SNIFFLES

SNIFFLES

"My Little Cocoa Bean" Series

Summary: Ben/Bean (age 2) and reader (mom) are sick. Willy takes care of you both.

C/W: Illness but nothing graphic

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You hadn't experienced this level of exhaustion since Ben was a newborn. The poor dear had been down with a cold for three days now. His hacking cough and stuffy nose kept him from getting comfortable enough to rest well at night, causing him to be lethargic and clingy all day. Granted, you enjoyed the snuggles, but you would give anything to have your happy, energetic Ben back. Unfortunately, though, you caught his cold with the constant closeness.

Willy was accustomed to coming home to happy noises of reading, playing, or cooking. But on the third day of illness in the Wonka household, there was nothing but silence to greet him upon entry except the occasional sniffles coming from the study. Willy came around the sofa with a pitiful pout on his face. You and Ben were just lounging on the sofa staring at the fire. You had a book in hand, but neither of you had the energy to look at it.

"Oh, [y/n]. You, too?" Willy took in the sight of your pale skin and dark circles under your eyes as he picked Ben up from your lap. Normally very excited to see his papa, the boy just nestled his head into the crook of Willy's neck and sucked his thumb. He could feel heat radiating from the little body. Willy then gently rested the back of his hand against your forehead. "Both of you are running a fever."

"I believe it," you responded weakly after clearing your throat. "My skin hurts. I'm hot and cold at the same time, and I can't breathe through my nose. Ben hasn't been able to get comfortable all day, either."

"I'm home now, so you should go rest."

"No, I need to get dinner started," you argued while trying (but failing) to sit up on the couch.

"Nonsense. You can't pour from an empty cup, my sweet," Willy chided as he helped you up with his spare hand. "Why don't you go take a hot steaming bath while I make my mamma's soup recipe? It's sure to help you feel better." You opened your mouth to speak before he held up a finger, "Before you say it, don't worry about Bean. I've got him. Let me take care of you, too."

You conceded. You knew arguing further with Willy once his mind was made up was an exercise in futility in your current state. Most of the time, your stubborness rivaled his, but not this day. Your fatigue outweighed the guilt of temporarily relinquishing your [self-imposed] role of caretaker.

You made your way to the bath, thankful for Willy's contraption that provided hot water on demand.* Once the tub was filled, you sank down into the water with a long sigh. Your muscles protested as you went about your normal ablutions, but the steam did wonders for your ability to breathe. You felt semi-human again as you stepped out and toweled off.

Willy was a bit slow-going on the soup since one arm was busy supporting the toddler on his hip. You couldn't help but smile at the sight of your boys. Their matching curly hair was in disarray thanks to the humidity from the soup. Ben looked up, alerting Willy to your presence in the kitchen with a quiet "mamma" as he reached for you. That was a rarity when Willy was home, preferring you only if he was tired or sick. Ben and his papa were as thick as thieves.

Willy turned around from the stove to look at you as he handed you the boy. "It's nice to see some color in your cheeks again, even if it's just from the warmth of the bath. Did it help?"

"A bit. I can actually breathe through my nose at the moment."

He chuckled and went back to stirring. "Good, good. Soup should be ready in a couple of minutes." You set Ben in his high chair and started to grab bowls and bread before Willy good-naturedly scolded you. "Nuh-uh. Sit." You pursed your lips and glared but complied nonetheless.

Willy set the table and dished out the soup. He scooted Ben's high chair closer to help him eat so you could focus on feeding yourself. The soup looked amazing, leaving you longing to actually be able to smell or taste it. Instead, you just enjoyed the warmth as it soothed your scratchy throat.

The family slowly ate their dinner in relative silence. Unable to smell or taste, Ben quickly lost interest and begged to be held. Willy obliged and set the boy in his lap. Having ate your fill, you pushed the bowl back and stood up to clear the table.

Willy tutted at you. "[Y/N]. I've. Got. This. Now. Go. To. Bed." Ben, however, was not ready to let you out of his sight. Reaching up to you from Willy's lap with grabby hands and pouty lip, he whimpered. Before you could react, Willy turned the boy around to face him instead. "Now Bean, Mamma takes good care of us all the time. It's our turn to take care of her. She is going to go night night a little early. You and I, little man, are going to read a story after we clean up the kitchen." Over Ben's head, you saw Willy mouth to you, "Go."

