes brushing his cheeks as his eyes drooped. Piper chuckled lightly, combing through the tangled strands as sun beams filtered delicately through the curtain over the window to her right.

When his hair became properly soaked, she fetched a bit of soap and scrubbed it into the locks. A soundless chuckle escaped him as a few bubbles brushed his face, and Piper smiled at the domesticity of it all. Never would she have expected to be washing an eccentric chocolatier’s hair in an unfamiliar kitchen after spending years working in the laundry.

Even once she had worked out any knots and the last suds swirled down the drain, she continued to massage his scalp, fingers growing pruned with the dampness. Willy wasn’t sure if he’d ever felt anything so heavenly. He kept his eyes closed as his entire body relaxed, leaving him drifting in dozy awareness. As Piper trailed her nails down his head and gently rubbed his aching temples, the constant pulse in his skull finally began to retreat.

“Thank you,” Willy murmured, not sure how much longer he would be awake. Something about this all reminded him of his mother. Maybe it was the feeling of being taken care of, being loved in the same way he loved Noodle.

“It’s the least I could do, hun. For all the good you’ve done, the world hasn’t been kind.” She replied, a lilting sadness in her tone as she ran a finger over his forehead.

“Sometimes the world doesn’t need to be kind. I’ve found that there are many good souls who mean more than a lucky draw of life would.”

Many times, Piper forgot how intuitively clever Willy truly was. He probably didn’t even realize he’d just uttered something that made a slight wetness overcome her eyes.

She hummed, every part of her hoping that whatever was ailing him would have some kind of mercy and not take their precious friend. After a little while longer of comforting brushing, Piper spoke again before Willy could drift off.

“Willy, when was the last time you used your magic? Before earlier.”

He thought for a moment, then replied in a tone that sounded half-asleep. “It was before we got Noodle out. I think I was doing tricks for her.”

“Okay. I was thinking of bringing a doctor over to see if we can figure out what’s wrong, so I just wanted to check in case that has anything to do with it. This is all so sudden, I just…I just want to help you in any way we can.” She said, and he nodded.

“Just…don’t let Noodle hear anything bad?” He requested, causing her heart to squeeze painfully.

With a burdened sigh, she responded. “I don’t think we should keep too many things from her, Will. It might make her more scared to be in the dark, especially if everyone else is acting like there’s something horribly wrong.”

“She doesn’t deserve this,” he whispered, lips turning down into a soft pout.

You don’t deserve this, Piper thought, perhaps a little bitter.

“I know. But all we can do is keep trying.”

-o-

True to her word, Piper called a doctor later that day and explained the situation. He agreed to come to them after hearing of Willy’s near-collapse earlier and the two other instances of sudden, random pain.

When he arrived, he spent a while doing a more basic physical exam on Willy, asking questions all the while, then performed a few tests. He explained that the most likely scenario would show up in multiple results, so they could learn about its treatment and consider their options.

None of them expected the exams to come back completely clean. When the physician called back a few days later with test results, he sounded strangely confused. There wasn’t a single indication of anything even slightly wrong with Willy, let alone whatever sickness had caused the events that replayed in everyone’s minds to occur.

“You mean…there’s nothing wrong? How is that possible?” She asked, part of her hoping that he would miraculously produce the bit of information they needed to save Willy and the other part filled with dread.

“I don’t know. In my entire career, I’ve never come across a case so unique.”

‘Unique’ was an optimistic word choice, she thought, running a hand over her face.

“So, what can we do? He’s not gotten any better since you came.”

“For now, all we can do is wait it out. Make sure he’s sleeping and eating enough, keep him calm and comfortable if he gets more episodes. Call me if anything severely changes.”

“Okay,” she replied, knowing he couldn’t help anymore. Willy’s future was left up in the hands of fate, unless they could somehow figure out how to help him. “Thank you for your help.”

“It’s no problem,” he said, hanging up the phone. Piper set it down on the receiver, the clack of plastic sliding together sounding loud in the quiet of the room. It was late, but with waiting for the call and the constant worry that something would happen, she couldn’t sleep.

Maybe that was a good thing, though, because as she moved to continue reading her book a thump and a cry echoed though the space, slicing through the silence. Her feet carried her automatically toward the sound, a now-familiar fear creeping in her chest.

She reached Willy and Noodle’s room quickly, arriving to see both on the floor. Noodle was still yelling out for help, failing to notice that someone had already heeded her calls. Willy was shaking violently as Noodle’s hands hovered over him, the girl too terrified that she would hurt him if she tried to help.

Piper slid to the floor and slipped a hand under Willy’s head to stop it from hitting the chipped wood underneath, recognizing the clear signs of another attack.

“Piper, he’s-“ Noodle started, cut off by her gasp as Willy’s jaw clenched so hard that his teeth made an audible click.

“Oh, hey, don’t do that,” Piper said, not sure if Willy would hear her and knowing he probably couldn’t really control what was going on anyway as she took hold of his cheek and rubbed a thumb over his chin. Every muscle in his face- well, in his whole body, really- was taught, causing a few agonized wheezes to escape his mouth.

