Origins

Origins XV

Origins XV

It had long since turned dark and light again, but I'd somehow been able to keep flying, and I eventually found the village that the Shimmerwind tribe lived in, and I alighted there, but only briefly.

"Ugh, why are we back here?" Tinkerbell asked from my shoulder.

"I have to make things right for Nico. Maybe the fairies can help. Plus, I have someplace I'm going, and I need something resembling a shirt," I said.

"Fine, I'll find you something. Don't do anything stupid," she said, and flew off to make something for me. I walked into the camp to find someone, preferably Tiger Lily. She didn't hate me much as far as I knew.

Then I felt a tap on my shoulder and flew out of my skin.

I looked down, and there was Tiger Lily.

"Peter! Hi, it's been a while. What's up? Oh, did I scare you?" she asked with a smirk.

"No! Not scared. Not at all. I was just practicing my flying, that's all," I said.

"You can't fly," she said. Then I floated upwards. Her eyes opened wide and her jaw dropped. "I see. What can I help you with, flyboy?"

"Remember Nico? Well, he currently has a lot of injuries, and I was wondering if the fairies would be willing to help," I said.

"They won't want to, but once they see you fly, that'll change. I won't explain why, but do what you need to do," Tiger Lily said, and went off to presumably gather all the fairies. At that moment, Tinkerbell returned with...something.

"What is that?!" I asked Tinkerbell. She was holding a garment that was too small for me. It had a vine that went crosswise across one shoulder and some leaves that went crosswise over the other and it stopped where my diaphragm started. She also had some shorts for me, also made of leaves.

"Clothes. For you. Like you asked," she said. I rolled my eyes and took them anyway. It looked too short, but it actually fit quite well and was very comfortable. I put my hat back on.

"How do I look?" I asked, arms out to my sides.

"Eh, you fit in now. Now, where are we going?" she asked.

"Somewhere you've never been. I'll explain more on the way," I said and took off for the skies.

"Now can you tell me where we're going?" Tink asked.

"I'm going back to my home, not Neverland, but earth. It was before I met you, but there are some things that I need to do that I didn't get to before. I want to set things right with a few people," I said. Tinkerbell didn't say anything, and I soon heard her yawn and fall asleep under my hat using my hair for a pillow and blanket.

I set down in Kensington Gardens early in the morning. Almost no one was out. Just a man walking his dog. I knew who he was. Everyone did. He was playwright J.M. Barrie. I didn't care much for him. He was odd. I ducked down behind a bush as he passed and then walked out of the Gardens. I had to get home first, but I didn't want to fly. I couldn't attract too much attention, not that my clothes were normal. Luckily, my sense of direction was wonderful and I was standing outside of my home before breakfast but...I couldn't just walk in the front door.

That wasn't my way.

I remembered what I always used to do before everything happened. With any luck, nothing had changed.

I crept around to the side of the house and swung myself up to the roof using the gutter and, as I'd hoped, the window to my bedroom was still open, just like I'd left it. The door was closed too, which would make this plan much better. I soundlessly opened my closet and put on a normal shirt and a normal pair of shorts that I had, but I left that hat on.

Tinkerbell was asleep after all, and I much preferred her that way.

I sat down in my closet and waited. If I wanted this plan to work, everything had to work perfectly.

I didn't have to wait long as I heard my parents wake up. One of them opened the door to my room and glanced around and sighed. I was hidden so they couldn't see me. I waited a few more minutes to come out of the closet, and went downstairs without making a noise.

"Hey parents! What's breakfast for this morning?" I asked. My mom whirled around and my dad whipped around so fast that he spilled his coffee.

"Peter," my dad said.

"You came back," my mom said.

"Yeah, not for long. But I couldn't leave things how they were," I said.

"No, you're staying!" my mom said.

"I see you don't get it. You can't keep me here. Or any of my friends. They're with me. Most of them are okay. Nico is...well he's alive," I said.

"What did you do now?" my dad asked.

"I didn't do anything. He fell off a mountain of his own accord. I just watched. I didn't think fast enough to stop that."

"Isn't he scared of heights?" my dad asked.

"Wow! You actually listened to one thing I said my entire life! And yes he is, but he was with me. My...well he might be my ex now, but my boyfriend doesn't care because I supersede his acrophobia."

"You're gay?" my mom screamed.

"Sure, focus on that bit. I'm also a mereboy, but you seem to have other concerns because it seems you still don't have your priorities straight. Me, I'm never straight so it's not a problem," I said.

"Get out of the house," my dad said through clenched teeth.

"As you wish. But I'm probably never coming back. 'K Bye!" I said, and left the same way I came in.

I went around visiting the parents of everyone else except one. One that I wasn't really sure I wanted to see, but...I knew I had too.

And I soon found myself knocking on the front door of the Young household. The door opened, and there was Nico's mom, Mrs. Young.

"Peter! Oh my, you're still alive, please come in, tell me everything," she said as she gathered me into a hug.

"Of course I'm still alive," I said, a cocky smile sliding onto my face in spite of myself.

"How is everyone?" she asked.

"We're all alive. Some of us aren't exactly doing great, but we're still alive," I said, and then I felt my hat float above my head. Tinkerbell flew out from under it, and I caught my hat on its way down and placed it back on my head. Mrs. Young, however, was currently distracted by Tinkerbell.

"Is that-"

"A fairy? Yep. They're real. Just like you said," I said. Mrs. Young had told Nico and I for years that fairies were real and we never believed her. But she was right.

"There's only one place I know of where fairies might exist...did you end up in Neverland?" she asked. I nodded. "And you never came back?" I nodded again.

"Nico wanted to so he could properly say goodbye, but we didn't know how. Then he and I got turned into mereboys, he was with me, he fell off a mountain, he's my boyfriend now, it's a long story really," I said.

"Slow down...so, you're mereboys?" she asked. I nodded. "And Nico fell off a mountain? Is he okay?"

"He's alive, but last I saw, his arms and legs were broken and he blames me. That's why I'm back. I can't stand him being mad at me."

"That was never a problem for you in the past."

"In the past, he wasn't my boyfriend."

"So you both are gay! I knew it. I hope you two are happy together. Also, Nico will forgive you. I know my son, but...I have a favor to ask. If you can, please come back with him. I want to see him one last time. I don't like how we ended things."

"Of course, Mrs. Y. I'll make sure of it. I promise. And Tinkerbell, that's the fairy up there, she'll remember if I don't. I'll go back to Nico, but it was nice to see you again." I was about to start flying, but Mrs. Young stopped me.

"Wait...take this to Nico please," she said, and she placed something in my palm with instructions to not look at it. And, after we hugged, I took to the skies to head back to Neverland, and, of course Nico.