You smiled, blew a kiss, and quickly made your exit before Ben turned around. It felt deceitful, but if anyone could keep Ben distracted, it was Willy. You could faintly hear Willy bustling around the kitchen singing the clean-up song without further complaint from the boy.

Satisfied that Ben was in good hands and relatively happy, you readied yourself for bed. After two nights of interrupted sleep and a full day of fever, you were practically unconscious before your head even hit the pillow. You slept solidly for hours before you woke with a start. Why is it quiet? Where are the boys?

You tiptoed to Ben's room, avoiding the planks in the floor that tended to creak. You found Willy in the rocking chair, feet propped up and holding Ben upright on his chest so the boy could breathe freely. You picked up a blanket from Ben's bed and covered them both, taking in the sweet scene. "Rest well, my loves," you whispered before retreating back to bed.

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*Remember, Willy is an inventor, so it's totally plausible that this fictional character invented the precursor to the modern water heater, lol.

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Find more "My Little Cocoa Bean" shorts on my masterlist.

Fun fact from the Wonka novelization!

Willy's mom gifted him his signature velvet jacket and tophat that he wears in the film, which she purchased secondhand from a magician!

Love Flavoured Chocolates (2023 Willy Wonka/Reader)

(Cross posted to my AO3, I'm obsessed with Wonka and wanted to share this purely self indulgent reader insert because there simply isn't enough out there and hey it might encourage me to write some more if other people can also enjoy my writing!)

Word count: 3.2k

Willy had come to the Galéries Gourmet with nothing but his love for chocolate making, a wish to once more see his mother, and a hat full of dreams. One thing he certainly hadn’t accounted for was falling in love. He’d first had the pleasure of meeting you the first time Noodle smuggled him out of Scrubitt’s.

You'd befriended the young girl in passing on the street after she’d bumped into you with her laundry cart while neither of you were paying quite enough attention to where you were going. Though the collision was soft enough to keep you both on your feet, she had knocked the book your face was buried in straight to the ground causing you both to startle. Immediately the pair of you burst into apologies (which had made you laugh, despite the girl’s sincere panic), “You’re alright little missy, that was entirely my fault for not looking ahead of me, I simply can’t put this one down, I’m so close to finishing this new tale of a young detective!” You attempted to ease her worry with a big smile, it seemed to work as the girl’s face shifted from concern to interest. “Is-is that the latest Nancy Drew story?” She asked eagerly, trying to get a better look at the book in your hand. With a simple nod, keeping the easy smile on your face you answered, yes. From there the pair of you spent at least a half hour chattering excitedly about the fantastical feats of the young investigator until a nearby clocktower chimed, making her realise she was falling way behind schedule and would soon have to return to the wash house with a few deliveries still to make their destinations. “It’s been wonderful talking to you miss, but I’m afraid I really must hurry along, I hope I run into you again, my name is Noodle in case you see me before I see you!” The girl, now known to you as Noodle, what an interesting name, jumbled out as she made off to scurry away to wherever she needed to be. “I hope I see you again as well Noodle, you’ve been a delight to talk to! The name is Y/N” You called out after her and continued your stroll once she was out of sight, only somewhat more aware of your surroundings this time.

After that initial encounter you had run into each other a few times, eventually budding a wonderful friendship wherein you shared books and life stories with one another. Gradually you learned of Noodle’s more than unfortunate living situation and provided her comfort and reassurance in any ways you could, be that a book from your collection which she hadn’t yet read or a warm hug and shoulder to cry on, the girl became a younger sister figure to you.

