Log; Ongoing

[all-butone.livejournal.com]

When; Just after this
Rating; PG-13
Characters; Wendy motherlike, Hook ironhook, & Peter all_butone
Summary; One wish that James Hook had never grown up + Peter's decision that said boy is now his friend + the arrival of Wendy Darling; and things are bound to get complicated.
Log;




Peter grinned happily as the wind rushed past his ears. Christmas Eve was supposed to be special of course, but he'd never imagined something as wonderful as this. He'd managed to make a new friend that morning- James, who was awfully clever and funny and most importantly; loved adventure as much as he did. They'd spent the whole day having fun and talking about Neverland and even though they really had only met early that day, they were fast friends.

And then the most astonishing thing- Wendy had arrived!

He wasn't certain how or why she'd gotten to the City, but it hardly mattered. The boy had missed Wendy terribly (though he'd never go so far as to admit such a thing), and the moment he'd found out he'd insisted on finding her.

Xanadu wasn't far he knew, but he couldn't fight the fluttering in his stomach. He wanted to see her straight away, and though he called for his new friend to follow him- Peter had easily taken a great lead, cutting though the air and stopping only when he'd reached the garden's gate; calling out as he searched for her. "Wendy! Wendy are you there?"

Comments

[motherlike.livejournal.com]

Wendy had been absolutely enthralled by the various flowers that lined Xanadu gardens, but not so much that she would ignore the familiar voice when it caught her ears. In fact, the second she heard it, she rose to her feet and turned to shoot him her sweetest smile.

"Peter! I'm here," she chirped as she lifted a hand and waved him over.

Mind you, the fact that she wove him over didn't stop her from taking the first few initial steps forward. It was more than relief that washed over her then; it was joy, because she had missed him more than she dared let on.

[all-butone.livejournal.com]

She was easy to spot, the single bright patch in rows flowers darkened by the coming night. He landed easily enough, and nearly stumbled a bit in his enthusiasm- though upon catching sight of Wendy's face, straightened more properly. After all, though he had missed her, he certainly wasn't about to show it.

Instead, Peter grinned, hands rising to settle at his waist as he stood before her. She looked exactly the way she had the last time he'd seen her- as if nothing had changed at all. Offering a formal bow and genuine smile, his voice was surprisingly soft when he spoke. "Hullo Wendy."

[motherlike.livejournal.com]

After curling a stray lock of hair back behind her ear, and dusting free a dress that Sakura had been kind enough to let her borrow, she did well to copy him and mask her own delight. Though, much to her inward displeasure, she wasn't nearly as good at pretending as he was.

Her eyes, wide and blue as the sea, squinted slightly when she smiled a second time and proceeded to dip into a reciprocating curtsy to his bow. It was nostalgic almost, and that only served to widen her already blissfully amused sort of smile. Peter had not changed a bit, and that was simply perfect.

"Hello, Peter."

[all-butone.livejournal.com]

His head cocked to the side, curious at the response. Now he was truly confused, and his brows furrowed at the thought. Something had changed in a way he couldn't quite place his finger on. Sure, Wendy looked the same, but something about her seemed different and Peter wasn't sure where to begin.

He paused, hands falling from his sides as he looked at her. "Wendy, are you alright?"

[motherlike.livejournal.com]

It was not to be different for very long as, in the second he dropped his hands, she had stepped forward and, without so much as a warning, pulled him into a hug. She might have chosen to squeeze the life out of him had she not known better, and thus it was a loose sort of hug. Something he could have easily wriggled free of if he chose to.

"You never came back to hear my stories," she lightly scolded, bowing her head to mask the fact that she was smiling rather than frowning.

[ironhook.livejournal.com]

Peter was fast.

James wasn't surprised, really, even though he had been practicing all day this new gift of flight. He could dip and swerve easily enough, and had managed to keep up with Peter perfectly well, getting better as the day wore on. Apparently, though, when excited, he was no match for the fairy boy at all. His new friend had quickly out-stripped him as they flew towards the gardens, and even flying his fastest, the Oppidan quickly fell behind. He found he didn't much like being seperated from Peter, similar to the way he didn't like to be away from Jolly-- though with Peter it was somehow worse.

During the course of the day James had shucked his school's coat, along with the vest and neck-tie (they were a terrible nuisance, getting in the way of adventuring), leaving him in regulation blue trousers and a white dress-shirt. He squinted against the dusk to seek out his missing friend and whoever it was Peter had been so excited to see.

Once sighting them, a small frown curled his mouth. They were standing awfully close together, weren't they? He and that little lady. If he wasn't mistaken, they had probably just been locked in a warm hug. His stomach twisted, but he pushed it aside to grin instead. This was the perfect opportunity for a sneak attack. Without warning, James suddenly pitched forward, diving for the pair, and hair flying like the black of a pirate flag, he crashed into Peter, arms locking around the other's shoulders in a playful, but possessive, embrace.

