[Don't Starve] My Willow

My Willow

He remembered that day like it had just happened.

He sat in the attic with Willow, his back against the wooden wall and hers against the pane of the window. Light trickled into the room as the sun hung in the sky, giving the room an almost holy atmosphere. It bounced off of Willow's thick black hair that hung around her like freshly poured ink, and she was absentmindedly playing with her stuffed bear in front of her. Her smile was quite childish despite the fact that she was nearly an adult now, but Wilson didn't mind. He thought it was just fine.

"You know," The older one leaned back and stretched his arms above his head. "I sometimes wonder how on Earth we could be related." He remarked casually.

"And why's that?" Willow ceased play and looked over at her brother curiously, cocking an eyebrow.

"You're too pretty." Wilson sighed. "I just can't believe we came from the same parents."

"Oh, shut up, you. I'm not that pretty, and besides that, we look a lot more alike than you think." Willow punched him in the shoulder lightly.

"How so?" Her brother asked.

"Well, we've got the same hair color and thickness, for one thing. Our eyes are nearly the same color, we wear the same color clothes, and we're around the same height. I don't understand how you think we can't be related, Wilson. You've got the most awful inferiority complex, you know."

Wilson laughed bitterly. "Oh, Willow. You're sweet." He smiled, but it faded quickly. "I wish I could be like you."

"Huh? Why? Wilson," She huffed. "You stop saying bad things about yourself! I mean, for crying out loud, you're practically a genius in the field of science! Why trade it for this?" She asked, gesturing to herself.

"Because you actually know how to deal with people!" Wilson spat. "You can make eye contact, say anything to anyone and they'll think it as nice, simply dress up a little and charm everybody! But me? No way. I can't get people to like me if I tried, and I hate that, Willow. I hate that so much. I'd trade everything I knew, everything, if it only meant I could become someone that people actually liked ." He fell silent and became still like an iceberg. Willow sat there, taken aback, trying to process this. After a moment of thought she put her hand on his shoulder.

"But Wilson," She moved closer to him. "I like you. I don't care if you can't please everyone else. You're my brother and my companion. I wouldn't trade you for the world, you know." She threw her arms around him suddenly, burying her face in his shoulder. Surprised, her brother sat still for a moment before hugging her back.

"Willow..." The older began to choke up. "Oh, Willow." He began to cry, softly at first but progressively becoming louder as emotion overcame him. A few tears made their way down Willow's cheeks as well.

"You're the only person I want to spend my time with, you know." She sniffled, wiping her eyes. "If I could just stay with my big brother forever, then I'd be happy. I don't care about getting married or any of that nonsense. I'd pick my best friend over a husband any day."

At the words 'best friend', Wilson held her tighter, sobbing into her red shirt. "Dammit, Willow! You're too good to me, you know that?" He trembled and she ran her fingers through his hair to calm him down. "I-if they were all like you, things wouldn't be so..."

"Shh, shh." Willow whispered, rocking them back and forth. "Cry it all out. I don't mind."

"I-if anyone ever tries to hurt you, I'll kick their ass to the moon and back!" Wilson sobbed suddenly, surprising his sister.

"Hm...why not just to the moon?" Willow teased, brushing a strand of wet hair out of Wilson's face. "We don't want them coming back, now, do we?"

Wilson sniffled and wiped his eyes. "I guess not." He took a deep breath to regain himself. "So just to the moon, then?"

Willow nodded. "Just to the moon."

They held each other there under the window, not saying a word and yet saying a thousand. They were best friends. Siblings. They'd always be that way, and they knew it. Even when their father told Wilson to get out and never return later that night, both Wilson and Willow knew that their bond was unshakable and would always be that way. If anyone ever hurt the other, they'd kick their ass to the moon and not let them come back. That's how it was, and that's how it always would be.

Wilson's eyes snapped open and it took a moment for him to realize where he was. He sat up and looked around and saw only a wall of fabric with a slit as an opening. He was inside of his tent, the same place as he was last night. Groggily, he peeked through the flaps and saw it was early morning. The sunlight and shadows danced across the chests, the now extinguished fire pit, and the machines he used to make his materials.

"Another dream." He swallowed hard and laid back down. Such simple words, yet they carried such powerful emotion. It almost felt real, like he and Willow were finally together again.

But they weren't, and they never would be, would they?

Wilson rolled over onto his side and, without reserve, began to sob into his pillow. That recurring dream was the nastiest thing this world had to offer by far, and there wasn't a thing he wouldn't give to leave. If only he could see his precious little sister again. If only.

After a bit of crying, Wilson wiped his eyes and hauled ass out of his tent. He grabbed some berries from the icebox and ate them, too tired to make anything with the crockpot. He dug through the chests, found a tentacle spike, and held it tightly. He remembered what he had said to Willow that day, a day that was probably at least a year in the past by now.

'If anyone tries to hurt you, I'll kick their ass to the moon and back.'

Wilson drew in a shaky breath. She was no longer with him, so he would live up to those words in a different way. Anything that tried to hurt him would get their ass kicked to the moon and never come back. Despite all that he'd been through, Wilson still held onto a little sliver of hope that he'd see her again, and that alone was enough to make him keep going. If he wanted to see her, he'd have to protect himself first, and that was exactly what he was going to do.

He ventured out of the boundaries of his camp, and thus the day officially begun.