Knowing there wasn’t much she could do right then, she spared a moment to glance up at Noodle. She looked frozen, nearly paralyzed by the horrific scene laid out before her.

“Honey, you can hold his hands,” she instructed, causing Noodle to snap out of her fear-fueled stillness and ever so gently take each of Willy’s trembling hands with one of her own. It was a strange juxtaposition; the softness of two people who only wanted to keep him safe and the raging, destructive illness that seemed set on nothing but pain.

Turning back to Willy, Piper kept one hand pillowing his head and moved the other to his chest, rubbing in circles as the episode peaked. There wasn’t anything they could do but wait this out and make sure he was still breathing, and it made her itch to be more useful.

A whimper of agony slipped from his slightly parted lips and large tears leaked from his tightly shut eyes, rolling down his temples. Noodle was crying too, Piper noticed, hearing a few choked off gasps from beside her as the girl scooted as close as she could and clutched Willy’s hands in the best show of comfort she could offer.

“Almost over,” Piper murmured, the seconds sludging by like viscous chocolate as the frantic shakes dwindled to an exhausted tremble. Maybe the one bright side of this was that it had seemed shorter than the others, only a few minutes long, even though it felt like much longer.

Once he was finally released from the attack’s grasp, Willy sank into the floor, each breath a wheezy whistle. A few twitches ran through his limbs as tired eyes slowly opened, blearily focusing on the ceiling. He drew his legs closer to him, curling in on himself a bit.

“Willy?” Noodle asked, leaning over so he could more easily find her.

He tried to muster the energy required to speak, only managing to get the first syllable of her name out.

“Yeah! It’s me, it’s Noodle. I’m here.” She responded, and Piper felt a kindle of pride in her chest. Noodle was dealing with this incredibly well, especially considering how young she truly was.

A small, pained smile flickered on his face as his vision blurred in and out, eventually steadying to reveal his little girl kneeling next to him on the floor.

After a few moments, his mouth moved again. “Noodle,” he whispered, and she nodded in a bitterly sweet, eager way. For what felt like the thousandth time, Piper found herself wondering why life delt such awful cards to the kindest souls. Then Willy’s earlier words came back to her, and she was suddenly very grateful that they at least had each other.

Piper began carding a hand lightly through his hair as the three took a moment to just breathe. She would never get used to the rush of realizing that Willy was having another attack, and it almost seemed to worsen as the weak hope that it wouldn’t happen again was shattered like a pretty, stained glass window that hid less and less fear as time sped by.

Minutes passed languidly until his barely-slowed breathing hitched, causing Noodle to glance up at Piper worriedly.

“Willy? Hey, what is it?” Piper asked as he tried to sit up, going fast enough that his head spun. It only increased the strange, growing tightness in his chest that he couldn’t quite explain.

“I want-I want to see the sky,” he got out, almost tipping right back to the ground before both Piper and Noodle caught him hurriedly, concern clear on their faces.

“I don’t know if-“ Piper started, carefully pushing on his chest to try and lie him back down, worried that he’d hurt himself in some way if he tried moving so soon after an episode.

“No, no, please-” he cried, pushing away their hands in favor of following the blind panic that had overtaken him at the thought that one of these attacks might kill him, and he would never get to watch the clouds drift, or the sun tuck the world into bed again. It was something he and his mother had always done as they floated along the river, trees outlining whatever sky had dawned that day.

“Hun, you need to lay down, it’s okay-“ her voice cut into his disorganized thoughts, and he caught her eyes, needing her to understand.

“Please, Piper, I have to see the sky-“ he panted, rapid breaths he couldn’t control anymore cutting him off.

She hesitated, sure he wasn’t fit to go all the way up to the roof of the building or down to street level. But the look in his eyes and the unceasing panic was convincing enough for her to agree.

“Okay, okay, we’ll go to the roof,” she decided, slipping her arms under his and gradually helping him to his feet. He wavered precariously, gulping in air, and Noodle stayed right by his side to make sure he didn’t fall.

“Noodle, can you grab a couple blankets?” Piper requested, taking most of Willy’s weight as the girl went to the bed and gathered the two thick quilts.

The two brought him out of the room and slowly down the hall as his erratic breathing calmed a bit and he found more balance. By the time they exited the rented space and made it to the base of the stairs, he was carrying himself with a little more reassuring steadiness.

Pausing, Piper glanced over his porcelain-white face to make sure he wasn’t getting dizzy.

“You feeling alright so far?” She asked, letting him lean against the wall for a moment. His panic over not being allowed to get up seemed to have faded a bit, at least.

Willy just nodded, evidently still depleted from the combination of garishly interrupted sleep and the following events. Piper propped him up against her side again and gestured for Noodle to go first, then continued to climb the mutely creaking steps.

As they neared the top, Willy lagged behind, needing another few seconds to rest. Noodle watched, face far too young to look so worried, and took his free hand to pull him up the few stairs remaining. Piper opened the door, guiding the kids out onto the roof and scanning for a good place to sit. She decided on what she thought must be the east side, and the three casted barely visible shadows over the concrete as they sat down near the ledge so Willy could have something supporting him.