This was where Wonka came into the picture, you and Noodle by this point had been friends for the better part of two years and saw each other frequently so you were understandably concerned when you hadn’t seen her around for the last couple of weeks. Just when the worry was getting to the point of you preparing yourself to storm into Scrubitt’s and demand to know about the wellbeing of your friend you saw her, tucked away from the main roads and pathways, talking to her trolley? Now that is upsetting, such a beautiful young mind lost to the madness of her circumstance. As you were about to approach, rounding the corner of the wall you’d hidden behind, a man emerged from the trolley clearly in conversation with the young girl. If not for your sheer confusion, you would have hastily approached the stranger as instinct kicked in to keep Noodle away from any potential danger. She didn't appear frightened or startled so logic told you this was no stranger to her, and therefore not a threat. Upon the realisation, you called out to your friend whom you’d missed in the two weeks of absence, “Noodle! Where’ve you been, little lady?” Immediately, both heads turned to face you and your breath caught in your throat as the mystery man turned and you finally caught a glimpse of his face. It was a beautiful face too, puppy-like hazel eyes, framed by fluttery long lashes, thick full eyebrows sat above them, complimenting his slender, pale face. Both pairs of eyes were wide upon you but you were still taking in the gorgeous man before you, to the point you failed to hear Noodle as she repeated your name, asking “Y/N? What are you doing here?” At the lack of response, she followed up “Earth to Y/N?” with a somewhat exasperated sigh after. Seeing the man turn to face Noodle shook you from your reverie and you let out a sharp little “Hmm?” “I said, what are you doing here Y/N? Were you following me or something?” Her look caused a twang of guilt for a second until you registered that, no you hadn’t been following Noodle, just actively looking out for her as you’d thought her to be missing. “Of course not you numpty! I heard your voice coming from a sketchy alley and saw you talking to your laundry pile, I only wanted to check you were alright, especially considering I haven’t seen you in a few weeks kid! It’s completely understandable for me to be at least a little worried, even more so after seeing a strange man come out of your trolley,” Your voice was taking on a bit of a scolding tone as you softened it to turn to the aforementioned man “No offence.” He shook his head as though to imply none taken as his eyes flitted between the two of you, the friendly smile never once leaving his face. “I take it this is Y/N, Noodle?” his eyes remained on her this time as she nodded back to him. Well that was unexpected, this mysterious dreamboat knew who you were courtesy of Noodle, and while you were flattered she told this new ‘friend’ about you, you worried over what she said in order for him to deduce your identity.

Together, the pair of them explained their plan to get the money to free themselves of Scrubitt’s unfair debt, going into detail about the wondrous and impossible chocolates made by who you now know to be ‘Willy Wonka, future chocolatier extraordinaire’. In all honesty your mind is positively racing to keep up, but with such bright smiles on their faces you can only nod your support and shoot a smile back, albeit a smaller one.

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That had been a while ago, though it felt even longer. By this point, you had collectively put a stop to the chocolate cartel and Scrubitt and Bleacher. Wonka’s chocolates were doing better than ever and with everyone from the wash house going back to their old lives, Willy was alone again, well mostly. Abacus Crunch had been happy to remain the financial adviser for Willy and the group would do their best to stay in touch thanks to Lottie Bell and her phone operator gig but it was definitely lonely, going from all those people around him, that warm environment to nothing again. Although, you were still around weren’t you? You and Noodle? While you both saw her often, upon finding her mother and the library where she stayed, it was less and less that you found yourself in the young girl’s company, she had years of catching up to do after all. You wanted to believe that was why you were seeing less and less of Willy too, but the pair of you had no reason not to see each other often, after all, you’d quit your boring old job to help out and work with Willy at his shop as soon as it had been acquired. So then why did it feel like he was avoiding you, or attempting to shut you out.

This is where you find yourself as you sit with Noodle outside her mother’s library one warm evening. “I don’t understand Noodle, he seems lonely, it's simply a fact that he thrives off of being around other people so I don’t understand why he’s shutting himself away” a too big sigh leaves your mouth. “I miss him, I miss his cheshire grin, the confusing way he talks, even just seeing his garish purple coat” “Hmmm, kinda sounds like you love him” “Yeah, I just don’t know what’s u- WHAT?!?! WHAT DO YOU MEAN NOODLE?” Your face burns red as your brain takes a minute to register what the young girl chimes in with. In response she holds up her hands, palms facing you, “I’m just saying it as I see it.” With a shrug she shakes her head. Though her words do make you stop and think back to the many months you’ve known the eccentric chocolatier.

The first day you’d successfully sold Wonka’s chocolates on the street had resulted in a quick getaway where you and Willy had ended up lost in the tunnels below the city, escaping the corrupt chief of police for an hour or two as you attempted to meet up with the others to get Willy back to Scrubitt’s with the others in time for roll call. At this point you hadn’t yet been alone together, and the lack of familiarity seemingly made Willy nervous to the point his breathing got panicked and you shared a rather intimate moment where you helped ease his discomfort with a simple breathing exercise and hand massage. “Willy, give me your hand please,” you spoke in the most gentle tone you’d ever mustered after his laboured breaths stabilised, he acquiesced rather quickly as you reached out to him, gently cupping his hand. “I’m gonna trace the lines of your palm okay? It might tickle but I promise you, you’ll feel better.” The smile on your face eased any remaining nerves and once you started to caress his palm with your thumb he seemed to lose the last of the tension. “See,” your voice was still incredibly gentle, but now you were both smiling though his was significantly smaller than usual, “You’re okay, sweetie, I’m here” The pet name left your mouth so naturally neither of you reacted, though a moment later you flushed realising the implied closeness of calling him such a name. With level heads you managed to safely navigate your way back to the others in time and wished Willy a restful night. In retrospect that may very well have been when you first started to develop feelings for the man, you could no longer tell, in the objectively short time that you’d known him, you could think of at least a dozen other times that may have stimulated this apparent crush of yours. Though one particular memory comes to mind more often than the rest. The most recent to boot, the day you reunited Noodle with her mother!

