An Awfully Big Adventure

Chapter 6: Disorientation & Retaliation

The pixies worked together to move the boys back to where they should have been sleeping. They may not remember, but then again the pixies hoped their magic may have helped them feel more comfortable with each other in the long run. Tink, in particular, liked this new Hook. She hadn't wanted to at first; she hadn't liked that Wendy-bird. Tink was of the opinion that nobody could ever be on the same plane as Peter, but he was what Peter needed. Wendy had encouraged Peter's behaviour, and although Tink loved him, she recognised that it was unsustainable.

Peter may have believed himself invincible and unchangeable, but no creature could survive in permanent stasis. It was hard for Tink to watch because it was so difficult for him, but Peter was growing up. She believed Wendy had realised that everyone had to grow up (otherwise she would have stayed), but it wasn't enough for her to know and just let Peter continue on as he was. This new Hook, though, he was somehow just causing it. He was teaching Peter to grow up, and he was teaching him why it was a good thing.

Peter had yet to notice. He had noticed the changes, but he hadn't yet connected what they meant. Tink was not looking forward to the day he put it all together, but it had to be done. And she would help him, as she always had.

~*~

Louis awoke, terribly disorientated, in his usual hammock, uncertain if he should be there. He was entirely unsure if he had just had the strangest dream or the strangest night. Either way he was angry with himself, it was just a matter of more or less angry. He needed to stop forgetting about Harry being Hook, being the enemy, being not someone he should be so...personal with. His thoughts weren't making sense anymore, but he didn't care. He was just angry and wanted to sit there being angry forever. Maybe stab something.

His growling stomach forced him up and he reluctantly went out to the fire to see if anyone had started breakfast yet. They hadn't and, being the lazy child he was, Louis simply sat and stared at the fire instead of starting it himself. The fire was kept burning all of the time for simplicity and he watched the pretty golden sparks at the edges of the flames. They snapped brightly, swimming against the background of the forest...it reminded him of the pixie lights floating in Harry's eyes.

Louis smacked himself and rolled face down in the sand. He didn't care if he breathed it in and choked anymore. Good. He deserved it.

~*~

Harry awoke in his cabin aboard the ship and immediately did a double take. Is this where he had fallen asleep? He slowly started to remember the night before. Had that been a dream? If it had been real, then how would he have gotten back to his cabin? He supposed he could ask a crew member if they'd seen him come back⁠—

A knock sounded at the door.

"Captain?"

"Yes?" Harry got up and opened the door, looking down at his stout first mate.

"Oh, just making sure you made it in. Wasn't sure if something had happened to you on the island. You went out for that walk awful late and then I didn't hear you come back last night."

"Hmm, so I did...yes I'm fine, just a rather...strange night."

"Alright sir, shall I start breakfast?"

"Yes, thank you."

Harry sat back on his hammock. Wow. Last night...if that was really real, it had been amazing. He had flown. And the city, the clearing, all of Neverland, everything had been so beautiful. And...Louis. Harry had no idea what to do with that. There had been just so many things going on, but at one point it had seemed⁠— Harry had felt almost as if⁠— he shook his head.

But he could still feel Louis's arm as he clutched it, high in the air. And he could hear his laugh at Harry's surprise that they had been flying. And...and everything. Harry couldn't block out his own thoughts. Not when he wanted to remember so badly. Everything had been so lovely, even when Louis had been angry and crying, it was okay because it had gotten better and Harry had⁠— well, he didn't know what he'd done but it had gotten better.

And then⁠— Harry stopped his train of thought, letting his hands fall over his face. He was undergoing a bit of self realisation as he started to piece together...oh no. This was bad. Of course it was Harry that would do this. Only he was stupid enough to let his teenage hormones take control (because that's all this was, he was adamant) and make him start to fall for a bloodthirsty child who refused to grow up, no matter how long he'd been around. A child who was determined to kill him.

Why hadn't he just become a baker, married a nice young lady, lived a normal boring life on Earth, and died in a reasonable amount of time? Instead, he had to have dreamt up the crackpot idea of exploring. Yes, then he'd gotten lost just as he should've expected and now he was here stuck pretending to be a pirate, pretending to be intimidating, for centuries. That was practically forever in Harry's book. And then he'd had to bollocks it up even further by deciding he was interested in the little shit of a boy with no common sense, who flew, and was much too mischievous, and killed with much too much ease.

Could he be any more of a fuck up?

~*~

Louis had decided that whether that night had actually been a dream or not, it was going to be one now. The thoughts (mixed with even more new ones) still swirled around in the back of his mind, but they were not so overbearing now and he was able to concentrate. It felt as if his head had expanded to accommodate everything now.

Louis threw himself back into being his old self, not letting himself ever sit and stew, constantly suggesting new activities for the Lost Boys. All of them were at a loss as to why Hook and his crew hadn't done anything for so long, so they decided that they would try to take over his ship. Louis would fly up and see where the ship was, and then the rest of them would join him to fly over and attack from the sky. Once they landed on the ship their only goal was to incapacitate any and everything on board.

The crew spotted the boys flying overhead and ran to alert the captain.

"Captain! Captain! The Lost Boys are flying above the ship. We think they're going to attack!"

Harry looked up from the paper he'd been tearing to pieces out of boredom.

"What? Can they do that? Well, I guess, make that not happen?"

"Alright then, what do we do with the captives?"

"I'm coming out to join you. Leave Pan to me, put the others in a holding cell belowdecks. Force a couple to walk the plank or something to scare the rest."

Harry hoped those that walked the plank knew how to swim...and that there wasn't anything too vicious in the water. He sighed and stood, grabbing his hook, and swinging on his long red coat and ugly hat. Well, time to finally face Pan. This should be interesting.