It was still early in the morning, and stars twinkled above like pinpricks in a threadbare cloth. Willy’s gaze had fixed on them from the moment the door opened, body finally relaxing as fresh air cleared his lungs. He hadn’t realized quite how much he needed this before now, even in his desperation to get outside. For the last couple days, he’d spent most- if not all- of his time indoors and parts of it were nonexistent in his memory, blurred by sleep.

He was startled from his reverie by gentle hands pushing him to sit on the blanket that had been laid out, another being draped over his shoulders as Noodle snuggled into his side. He wrapped an arm around her, feeling Piper settle next to him so the two formed a kind of warm sandwich around him.

An easy silence encompassed them, and Willy felt better every second as he stroked a hand over Noodle’s hair and leaned lightly against Piper. The slight chill and cool breeze ruffled his hair, but he would have sat in freezing temperatures to watch as the slightest hint of vermillion appeared on the horizon.

As the red spread across the sky like balmy watercolors in rain, Willy sighed in the purest contentment. As painful and terrifying these last days and hours had been, he wouldn’t trade the people who stayed there for him through it all for anything. After all, who were people without their people?

“My mama used to take me out on the boat’s deck at night, and we’d just lay there to watch the stars,” he whispered, and Noodle shifted so that her starlight-bathed face tilted towards him. “She always talked about dreams, and sometimes she would tell stories until the sun rose. I never did that again after…after she left, because it hurt too much to think about.”

Piper smiled, knowing exactly what he was thinking. After so many years spent travelling and having nothing and no one to tie him down, he had finally found his family. Piper could relate; before Scrubitt and Bleachers, she really only had her sister and a few younger cousins. Most of her time was spent on her profession, but now she had these wonderful people she understood why having ones to love was so important.

“Maybe we can start doing it, too.” Noodle piped up, eyes more full of stars than the ones blinking out as light faded into the sky.

“I would love that, Apple Strudel,” Willy responded, his slightly choked voice sounding so tender as he squeezed her a bit tighter to him.

Piper knew then that this would end. She’d told Willy a while ago that sometimes, the best people on this earth didn’t have to stay for long, and the dull feeling of unwavering dread in her stomach proved that. No matter what they did, how much time they spent wishing and hoping that Willy would be okay, he was one of the kindest people she’d ever met.

As much as he didn’t deserve this in the slightest, as much as Noodle should never have been forced to go through this, reality was begging to make itself known.

Chapter Text

It was a good day. One that Noodle hoped to remember forever, because these kinds of days had been dwindling for the past week as Willy got sicker and sicker.

It had been fifteen days since Noodle was rescued and he first collapsed in the tunnel, which she had only found out about while lying awake one night. The adults (excluding Willy, who was fast asleep beside her) were in the living area, voices not quite low enough that she couldn’t pick up a phrase here and there.

*

“It was like he couldn’t see or hear anything, and that was just the first time-“ Piper said, pausing as someone else murmured a question.

“And the doctor really said there’s nothing wrong? How is that even possible?”

That sounded like Lottie, her feathery voice stained with worry.

“I don’t know.” Piper responded, dejection clear in her tone.

There was a heavy pause, and Noodle rolled to her side to snuggle into Willy. He barely stirred, only an unintelligible mumble leaving his lips as she pressed one ear against his arm and focused on his breathing to muffle the conversation outside.

It didn’t work fully, and the last thing she caught was Larry’s voice, maybe the saddest sounding she’d ever heard.

“Do you think he’s going to…” he trailed off, and the silence was too loud. Noodle tried to think of anything other than what the answer to that dreaded question could be, squeezing her eyes tightly shut against the tears begging to fall.

*

This overheard exchange had served to make the fear that she could physically feel like stones piled in her ribcage increase. Since then, every day seemed like a waiting game. No one had any idea how this illness worked, and Noodle could only hope that they still had time.

The only thing that took her mind from the dread of potentially losing her best friend was Willy himself. Even as the episodes began coming nearly every night, he shoved his way through the pain and did whatever he could when the sun was awake. Everyone else worried that he was exhausting himself too much, and should rest, but Noodle didn’t know if she’d be able to take it if he didn’t get out of bed one of these times.

Right now, the two were on the roof, which had become something of a routine. Ever since the first time they’d come out here a few nights ago, it was a safe spot. To Noodle, it felt like time paused as they read books and napped with a well-loved scarf wrapped around each neck.

Today really had been peaceful. Willy didn’t wake up a single time the night before, allowing a fuller smile to spread across his face as he twirled Noodle across the roof, contagious laughs floating from both of them. He dipped her, then caught her legs under one arm and spun, causing shrieks of joy to fly from her mouth as she wrapped her arms around his neck.

“Willy!”

He just laughed, gently setting her down and making sure she had her legs under her before he let go. Noodle couldn’t help but beam up at him until she saw a flicker of discomfort rattle across his face.

