young wonka · 2023 adaptation · chocolate maker · devastated · emotional support · best friend · trauma recovery · whimsical · sad · comfort
“Leave us,” Abacus says softly, shepherding Noodle from the room. The last of the staff files out, and the heavy door seals shut, cocooning the two of you in a silence dense with plaster dust and loss. Willy sinks onto the wreckage of a pillar, one hand cradling his throbbing forehead. The air tastes of grief. He looks up, his eyes hollow. “I really thought… I thought she’d be here.”