It was the day you’d put an end to the cartel, Willy would finally be free to run his chocolate shop and live out the dream he’d shared with his late mother. The celebration in the Galéries Gourmet seemed to go on forever as everyone enjoyed the chocolate fountain filling up cups seemingly endlessly. A group effort had the shop back together in no time, looking as good as new. As the sun was finally descending from its high perch, your friends from Scrubitt’s all said their goodbyes and well wishes to Willy, Noodle and yourself. Leaving the three of you to lounge about in comfortable silence for a while. “We have a surprise for you, Noodle!” You said excitedly to the young girl who was almost falling asleep where she sat. Exchanging eye contact with Willy, you rose with Noodle in tow. Wide awake after jolting her about, she rushed to keep up with both of your longer legs as you sped away from the shop. Stopping abruptly outside of the library, Noodle gathered her bearings with a confused expression on her face and heavy breaths leaving her lungs, “The library?? What could possibly be so important in there you felt the need to sprint AND drag me along too no less!” She was understandably irritated, but you knew it would be worth all the effort soon enough. “Close your eyes for a second for me Noodle-dee!” Willy told her cheerfully as you approached the door holding onto the girl’s hand to bring her with you. KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK. “Now open them…” You whispered just loud enough for her to hear and comply. Before her, stood her mother, finally reunited after years of wishing and hoping. Immediately the two shared the warmest embrace you’d ever witnessed as you backed up and gave them their space, returning to Wonka’s side and overlooking the tender moment. A soft sniffle from beside you reached your ear and you glanced over to see Willy’s eyes glossy with unshed tears, the poor boy must’ve been reminded of his own mother in that moment, your heart hurt for him. “Come here sweetie,” you hummed to him, pulling the chocolatier into a comforting hug. “She’d be so proud of you right now, you know?” You got a teary chuckle in response to that as his arms wrapped around you. Noodle and her mother looked over to you now and you raised your arm in a wave to let them know you’d be heading back to leave them to catch up on all the time they’d spent apart.

The walk back wasn’t far, but it felt much longer without Noodle especially since you’d run practically the whole way there and were now strolling very leisurely. Neither of you said anything but you were touching in some way the entire time, holding hands for part of the walk, then switching to linking arms, even simply resting your hand on Willy’s back. Eventually you made it back to the shop, with the lights off, it was as though the magic was sleeping. As you entered ahead of Willy, you looked back to examine his expression, he wasn’t upset, of course not, he just reunited his dearest friend with her mother whom she thought long lost, perhaps forlorn was more accurate. The cogs in his head were clearly turning as he wrangled with his feelings, particularly regarding his mother and the seemingly impending loneliness he was soon to face. He stopped walking as soon as he entered, eyes still downcast as though expecting you to turn around and leave right then and there as well. With a low sigh you finally broke the silence “Willy, I’m not leaving you, not after that, I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if I just walked out after seeing those tears in your eyes.” He looked up, this time they had escaped and he had a sad pout on his beautiful lips. “Can you tell me about her? Have you got any pictures?” You’d not heard much at all about his mother from him aside from how much he loved her and that she was the inspiration for his dream turned reality. Willy gave a little nod and led you through the store to his makeshift office/home/break room, and on the desk sat a framed photo of a beautiful woman with a very familiar smile. “Wow this is her then? She’s beautiful Willy, you look so much like her.” You said the last bit somewhat under your breath as you realised the implication of what you said (as much as you meant it, it seemed a bit forward). You picked up the picture and sat down on the sofa in the room, patting the seat next to you for Willy to sit beside you, the rest of the night was spent listening to stories of his childhood and asking questions. The pair of you laughed, you cried, and eventually Willy fell asleep with his head on your shoulder. Getting as comfortable as the pair of you could, you let yourself join him in the land of dreams shortly after.