“Are you okay?” She asked, face scrunching and smile melting. She could tell he was trying to hide any pain (he had since she’d first met him, since that run in with the chief of police that she knew must’ve given him a massive headache that he wouldn’t admit to in the days afterwards), trying to spare her what worry he could.

“Just dandy. What do you say we do some reading? I think the sun will go down pretty soon.” He responded, evidently attempting to change the subject.

“Willy, if you’re hurting, you should rest,“ she insisted, not about to let him get away with suffering through it for no good reason.

“I will be resting. Just…up here!”

He hadn’t denied the accusation of being in pain, Noodle noticed, but couldn’t help but agree. She would savor any moments she could have with him, especially the ones spent curled together on the roof while they switched off reading. He had gotten exponentially better at it with all the hours they had to spare, and Noodle absolutely loved listening as he gave each character a different voice and worked his way through unfamiliar words.

They settled against their usual ledge, Noodle slotting right into his side as she grabbed the book they were almost finished with. She flipped to the right page and started reading, voice quiet. As the sun cast long shadows across the roof, Willy’s head tipped to rest on hers and his random comments about various scenes or characters faded. She read until she was sure he was out, then set the book down and closed her own eyes.

She didn’t think she’d be able to fall asleep right now, and most of her didn’t want to. Even though no one had explicitly told her that there was no cure for his sickness, Noodle knew what was going to happen. Everyone did, really, and the fact made everything else that had happened in their time together hard to think about.

The day she first met Willy, peeking around the corner while he pulled a teapot, carrots, and more scarves than she could count from his hat, had changed her life. The next two months had felt so long and short at the same time.

To be honest, Noodle wanted it back. She wanted the rickety bed and sneaking into Willy’s room every night because Scrubitt made them work so late. She wanted their biggest issues to be running from the police and worrying over the many scrapes and bruises Willy acquired from his daring escapes.

Most of all, she wanted him to be okay so that she could help him open his shop again and maybe even have her own library one day.

But would he even last until the harsh winter faded into a puddly spring?

The thought brought tears to her eyes, and she couldn’t prevent a soundless sob from bubbling from her chest. She shifted to be facing Willy more and buried her face in his chest, unable to prevent the hiccuping gasps that escaped her.

“Noodle?”

His voice nearly startled her, the groggy confusion sounding loud in the stillness of the coming night.

“What’s wrong?” He asked, arms winding around her automatically.

“I want-I want you to be there when I have a library.” She said, hardly able to get the words out around the lump in her throat.

“Oh, sweetheart…” he whispered, pausing to place a lingering kiss on her forehead. “I will. One way or another. Remember what my mama told me?”

She nodded, taking a shuddering breath as he brought one hand up to cradle her head.

“Well, when you open your library and everyone in town comes to see it, I’ll be there.”

“But you’re so sick,” she replied, unable to keep the keening whine from her last word.

“I know. I know this is so hard and scary, but I’ll always be with you. I promise.”

“Pinky promise?”

“Of course.” He said, locking their pinkies and shifting so he could hug her more fully.

They stayed curled up until the sun slipped down in the sky and the clouds had faded into the night, only moving when Piper came to find them. Noodle held onto Willy’s hand as they made their way down the stairs, not wanting to let go for ever a second.

None of them knew that was the last day Willy would be able to pick Noodle up.

-o-

Piper tucked Willy and Noodle into bed pretty early that night. There were dull circles under Willy’s eyes that she hoped another solid night of sleep would help fix, and Noodle seemed tuckered out from all the playing and hours spent waiting for episodes to end.

But as they always said, the calm comes before the storm.

The clock had only ticked over midnight when now-familiar cries came from the room. She, with Abacus at her heels, was up in a second, now used to the nightly episodes that struck terrified worry into all of them, especially Noodle.

She knew something was different this time the moment she set eyes on the bed. Even in the darkness she could see Willy writhing in the sheets, and Noodle with both hands pressed over her mouth as she stared in absolute terror at her best friend. Piper made it to their side as quickly as she could, grabbing hold of Willy’s shaking shoulders to keep him as still as possible.

“Hey, hey, it’s okay,” she said, not sure who the words were meant to comfort.

“Piper!” Noodle cried, too scared to touch Willy in fear that it would hurt him. These attacks never got easier to watch, Piper knew, and they had clearly taken their toll on Noodle even with her bravery through it all.

“He’s okay, it’s going to be fine. Just try to be calm,” Piper responded, most of her energy focused on preventing Willy from falling off the bed.

As the seconds stretched, the attack only got worse. Piper never wanted to hear the strangled gasps that escaped Willy’s mouth as the pain jolted through his entire body ever again, but they came with such agony that she couldn’t help but try to sooth him.

“Will, we’re here. I know it hurts, but it’ll end. Just try to breathe,” she said, hoping this was the worst this episode would get but knowing from experience and a strange twisting in her gut that this was only the beginning.

It gets worse before it gets better, she reminded herself, steading her own breathing.

After only a few more seconds, Willy couldn’t stifle the cries of pure agony. Every inch of him felt much like it was burning, leaving him completely helpless as he struggled against the torture. He very nearly kicked Noodle, who seemed torn between trying to help and closing her eyes to block everything out.

