Origins

Origins XVIII

Origins XVIII

Nico and I set down in Kensington Gardens, where I'd landed last time. It was early morning like last time. In fact, it was the same as last time down to Mr. Barrie walking his dog.

Unfortunately I couldn't get away from him this time.

"Ah, hello my young friends! I was wondering where you all disappeared to. I've been running low on inspiration ever since you all went away," Mr. Barrie said.

"Hello, sir. It's been a while. A lot's happened," Nico said, being polite as always.

"Hi. I was here not long ago," I said.

"I didn't see you!" he said.

"You weren't here," I said. Mr. Barrie frowned. He knew I was lying, but he didn't press the matter.

"Even so, I'm glad you're back!" Mr. Barrie said, and continued walking his dog. I grabbed Nico's hand and led him through the streets to his house, not that he really needed to be led.

I just wanted to hold his hand.

"How grand do you want your entrance?" I asked.

"I want it to be like I never left. You think you can get us upstairs in my room?" he asked. I nodded. He and I had spent a lot of time together in his room when we were younger and would hang out every day. I grabbed his hand, and we ascended up to the roof to where his window was, but...

"It's locked," Nico said. I smiled.

"I got this," I said, and I imagined a key, a skeleton key specifically, down to every detail, and a key appeared in my hand. I had gotten better at imagining things into existence. I unlocked the window.

"How did you-" Nico said.

"Redheads first," I said, giving him the most charming smile I had. Nico checked the time.

"She's already up, let's go!" he said, and he crept downstairs ahead of me.

"Mom? I'm ho-" I heard, before I heard a scream. I came downstairs and saw Nico wrapped in his mom's embrace. She saw me too.

"Oh, get over here, Peter!" she said, and I was wrapped in the embrace as well.

"Sorry I left. And I'm sorry I can't stay," Nico said once we'd been freed from the embrace.

"I'm just glad you came back, even if only briefly. Peter told me that your arms and legs had broken," Mrs. Young said.

"More like shattered, but I got better, thanks to...to...Pey! Where did you go!?" Nico yelled. I heard a staccato chiming, as if laughter, then Peyronchire came out of the kitchen with a bottle cap on her head like a helmet.

"I'm a soldier now!" Pey said. Nico walked over and picked the bottlecap off of her head.

"Ya know, I'm starting to think that you're the most chaotic fairy in existence," Nico said to her.

"You got one too?" Mrs. Young said.

"You know?" Nico said.

"Oh please. You're not the only ones to have found Neverland. Most of us just decided we wanted to grow up. With a fairy bonded to you...well...you'll never age, and I know you've made that wish before Nico. And you probably got that idea from Peter," she said. "You're back together. I told you he wouldn't stay mad forever, Peter," she said to me. Nico looked toward me and smiled sheepishly.

"Maybe he had some part in that," Nico mumbled. I smiled too. So did Mrs. Young. We all knew that wasn't true. Mrs. Young's smile fell.

"You both look exhausted. Please stay the night at least," she said. Nico and I agreed without protest, and we retreated to his room and fell asleep on his bed together, wrapped in an embrace like always.