"Gotcha!"

[all-butone.livejournal.com]

Though her sudden hug had surprised him and he hadn't so much as attempted a response, her gentle scolding made him laugh, reassuring him when he'd needed it the most. Sometimes she would confuse him, but she always made it alright in the end- and Peter decided that the end was what really mattered after all.

His mouth opened, hesitating briefly before he spoke, as if uncertain as to what would come out.

"Wendy I-oof!"

The tackle caught him as off guard as the hug had- though with signifigantly more force and the momentum coupled with the other boy's weight knocked him over with an undignified yelp. Surprise faded into a laugh easily enough and Peter nudged the boy off with a smile, looking at the pair as he stood. He'd never been particularly good at introductions, but he supposed in this case, it was important.
"James, this is my Wendy and Wendy, this is the new friend I told you about, James."

[motherlike.livejournal.com]

"James, from Eton! We have already met, though not formally." Wendy announced cheerfully before stepping back to offer him a prompt little curtsy. She seemed to forget what she had been doing previously it seemed, as Peter hit the ground, and she broke into a fit of laughter.

"I hardly think I can compare to your James, Peter! I certainly can't tackle someone and he is quite witty." She directed a smile at the other boy and winked. "It's a pleasure to finally meet you in person, James."

[ironhook.livejournal.com]

James swatted at Peter when the boy pushed him off, but it was all in good humour, but where the other stood up immediately, James took to reclining in the grass he had landed in. Both hands propped behind his shoulders, forget-me-nots looking first to Wendy-- then jerking quickly back to Peter at the use of the word 'my'. A flicker of jealously darting through his eyes and his smile turned aloof, a mask against the envy that had suddenly spiked through the Eton student.

A wry eye was then turned to Wendy, sizing her up from his lower level. So that was Wendy, was it. She was oddly familiar-- something about her cheekbones-- but the thought was replaced with something like arrogance at her flattery.

"The pleasure is all mine, Wendy," He said as he climbed to his feet, dusting off both pants and shirt. Once there, he executed a dramatic bow, left hand extending slightly to the side, right arm across his middle. When he straightened, he shook his head to clear the raven curls from his face, and gave the girl a charming smile. After all, she was kind as far as he could tell, and if she was Peter's friend, well. He might as well give her a chance.

[ironhook.livejournal.com]

Peter's response startled James, and though he would never admit it, he floundered a little as he met each punctuated word. He wasn't used to such things, after all, and so when they locked together again for the briefest of moments, James could do nothing but gaze back at him in awe. Then he smiled like the sunrise, and with a joyous whoop he spun away to continue the fight.

Though that was when Peter's stick broke, and the other boy changed the rules. He squawked as he went down, makeshift weapon flying from his hand, and growling playfully he wrestled Peter, fighting him to get the upper hand. But just as they had been in the air, they were just as evenly matched on the ground, and succeeded in doing little but soiling their already adventure-dirtied clothing.

[motherlike.livejournal.com]

Wendy gasped when she came upon the sight and, rather than fret, she crouched down to meet the pair almost nose-to-nose and sighed. "I have already chosen a building, boys take far too much time in deciding things like this." Was she joking? It was faint, but there was a soft twinkle in her eyes.

"However, I'm not about to let two dirty boys get dirt all over the furniture, so it's off to the bath with you!" Oh, no, that was the part she was far from kidding about, it seemed. She looked quite stern, even. "Well, of course, that's only if you wish to hear my stories of the fearsome forest beast."

She turned her back to them, tilted her nose into the air, only in a playful show of displeasure, and waited.

[all-butone.livejournal.com]

Peter stilled instantly at the words- his attack frozen mid-air as he turned to face Wendy with eyes wide with disbelief. "Forest beast? Story? BATH? Oh please Wendy, do you really mean that?"

He was pouting, that much was for certain, but he'd managed to crawl off of James and in the meantime, gave his best pitiful face to the girl. In truth, Peter had paid little attention to the fact that she'd already chosen a building because again- any room was fine. And then she'd offered a story, one about a forest moster no less but did he really have to...?

[ironhook.livejournal.com]

James froze, tangled with Peter, as he heard the girl's voice. He had nearly forgotten about finding a building completely, and so he wore a matching expression of surprise and disbelief. He sat up as Peter moved off of him, shaking thick black hair from his face to look up at the girl. He wrinkled his nose just a little.

"That's hardly a fair trade off," He said, sounding pompous, but teetering on the edge of pouting, siding with Peter.

[motherlike.livejournal.com]

"You drive a terribly hard bargain, Sirs" Wendy looked back at them, just in time to be pouted at by the pair of boys. Well, she couldn't very well deny such sad faces, but she wasn't about to take back what she had said.