“Abacus, take Noodle out,” Piper decided, not wanting to risk her getting hurt. She’d stayed in the room and helped with most of the other attacks, but this was significantly worse, and she knew Willy would never forgive himself if anything happened to his little girl.

The old man obliged, giving her a knowing look and lifting Noodle off the bed.

“NO! Willy, please, please!” She yelled, overly distraught over the thought of leaving him when he was hurting so much. Piper forced herself to ignore the sounds, knowing Willy needed her more. Abacus could help Noodle.

As the door shut behind them, she knew it had been the right choice to send her away. Willy’s cries had turned to screams and he was sobbing, mangled pleas leaving his mouth between gulps of precious oxygen.

Piper couldn’t make out most of what he was saying, but her heart shattered as she caught a couple words.

“Pl-please! Help-help me, I-” he managed, cut off as something almost malicious travelled through him, locking every muscle and submitting him to more pain than he’d felt in his entire life.

Piper knew no words would help now. She wasn’t sure if he was even aware enough to tell that anyone was even here with him.

“Okay, you’re going to be okay, honey,” she announced, making the split-second decision to climb onto the bed. Avoiding any flailing limbs, she gathered Willy in her arms, using all her strength to keep him steady. He was taller than her by a bit, but his lean frame allowed her to cradle him in her lap while sitting against the headboard.

He jerked in her grasp, unable to control the harsh tremors that seemed intent on stealing him away. Piper managed to grab one of his hands, and her heart squeezed as his fingers wrapped tightly around hers and he stuttered out a few more near-soundless words.

“I know. I know it hurts, Will. Just hang on. Close your eyes,” she instructed, moving her legs so they supported his back and side, then bringing her other hand up to stroke his hair back off his pallid face. The dark curls were soaked with sweat, but as she offered what comfort she could, his eyes fluttered shut.

The attack was the longest yet, stretching the minutes as Piper murmured soft encouragement and Willy shook and shook and shook. After what Piper could only guess was around ten or fifteen minutes, his distressed cries puttered into nothingness. It happened so suddenly that she thought for a moment that he had stopped breathing, and panic rushed through her.

Then his eyes opened, their depths brimming with residing pain and the usual dulcet green. His mouth moved as he tried to speak, but no sound came out. He shifted weakly, frustration and pain clear in his face.

“Hey, there, Will,” Piper whispered, keeping her voice gentle and calm in the face of his fear-tinged gaze.

“Pi-Piper,” he got out, sounding like his voice would give out if he spoke any louder.

“Mhm. You had another episode. Are you hurting anywhere?”

He just nodded, slowly taking stock of his surroundings as the pain flowed like an ocean’s tide. It was worlds better than before, though, so he would take whatever he could get.

“Okay. Do you think you can go back to sleep?” She asked. With his previous attacks, most of the time he could fall asleep after a bit, but she wasn’t sure how bad he was hurting right now.

“No,” he whispered, “I’m s-sorry.”

“Oh, hun. You don’t need to be sorry. For anything. This isn’t your fault.” She responded, rubbing her thumb over the back of his hand.

He glanced down, taking a deep, shuddering breath, then seemed to notice something.

“Noodle?”

“She’s okay. She’s with Abacus and the others.”

“Good. Don’t-don’t want her to see.” He mumbled, lashes dipping as he blinked slowly.

And if Piper didn’t want to cry at that. When she didn’t respond, Willy continued, voice growing thick as he laid his fears out at her feet.

“I don’t wanna leave, Piper, I don’t want to say goodbye. I can’t leave Noodle, she needs me,” He choked out, sounding more terrified than she’d ever heard. The lingering fact of how young he really was stuck in her mind, and she couldn’t even fathom going through something so agonizingly dooming.

Knowing there wasn’t much she could say to spare him the fear of what they both knew was coming so soon, Piper just pulled him into her arms. She could feel him shaking as he sucked in wet gulps of air, and began rubbing his back methodically.

“I can’t even imagine how you’re feeling, Willy. But you’re so, so strong. You’ve fought so hard to stay with us- with Noodle- and I know how badly you’re hurting. I can see it in your eyes.” She murmured, pausing to take a breath of her own before whispering what might’ve been the hardest thing she’d ever said.

“It’s okay to go, to say goodbye. It’s okay if you need to go back to your mom.”

Willy let out a hiccupping gasp at that, and Piper rocked side to side, keeping her arms locked around him.

“We’ll take care of her. I promise. She’s going to remember you forever, and one day after she’s had her library and kids of her own, she’ll come back to you.”

She felt him nodding almost frantically against her shoulder and let a couple tears slip down her own face.

“We’re going to miss you, hun.”

“You too,” he said faintly, “and thank you. For-for everything.”

They both knew what he meant. For all the times he needed a quick escape, for the times he overworked himself and could barely get out of bed. For helping him through the attacks that would have left him with more than a bump on the head and for making sure his little girl was looked after when he couldn’t. For being his family.

“Of course,” she replied, unable to hide the tears anymore.

