Family Drabble - Tumblr Posts

Paper

"My Little Cocoa Bean" Series

Summary: Reader and Willy discover that Ben/Bean is an aspiring artist. Age: 3 & 17

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You were outside hanging clothes on the line to dry when you heard the back door slam and little feet running toward you. Before your brain could register what was happening, you were nearly bowled over by the force of Ben running into your leg.

You looked down to find that Ben had buried his face and balled up his fists in your skirt. "Pa ell a mm," you heard his garbled speech muffled by the fabric. You knelt down and pried his fingers loose so you could look at his red, tear-streaked face.

"I'm sorry, Benny. I couldn't understand you when your mouth was covered. Take a deep breath." You inhaled deeply through your nose and out through your mouth a couple of times, motioning for him to copy you. "Good. Now, try again. What's all this about?"

"P-papa lelled at m-meeee." The boy started sobbing again.

"Oh dear. What happened?"

"I..." he sucked in a breath. "I wanted to dwaw him a picture. I saw paper on Papa's desk..."

"Ah, I see. Did that paper already have words on it?"

"Only on fwont. I dwew on back."

"Oh, Benny. We talked about asking before you touch anything in the study. Papa has very important papers in there for the shop and factory."

"I'm sowwy." He looked up at you with big puppy-dog eyes. You cupped his round cheeks in your hands.

"I know you are. But I'm not the one you need to apologize, too. Why don't you go inside to your room and play while I go check on Papa. After that, you can tell him you're sorry." Ben nodded, then shuffled through the back door to his room with his head hung low.

It was out of character for Willy to snap at anyone. The man typically had the patience of a saint, so you knew Ben must have drawn on something important. You quietly stepped into the study and spied Willy slumped in the armchair, one hand supporting his forehead and one foot kicked out. It looked as if he had collapsed dramatically into it.

"I made him cry," Willy said morosely without looking up. "I didn't- I didn't mean to. I shouted his name. I was just trying to get his attention and stop him before he did more damage. I...I startled him, and he ran off to you."

"Full name or nickname?" you asked as you sat on the sofa next to him.

"Full name," he groaned.

You grimaced. Ouch, you thought. Willy hardly ever referred to the boy as anything but Bean and almost never as Benjamin unless introducing him to others. It's on par with your mother using your middle name when you were in trouble. You shuddered slightly. That probably wounded Ben worse than the volume. "What did he draw on?"

Willy held up the face page of a contract with the hand not supporting his head. He had yet to look up at you.

"Oh dear."

"I'll ask Beth to type up a new one tomorrow before the meeting. It wasn't worth raising my voice at him. I...I just had a long day and...of course, that doesn't excuse anything. Is he okay?"

"He'll be alright," you said soothingly as you placed your hand on Willy's arm. "He's calming down in his room. Like you said, he was startled. You are usually the fun one, not the disciplinarian."

"I should go to him," Willy said as he stood from the chair. You returned to your previous task of hanging out the laundry so they could have some time alone to make amends.

Willy walked to Ben's room and gently knocked before pushing the door open. Ben looked up at him from his desk with big sad eyes.

"Hey there," Willy said softly.

"I dwew you another picture. I'm sowwy, Papa," Ben said pitifully as he handed Willy a piece of paper.

"Oh, Bean. Is this the factory?" Ben nodded excitedly. "Wow, such great detail! Is this what you wanted to draw earlier?" Ben nodded again, with less exuberance this time. Willy's heart broke as he saw his son's face fall.

"Hey, buddy. I'm sorry for raising my voice and scaring you. That was a very important paper you were drawing on, and I needed you to stop."

"I know, Mamma told me I need to ask first," he responded dejectedly. "I just had a picture in my head that I wanted to dwaw when I was by your desk."

"Ah, that I understand. Sometimes my ideas don't come to me at convenient times, either. Tell you what. How about I set up a drawer with paper that's safe to draw or write on whenever an idea strikes. You never have to ask for permission as long as it's from that drawer. Deal?"

Ben's face lit up again, and he stuck his tiny right hand to shake. "Deal!"

Willy shook his son's hand with his right and looked down again at the picture in his left. It was incredibly well done for Ben's age.

"Can I take this to the factory with me? I want to frame and hang it. If you draw more, I'll have a whole gallery wall of Benjamin Wonka works."

Ben giggled, "Okay, Papa!"

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Over time, Ben's art skills matured to charcoals, watercolors, canvases, and paints. Willy spotted the talent early and took great pleasure in encouraging it, supplying it. Fourteen years later, he had indeed collected enough of Ben's work to fill multiple walls.

"People need to see this."

Willy decided to surprise Ben by converting one of his shops into a limited time art gallery for his 17th birthday. He somehow managed to promote what ended up being the town's social event of the season while also keeping it a secret from his boy.

It was finally the night of the big reveal. "Papa, why are we going to the shop so late? I thought we were going to meet Mamma and Charlie for dinner?" Ben walked shoulder to shoulder with Willy. They were nearly the same height now.

Willy was vibrating with excitement. "I just need to pick up something I left there," he bent the truth slightly. "Your birthday present."

