Willie’s been dead since the 80’s. How much physical touch has he gotten since then? We watch Caleb touch him a few times, but Willie is clearly a little scared of him, and we know every touch from Caleb is manipulative. How long has it been since someone touched Willie and he knew, knew for sure, that it wasn’t manipulation? How long has it been since he’s had someone to reach for? Every time we see Willie, he’s initially alone. And we’ve talked about how he does this self-soothing thing
And then he meets Alex. And after, you know, physically running in to him with his skateboard, Willie is constantly reaching out for Alex. First, it’s just a handshake that seems to catch him off-guard; you can see the awe in him right after
But Willie constantly seeking out contact from Alex starts, really, outside the museum.
God, look how happy they are about it. Willie takes his hand and they both light up.
Throughout this scene, they make contact a few times; every time, Willie reaches out to Alex, pulls him upright, holds his hand to make a point, shakes him while they scream. Alex doesn’t shy away, but all this contact is initiated by Willie.
By the pier, it’s Willie who reaches out to greet him. And then we get to the Hollywood Ghost Club. There is so much touching here, Willie reaching for Alex again and again, excited, reassuring, comforting, supporting. Reminding them both, Alex, I’m here, but also it seems like he’s seeking out the contact as a reminder to himself Alex is here, Alex is here.
There’s one moment where Alex seems to initiate the contact, a brief lean on Willie’s shoulder, but it’s balanced out by a litany of Willie’s hands on his shoulders, his leg, his back, again and again.
And then Caleb throws the whole thing into disarray, and we get whole episodes of distance, of Willie just barely running away, of Alex following him, again and again, I would still have followed you and he does, over and over again, he does.
Finally, Willie can’t take it anymore, and he’s laying it all out on the table. Because I care about you, Alex. Willie doesn’t reach for him, here. You can tell he blames himself; he says as much in the Orpheum. He hurt Alex, and he is punishing himself for it the only way he knows how; he’s no longer reaching for him. He wants to. His whole body is turned towards Alex, you can see him sitting on his hand. He wants to reach for him.
Finally, they’re outside the Orpheum, and Willie has put himself in danger to try to make it up to Alex, and he’s still not reaching for him. It’s been days, maybe weeks.
In the end, it’s finally, finally, Alex’s turn. After weeks of Willie reaching out casually, we watch Alex build up the nerve to reach out for him.
And then he’s hauling Willie against him and holding on for dear life. Alex has yet to be hugged in his death; the boys are affectionate, but Luke and Reggie more so with each other. Alex has gone through so much since they died, and it twists something up inside him that only Willie has been able to untangle. Finally, finally, he is holding Willie and it is with everything he has. It is for the first time.
And Willie - god, that little eyebrow wrinkle. He has to take a second to process, to take it in, because after weeks of reaching for Alex, Alex is reaching for him, not gently, not unsure, but more like he’s drowning, and then Willie is pulling him closer, closer, burying his face in Alex’s neck, finally, finally, finally. It is for the last time.
Willie put his soul on the line for this, for Alex in his arms for all of ten seconds, and you can tell in his eyes that it’s worth it.
I told you, I’d do anything for you.
My muses: @a-dream-so-alive and @willexmagic 💙💙