She stayed with Willy until morning, neither sleeping. Occasionally, he would tense as a wave of pain came and Piper would do her best to sooth whatever she could. When the early hours of morning dawned, he was finally able to drift into a semi-peaceful sleep and Piper slipped from under him. She tucked the blanket around his exhausted frame, and quietly exited.

She found everyone in the living area, clearly sharing the sleepless night. She was glad to find Noodle was sleeping, at least, though the tear tracks streaked down her young face where proof of her misery.

“Is he…” Larry started, not wanting to finish the question in fear of the answer.

Piper sighed. “He’s not doing too well. I don’t know…I don’t know how much longer he has.”

Heads bowed as the sun rose, carrying the invisible weight of grief as it filtered through the clouds prettily in pastel yellows and pinks. Piper would have thought it was a sick reminder of all the days that Willy would miss, but knew he would have loved the view.

Maybe it was his mother, coming to watch over him until he was ready to go.

Chapter Text

Noodle woke when everyone started getting up and about, the quiet sounds of shoes being donned and pans clinking in the kitchen rousing her. Piper noticed her sit up, looking vaguely disoriented until a flash of panic crossed her face, and headed over to the couch.

“Hey, Noodle,” she greeted, coming around to sit next to her.

Noodle didn’t bother with pleasantries, instead asking in a slightly rough voice, “is Willy okay?”

Piper gave her a small, bittersweet smile. She had checked in on him around an hour ago, and he had been sleeping soundlessly under the blankets. “That’s…actually what I want to talk to you about, honey.”

That might not have been the best choice of words. Piper had forgotten how wild Noodle’s imagination could run, and at even the slightest implication that her best friend wasn’t okay her eyes grew wide with fear.

“He’s-“ she gasped out, heart suddenly pounding against her ribs.

“No, no, he’s fine. He’s just sleeping.” Piper informed her, feeling bad for not answering her original question. “Take a deep breath for me?”

Noodle did, the rush of air leaving her in a sweep of relief. She glanced down, fingers entwined as her heart calmed.

“Can we head over to the other bedroom?” Piper asked, taking her hand as she nodded and stood. The two made their way to the bedroom opposite of Willy’s, and Piper sank onto the mattress, contemplating for a moment before gesturing for Noodle to sit on her lap.

Once they were settled, Piper thought about the best way to say this as she combed a hand through Noodle’s hair absentmindedly. She knew this conversation would hurt, no matter what, and there wasn’t anything meaningful she could do to mask the pain of the inevitable.

With a heavy sigh, she began. “Noodle, you know that Willy’s sick.”

The girl nodded, head bobbing against Piper’s shoulder.

“Well, last night, that attack was…really bad. You’re such a smart girl, so I don’t want to pretend like everything’s fine. I can’t, it wouldn’t be right to you. Or him.” She paused, hating every word she was about to say. “Me and Abacus were talking this morning, and…we don’t know if Willy’s going to make it through the next night.”

It seemed to take Noodle a moment to register what she’d said, but once she did, a completely silent sob wracked her small frame. Piper rubbed her shoulder, closing her eyes and giving the poor girl a moment of respite before continuing.

“You’ll get to spend today with him, and probably tonight, for sure.”

Piper hadn’t been sure about their premature decision to let Noodle sleep in Willy’s bed like she had since his first weeks at the laundry, but having those few hours truly was important. She knew Willy would want her with him, too, and who were they to separate father and daughter?

Noodle hadn’t said anything, just sat nearly limp in Piper’s arms as huge tears slipped down her otherwise blank face. Piper knew it was likely shock or denial, locking away the fear and grief until she could handle it a little better.

Rocking her slowly, Piper waited until an undeterminable number of minutes had passed before speaking again.

“Do you have any questions? Or anything I can do?”

To her slight surprise, Noodle responded almost immediately, quiet voice wracked with shudders. “Is…is he hurting?”

Piper guessed that she meant other than the episodes. And though he appeared relatively fine from the outside, she could tell he was in pain. The occasional scrunch of his face, the way his hands would suddenly clench, the pronounced limp that he couldn’t hide anymore.

“Not a lot, sweetie. And if it helps at all, I don’t think he’ll be hurting when he…goes.” She murmured, moving one hand up to cup Noodle’s head.

“I don’t want him to hurt. I don’t want him to go,” the girl whispered, unable to make her voice any stronger than a warbling breath as it broke into jagged pieces.

“I know. None of us do, but…he’s been holding on so tight. I think it’s time to say goodbye.”

Noodle only managed a single nod, heart racing so fast that it made her dizzy and eyes blurring dazedly, like this was all just a nightmare that she could wake up from to Willy gently shaking her like always. All she wanted was for Willy to be okay, to stay with her and open his shop and finish learning to read and watch every sunrise and sunset.

“Can I go to him?” She asked, forcing herself to breathe.

“Of course, Noodle,” Piper responded, not putting her down as she stood and made her way to Willy’s room.

