summary: you lament about the pains of being immortal as colby brings you as much comfort as he can muster.
word count: 1,031
warning(s): reader is a peter pan-esque character, honestly? kinda angsty and i don't know how that happened, song is "lullaby for a sleepy girlfriend"
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Everyone grows up. Everyone, except one.
Well, actually, there's more than one person who will never grow up. Anyone who resides on Neverland's shores would never age another day. It's just, as the one who found the island and the one who's the most important, you were the one everyone remembered. At least, that's what they tell you. They come to the island, your island, and thank you profusely for taking away from their personal hells. But, eventually, they leave you. They always leave you. They say an enteral youth is too damning, that there's still things they want to do, that they'll come back when they live out what they want to live out.
They never come back.
That was the downside to never aging. You could leave, if you really wanted to. But, there was something so nice about being able to give a little slice of heaven for however long they wanted. Even if they decided hell was better, at least you gave them something nice. If you left, who would take your place?
No one.
No one would, and that's why you stayed. People are selfish. You knew if you left your position of guardian of Neverland, some fucker would come and exploit the shit out of it. There would be nothing sacred left. It would just become another fucking cog in the capitalistic machine. You would never let that happen to your paradise. You would choose a thousand deaths before you ever lived long enough to see that come to fruition.
And so you remained.
An eternally lonely life was far better than a life where you watched the one thing you truly love fall to pieces.
Except, you weren't alone. Not really, anyways. Plenty of others lived on the island full-time. There were the fairies, who supplied you with more pixie dust than you could dream of using. There were the pirates, who supplied you with endless amounts of fun while you tormented them. And there were the mermaids—or at least, there was one merman in particular who brought you almost as much joy the island itself did.
His parents named him Cole, but you called him Colby. And he was perhaps one of the few sources of joy in a life where you gave and gave and gave, all without ever getting a single thing in return. He was an angel and you knew you'd never be able to thank him enough for the light he brought to your life.
Every night, after the last of the Lost Boys and Girls had gone to sleep, you flew down to the Mermaid Lagoon. Every night, you lamented to him about how no one ever stayed. How everyone leaves you in the end. How you felt like you would never be good enough for someone. And, every night, he'd let you cry on his shoulder until no more tears could be shed, before pulling you into the water when you least suspected it so that you would laugh once more. And, every once in a while, when you resurfaced for air, or even sometimes when you were still under the water, Colby would pull you close, cradling your face in one hand and holding onto your waist with the other, before connecting his lips with yours. And, God, did you never want those moments to end. You wanted to bottle those moments up and carry them with you wherever you went. They were the only moments where you felt like like was good.
One night, you came to the lagoon early. There were no Lost Boys, no Lost Girls, on the island. They'd all gone back home. Nights like these didn't come often, perhaps once every few hundred years, but they were the ones that hurt most of all. Those were the nights that you couldn't quiet your loud mind, so you would always seek out the solace of your merman.
You landed on a rock near the middle of the lagoon, waiting for Colby. But you needn't wait long, for Colby emerged from the water the moment you landed.
"And what brings you here, my sweet angel?" he asked, crossing his arms on top of the rock and resting his cheek on his arm.
You didn't answer immediately. It was hard to put these emotions into words. If you tried before you were really ready, you'd start crying so hard you couldn't manage to get any words out at all.
Colby reached over, tugging on your pant leg, his signal for you to come into the water. Deciding it was easier than explaining the unexplainable, you slowly sank into the water, letting Colby pull you into his arms and resting your head on his chest. Eventually, you grew tired of holding yourself above water, so you wrapped your legs around Colby's waist, trusting the merman to keep you afloat.
As you floated there, he ran his fingers through your hair and sang softly, "Hush now, my baby. Hush now, my love. The angels are watching, from heaven above."
You burrowed your face into the crook of Colby's neck, his voice lulling you to sleep.
"They know that I love you. They know it's true. I'll stay here beside you, whatever I do. When I wake beside you, I feel like I shine."
Slowly, you raised your head, looking into Colby's baby blue eyes. And, though you were unfamiliar with the feeling of love, you knew that there was only pure adoration in his eyes.
"I wish you forever and ever be mine. A new day tomorrow. When you open your eyes, you let in the sunshine and all darkness dies."
You leaned in, connecting your lips, only separating for a moment to whisper, "I love you, more than anything. I would give you the world if I could."
"I already have the entire world with you in my arms."
And, in that moment, you knew that, no matter how many Lost Boys and Girls arrived on Neverland's shores only to leave you in the end, Colby would never leave you, never cause you any pain. For you were his, and he was yours.