When they arrived, Willy unlocked the doors to reveal a magenta velvet curtain blocking the entry. He took the gold pull cord in his hand and handed it to Ben.

Ben looked at the tassel in his hand, bewildered. "What is this?"

"Your gift! Pull it and find out." As Ben pulled the cord, the curtain drew back to reveal...

"Surprise!!"

Ben stood there with his mouth ajar as he looked around at you, Charlotte, Noodle, his friends and girlfriend. Everyone rushed him for a celebratory hug. He gave you a kiss on the cheek. Then, the background details caught his eye. The crowd separated as Ben made his way to look at the walls that were now decorated with his paintings rather than shelves of candies and chocolates.

He browsed in awe until he stopped at the penciled sketch of the Wonka factory, gently tracing the golden frame with his fingers. He felt Willy step up beside him and gently squeeze his shoulder.

"Happy birthday, Bean."

Ben looked over his shoulder to reveal misty eyes. "Thanks for always being my biggest fan, Papa," he said reverently.

"I'm glad I could be right here beside you when your talent is shared with the world."

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A/N: I think it's safe to say that Willy would be his kids' biggest cheerleaders.

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Masterlist

Lily

"My Little Cocoa Bean" series

Summary: Ben/Bean (age 15) experiences his first major crush.

A/N: Mom/reader is mentioned but not part of the dialog in this one.

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Ben sat across the desk from his father in the factory office. This was typical for a weekday during the school year. He would often work on homework while Willy finished up the day's paperwork before they walked home together. But today, Ben was unusually distracted. He was looking at his paper, but Willy could tell his thoughts were far off elsewhere, especially when he heard the boy sigh.

"What's up, Bean?"

"Huh?" Ben blinked and looked up at his father, shaken from his thoughts. "Oh, uh, nothing," he replied quickly. Willy nodded, though skeptical, and they both turned their attention back to their papers.

Only a handful of minutes passed before Ben sighed once more.

"A double sigh. That's not nothing," Willy quipped.

"Well...I-" Ben rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly and blushed as he made eye contact with his father. "There's this girl."

Willy set down his pen and rested his chin on his palm, trying to hide a smile with his fingers. He had wondered when this would happen. "Do tell. Is she pretty?" he asked, waggling his eyebrows.

Ben rolled his eyes and blushed again. "Yes. She sits in front of me in math class."

"Does she like you, too?" Willy inquired.

"That's the trouble. I don't know and I'm afraid she'll say no if I ask," Ben lamented.

"Ah, I see. But what if she says yes?"

"Well," Ben paused. "That makes me nervous, too."

Willy chuckled. "Quite the conundrum, son."

Ben scoffed and dropped his head into his hands. "I know, I know. What do I do, Papa?"

"Hmm. Well, you either ask and live with whatever her answer may be, or you agonize over what could have been. That is up to you; though, just a little life tip, the latter tends to lead to more regrets."

Ben bit his lip in thought.

"You know, chocolate is a good conversation starter. I could whip up something special, if you'd like?" Willy asked, to which Ben nodded fervently. "Alright!" Willy rubbed his hands together. "Tell me, what is it you like most about...?"

"Lillian, Lily for short. Well...she's sweet. And very smart. She helps me with some of the harder homework problems before class. She has really pretty blue eyes." Ben sighed again. He was certainly under her spell.

Willy put his hand to his chin. "Hmm, yes, I can work with that. I'll have something ready for you tomorrow afternoon when you come by after school."

"Thank you, Papa!"

"Just know, these will be special in that they will be one of a kind, but they won't have any special properties to sway her decision. If she returns your affections, it has to be her choice. And if she says no, you need to respect that."

"I understand, Papa."

"Good lad. Now let's go home to your mother and sister. Your mother probably has better advice about this sort of thing than me, anyway."

"Please, please, PLEASE, just don't tell Charlie yet. She'll just pester me."

Willy mimed zipping his lips, laughing about the dynamic between his children. He clapped Ben on the shoulder. "Maybe wait until after Miss Lily says yes."

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As promised, Willy crafted a beautiful batch of milk chocolates for his son to gift his crush the next day. He painstakingly piped a tiny bouquet of white lilies and a blue bow made of icing onto each candy and wrapped them in a white box, which he also secured with a blue organza bow. He finished up just before Ben was due to swing by after school.

Willy heard the side door open. Assuming it was Ben, he announced, "Special chocolates for a special girl, coming right u-" He stopped when he spun and saw the bewildered look on his son's face. "What's wrong, Bean?"

"She asked me."

"What?"

"Lily asked me if I'm keen on her. She likes me, too. She likes me!" Ben shouted excitedly.

"Aaha! That's great, my boy! Well, then these are ready for you to take to your girlfriend." Willy handed him the wrapped box of chocolates. "But it looks like you won't be needing this for a boost of confidence, then." In his other hand, he held a small sleeve of giraffe milk macaroons.

"Actually, I could really use those for my math test tomorrow. I've had a terrible time paying attention," Ben said through a grin.

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Masterlist

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