The door creaked open slowly, allowing light to cascade across the floor and over the bed. Willy was lying on his side, facing away from them as nearly silent, breathy snores came from him. Noodle thought that sound may have been the only thing holding her together in that moment.

Piper set her on the mattress, and she crawled to be right by Willy, then curled herself around his back. Her arms looped around his stomach, and she buried her nose in his shoulder, inhaling the familiar, comforting scent of sweet chocolate and everything else wonderful about life. He didn’t stir in the slightest, probably exhausted from his rough night, but just the fact that he was warm and here was enough for Noodle.

-o-

Willy only woke briefly a few times that day. Noodle stayed right by his side, attempting to chase away the dread that filled her much like the chocolate in the cathedral by reading aloud. She could tell he was paying attention, but he was clearly fighting to keep his hazy eyes open. Remembering what Piper had said about him holding on so tight, Noodle couldn’t help but set the book down and tuck herself into his chest.

“Hey, there,” he whispered, wrapping her in one of those tender hugs that had gotten her through so many tough nights.

“Willy,” she managed, only getting his name out before the tears overwhelmed her. She clutched his shirt, squeezing her eyes shut against the overwhelming fear of waking up without him.

“Oh, sweetheart…” he murmured, knowing that he couldn’t just say that everything was alright. He couldn’t pretend like he wasn’t slipping away, like his body wasn’t slowly giving in to the sickness that had ravaged him for over two weeks now. Like he wasn’t terrified to leave her here.

Instead, he started humming. The lilting tune wasn’t one he’d sang to her before, mostly because it was his mother’s most special. He’d always thought that he would find the right moment to share it with his little girl, and…now he had.

He could feel her desperate sobs in his whole body from how tightly he held her. It made his heart ache to the bottom of the sea that he was the cause of her misery, and unable do a single thing to reverse the cruelty of time.

As his melody slowly dwindled and she ran out of tears, he spoke, keeping his voice quiet and soothing.

“I love you so much, honey. And whatever happens, I promised I’ll always be with you. So when you open your library-“

At this, she shook her head vehemently, a small hiccup accompanying the action.

“Shh, I know it’s hard right now. But it’s going to feel better. And you’re going to open your library and be the best librarian this world has ever seen.” He said, smile growing on his face at the thought of all her dreams coming true. Tilting his head down, he kissed the tip of her nose, finally drawing a wet giggle.

“You have to do that, okay? For me, ‘cause I’m not leaving here until you promise to follow your dreams.”

“Every good thing in this world started with a dream,” she whispered, quoting the time months ago that he’d told her about his mother. It made something inside Willy all gooey and warm to realize that she’d remembered.

“Mhm. So, you make my mama proud, okay?”

“And you?” She asked, voice tiny as it floated from his chest where her head was now resting.

“I don’t think I could be more proud of you, my dear Noodle,” he told her, having to choke out the last words as their truth registered in his mind. He had never been prouder of someone, never loved them with his entire heart so fiercely.

Like she had stolen the words right from him, she spoke, voice wavering tearily. “I love you, Willy.”

Even though she’d said it before, the simple phrase stole his breath. How in the world did he get so lucky to be able to have and hold this precious girl, even if only for a little while longer?

“I love you, too, apple strudel.” He repeated, suddenly wishing he’d said it more. Wishing that he had all the time in the world to watch her go to school and grow up and tell her over and over again how important she was to him.

When he noticed her yawn widely, he chuckled a bit and tugged her close one last time. “Go on to sleep, okay? It’s late.”

She closed her eyes, savoring the feeling of his hand running over her curls. “You too. You’re tired.”

“I will. Goodnight, Noodle.” He whispered, and the words had never held such an undercurrent of finality.

“Goodnight, Willy.”

-o-

The next morning was dreary, mist fogging the windows as light from streetlamps shone through. The sun wasn’t up yet when Piper woke, leaving her bed to check on the kids.

A part of her could at lease guess what she would find. But a part of her also hoped to hear the familiar, quiet snores from Willy and be able to walk back out of the room without a piece of her family missing.

She knew he was gone the moment she entered, eyes falling upon the two figures curled up on the far side of the bed. Taking only a moment to breathe through the tangible sorrow that wanted to overtake her, she pushed forward. Noodle needed her to be strong right now.

Approaching the side of the bed, she couldn’t help but lay a lightly shaking hand on Willy’s cheek. He wasn’t even cold yet, but he was far too still. He wasn’t breathing.

Through the rush of heavy sorrow, Piper was beyond grateful that he had left in his sleep. It was a small mercy, but this would have felt much more tragic if his heart had given out during one of the attacks. This way, he was granted the peace he deserved after all the hardships of his too-short life.

Moving her hand to Noodle’s shoulder, she slipped her arms under the girl and pulled her carefully away from Willy. She set the girl, who was now stirring, on her lap as she sank into the edge of the mattress, making sure to face away from him.

“Noodle,” she whispered, voice breaking.

“Piper?” She answered, sounding so blissfully sleepy. “Where’s…where’s Willy?”

Her deep eyes had blinked open, and she craned her head to the side as she recognized the room. Piper gently set a hand on her face, guiding it to rest on her own shoulder.

