Hiraeth: Return to Neverland #1 (a darlinghook fanfic)

18 | embarking

It was a beautiful day, the sun shone on the water and the sails were full of wind. Gulls soared overhead and Neverland was far behind them and out of sight. Wendy sat at a table on the quarter deck poring over a map, tracing her finger over all the other islands and their names. Hook's feathered hat sat on the table beside the map and his red coat hung on the empty chair across from her. He stood at the edge of the ship, leaning on the railing and squinting into the distance.

"Have you been to all these different islands?" Wendy asked.

"Mm-hm," Hook hummed in agreement. "all of them."

"Baproyye?"

"A bit crowded. Amazing fish cuisine."

"Kilpirah?"

"Lovely scenery, waterfalls, crystal caves and the like."

"Dragon Peninsula?" Wendy looked up. "Does it actually-"

"Have dragons?" Hook interrupted. "Of course it does."

"Dragons are real?"

He looked back at her and smirked. "You've seen mermaids and fairies, and you're surprised that dragons exist?"

She stood up and joined him at the railing. "What about centaurs?"

"Yep."

"Gnomes?"

He laughed. "Annoying little buggers."

"Unicorns?"

"I haven't seen one myself, but I've heard lots of stories about them."

Wendy nodded and looked out at the horizon. "This world is so much bigger than I thought it was. So many possibilities, so many different places to go." She looked over at Hook and noticed that he was watching her intently.

"So, where do you want to go?"

She smiled and tilted her head to the side. "Dragon Peninsula."

A grin spread across his face. "Excellent choice."

For a moment, they just stood there, inches apart. Forget-me-not blue and chestnut brown eyes. Hearts racing and thoughts swirling. They both leaned forward a fraction of an inch, stopping suddenly, each waiting for the other to turn away.

Finally, throwing all caution to the wind, Wendy leaned in and kissed him.