Now, it had been a few weeks since you and Willy had experienced the almost intimate exchange of life stories, as well as your chat with Noodle and you had the day off. Willy was on a break from work and went to visit Noodle at the library to tell her all about that night and how great a person he found you to be, gushing over how ‘kind, pretty, sensitive, and funny’ you were but somehow avoiding the ‘L’ word and seemingly ignoring his feelings for you. Eventually, the girl could take it no longer and burst out “Either ask her out, or I will do it for you! You’re such an idiot Willy, it's so obvious you love Y/N and I don’t understand how you’ve danced around it for as long as you have!” Noodle’s frustration was apparent from her face alone, if her words somehow hadn’t conveyed exactly what she meant them to. Willy’s eyes went wide at her outburst and his face started to resemble a tomato almost in how brightly he was blushing. As he opened his mouth to make a retort, Noodle interrupted him with a raised finger and a look that shut him up before he could even make so much as a noise. “Go see her now Willy, or I will.” Was all she had to say to get him standing up and practically sprinting out of the door.

A hurried knock at your door startled you out of your thoughtless stare out the window, you sat up abruptly, I’m not expecting any visitors, you thought to yourself as you walked cautiously over to the door. Through the peephole, you spotted the one and only Willy Wonka, pleasantly surprised, you opened up the door to be pulled into a tight embrace. Despite the initial shock, you quickly recovered to hug your dear friend back, “Heya, what’s gotten into you, sweetpea?” Genuinely confused as to the context despite reciprocating the affectionate action. Pulling back from you to look into your eyes, Willy responded, “I love you, Y/N.” Cue the widening of your eyes as you started to stammer out a reply, “Wh-what, huh, I-” “I love you, Y/N, I can’t believe it took Noodle calling me an idiot to realise it but I’m hopelessly, wholeheartedly in love with you.” He affirmed with a fire behind his gaze. You realised then that he wasn’t joking, this wasn’t a prank or him using the word in a friendly sense. “You, you do?” Tears started to well up in your eyes as you looked into his, “I love you too, Willy Wonka.” Not wanting to keep him in suspense, you confessed right back. A laugh broke free from your mouth as the tears started to fall from your eyes. Gently cupping either side of his face, you brought your lips together in a sweet kiss that felt like it could last forever, his hands finding a comfortable perch on your hips as you held each other close. Breaking apart for air, you both giggled, and leaned back into each other for another kiss, this one escalating a little past wholesome as you softly tugged at his bottom lip with your teeth. Breathing heavily now, you separated once more to stare into each other's eyes. Willy Wonka had confessed his love to you and you were ecstatic to say you felt the same. This would be the start of something beautiful, of that you were sure.

ROXY'S MASTERLIST

All works are fictional and are solely for entertainment purposes.

Star Wars

Stretch Marks

Karaoke Headcanons

Wonka (2023)

My Little Cocoa Bean series

Willy Wonka and reader start a family of their own. "Bun in the Oven" was the start, and I've been writing around it since. These are written out of chronological order as ideas come to me. Ben/Bean's age noted in ().

Boxes (prequel)

Bun in the Oven - Part 1 (unborn)

Bun in the Oven - Part 2 (newborn)

Family Business (6 months)

Sniffles (2 years)

Boats and Babies (3 years)

Paper (3/17 years)

ABCs (4 years)

Little Sister (4 years)

Babysitter (5 years)

First Day of School (5 years)

Brownie (7 years)

Bottled Up (12 years)

Lily (15 years)

Timothée Chalamet

Wish

Chart (+ bonus)

Still Here: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13

Still Here (Extra Scenes): +1, +2, +3

Collapse

Hold Me

Spicy

Can't

Stay With Me

Safe

Overheated

Misophonia

Late

Nap

Sweat

Roll With It

Bug

Like Father, Like Daughter

Most Meaningful Role

I Need You (Hal)

Weakness (Paul)

As long as I breathe (Paul)

Awful (Yule)

Trembling (Yule)

Pharmacy (Yule)

Anywhere (Lee)

Thunder (Lee)

On Edge (Lee)

Too Loud (Wonka)

On the House (Wonka)

Thanks to You (Laurie)

Not once did I think I would be this attracted to someone covered in chocolate

This makes so much sense