“Willy’s with his mama, now, sweetheart.”

She knew the exact moment Noodle let the words reach her. The girl was trembling, suddenly, and she fought against Piper’s grasp.

“NO, no, Willy-“ she cried, nearly breaking loose before Piper could capture her more firmly in a tight hug. She struggled, crying inconsolably as she tried to get back to him uselessly.

But Piper was not about to let Noodle’s last memory of Willy be his unmoving, empty body. That was one thing she had been sure of for as long as she’d had to worry about this possibility that had become reality.

“I know. I know, shhh,” she said, rocking her much like before. Only now, it wasn’t while Willy was simply asleep in the other room.

“Willy, Willy, please, no, please,” Noodle wailed, body going slack against her as sobs wracked her frame. “Willy?”

Piper couldn’t stop the tears threatening her own throat at the raw, heartbroken helplessness of her tone.

Willy may have been with his mom. But Noodle certainly didn’t have her dad.

Chapter Text

Noodle couldn’t help the smile growing on her face as she watched people mill around in the garden before her. She was standing on the top step of her new library, ready to finally open the doors to the public. After owning it for around a month, she had finished fixing up anything old and carting in stacks upon stacks of books. Of course, she never could have done it without the help of her friends from the washhouse (who were still incredibly tight-knit) and her adoring husband.

They had all been incredibly supportive through the last fifteen years, from the day their Willy passed and through her years of schooling and hard work, all up until now.

As she stood and just took in the dream she’d carried close to her heart for most of her life, a wave of something bittersweet passed over her, and she pressed her lips together with a downward glance. How she wished Willy were here to see this. He had been the one to save her, the first one to really love her. The one to spark all of this.

They had never really known what caused his sickness, but Piper told her much later that she thought it may have been his magic. The very same magic that had left Noodle in complete awe countless times and probably saved their lives on multiple occasions. It was strange, thinking that something so wonderful had caused so much heartache, but it was really the only thing that made sense, considering the doctor’s empty scans and what they knew about his mother’s death.

Truth be told, Noodle didn’t remember much of what directly followed Willy’s passing. She was sure it had been a blur of grief and every other negative emotion, and had been told she was catatonic for much of it. The most vivid bit she could recall was when she first opened his travelling factory after weeks, finding a neatly wrapped bar of chocolate that had clearly been left for her.

It had stayed with her since, always tucked away in a safe pocket or under her pillow like Willy was still with her. He had promised, after all.

Pulling it from her jacket, she ran a finger over the smooth foil and thought back to the very first night she met him. Messy hair, shining green eyes and a hopeful enthusiasm about him that she found herself laughing after only minutes. She could still vividly remember that silver lining chocolate and the indescribable feeling that came with it.

A hand coming to rest on her shoulder brought her from the reverie. She turned, seeing Piper had come to stand by her. The plumber seemed to know exactly what Noodle was thinking.

“He would be so proud of you.” She murmured, lips quirking up fondly at the thought of their friend.

Noodle could only muster a small smile, not knowing why she was suddenly so emotional. Usually, she could think back with a smile at how lucky she had been to have him in the first place and laugh at all the fun memories.

After a minute of silent companionship, the heavy, wooden double doors behind them creaked open and little footsteps padded towards them. Noodle turned, seeing her four-year-old son trotting happily in their direction. She scooped him up effortlessly, blinking back the few tears that hovered in her eyes.

“Mama!” He exclaimed, giggling as she bounced him a bit.

“Hey, there, Will!” She responded, leaning forward to plant a kiss on his forehead. His curly hair brushed her nose, and she couldn’t help but think of all the nights at the laundry spent curled with Willy while she read from their many books.

She and her husband had decided on the name William for their son for an obvious reason. To Noodle, it seemed so perfectly fitting once he was born that she couldn’t not name him after her Willy, though whenever someone used that particular nickname her heart squeezed.

Propping him on one hip, she held up the chocolate and began to unwrap it reverently. Something told her it was time.

“Want to try some, honey?” She asked, chuckling as he nodded rapidly. He was nothing if not a chocolate fiend, which seemed fitting.

As the foil peeled away, a scrap of paper fell into her palm. There were just four words on it in what she could clearly recognize as Willy’s slanty, inexperienced handwriting.

To my Apple Strudel

So simple, but somehow Noodle knew exactly what it meant. The tears that had been building previously brimmed, and a couple slipped down her cheeks, meeting her lips as they tilted up.

Breaking off a piece, she handed it to her son, then another to Piper. The others had also made their way over, and everyone popped a section of the bar in their mouths, feeling almost as if Willy was right there with them as the flavors burst in the way only he could make them. Noodle closed her eyes, savoring the familiar taste of his homemade chocolate and that hint of magic that she could never name.

When she looked back up, she could have sworn she saw a hint of a raspberry-colored coat and a flash of that smile that could never be contained through the throngs of people. With a final, blithesome sigh, she brought a hand to her mouth and blew a kiss out into the crowd.

Willy may have been gone from this earth, but he would never leave her heart.