"If you both bathe, then I shall both tell you a story and give you your Christmas gifts. Surely that must be fair?" The girl folded her arms across her chest, lips twitching as she attempted to contain her smile, and tilted her face off to the side.

"What say you of that?"

[all-butone.livejournal.com]

Girls, he decided, really were quite clever. As much as he hated the thought of having to take a bath; the allure of presents and stories was far too great an offer to pass up. "Alright" He grumbled, standing slowly and heaving a dramatic sigh.

On noticing, however, that the pouting was getting him no where, Peter glanced at the boy at his side before looking up at Wendy once more. "Well, since you picked the room, we'll follow after you."

[ironhook.livejournal.com]

James squinted up at Wendy. She was a sly one, wasn't she? But he did love presents, and so with an entirely exageratted sigh, he rolled his eyes dramatically and clambered to his feet. He dusted his hands off on his pants, though it only served to dirty them up further, before looking to Wendy expectantly with a bit of a smile.

"Ladies first," He told her, bowing slightly at the waist and sweeping his arm out, gesturing for her to take the lead back to whichever building she had chosen.

[motherlike.livejournal.com]

Mothers had to be sly sometimes; it simply had to be in the job description when you were mother to The Lost Boys, of all children. With that and victory in mind, she shot the boys a smile before proceeding to lead them to their respective building. While the walk wasn't terribly long, it wasn't short either.

"You'll both like your gifts, I imagine, they were quite difficult to find," she spoke up again without missing a beat. "And I promise the bath won't be too terribly painful, nor long! Not nearly as awful as medicine," she added, perhaps to put them both at ease.

[ironhook.livejournal.com]

Midnight chimed, and where three children had previously been curled in an unceremonious heap on the floor on the nest they had made of pillows and blankets, only two remained. The curse had ended as they slept, and sleeping next to them now lay a fully grown man. And though he was longer now, with a mustache and a goatee, in sleep it was almost impossible to tell he was a blood thirsty pirate. The boy-James slept in the corners of his eyes, the edge of his mouth, and since that child had fallen asleep in peace, Captain Jas. had yet to be forced back to the timeline he lived in now.

Sometime in the night they had all shifted, James' right arm tucked under his head, his left thrown over the boy tucked safely against his chest. That hand was in a loose first, resting on the extra fabric of Wendy's nightgown that took up the space between she and Peter, and the entire picture was one of the man keeping the children possessively close.

[all-butone.livejournal.com]

Peter himself had fallen to sleep rather easily- a feat not often accomplished but given the days events; such things fell into place. As it was, the boy had actually gotten quite comfortable nestled between Wendy and James, and his body relaxed into the easy embrace. Of course that had been some hours ago, soothed by the sheer proximity of the other boy's body and lulled into dreamland by Wendy's voice. Now, as a clock chimed somewhere far off, Peter stirred, the beginnings of another nightmare tuggging at the edges of his dream and he shifted deeper into the other's embrace- seeking shelter from it.

If nothing else, the sound of the other's heart beat seemed enough to calm him, and the boy's breathing slowly evened out once more, body relaxing as one hand fisted in the fabric of James' clothes.

[ironhook.livejournal.com]

Though his own rest had been deep and warm, just as the clocks ticked forward, something stirred James in his slumber. Peter nuzzling against his front, though it didn't wake him right away, had his body react instinctively. James curled a little, left arm tucking in, legs shifting to effectively pin the boy against his chest as if he could protect the boy from anything that might trouble him through his body alone. He sighed slowly in his sleep, breath stirring the silk-spun hair just under his chin.

[all-butone.livejournal.com]

The nightmares had always been obscure, distant things- the only thoughts to ever really trouble the boy and he could recall a few times the dreams had actually left him crying in his sleep- phantoms of things he could never remember come morning. Still, body pressed firmly against the warm embrace, Peter shifted once more- his breath coming in warm puffs against the man's ear as he clung to him like a lifeline-

at last feeling secure and cared for.

[ironhook.livejournal.com]

James stirred again, inexplicably drawn awake by unknown forces, and as he lingered on the cusp of conciousness, he became aware of just how warm, inside and out, he felt. It wasn't something he woke up to often, not anymore, as his own nights were wracked by nightmares more oft than not. Another thing he wasn't used to was waking up to a body cuddled up to him. He hummed softly, from low in his throat, and cuddled the figure closer, turning his head just slightly to nuzzle into the soft locks he could feel against his jaw. In that limbo between dreamtime and life, it didn't occur to him right away that this was an incredibly strange and foreign situation for him. He was happy, for even that brief moment, to keep the boy close and enjoy the quiet it settled in his heart.

[all-butone.livejournal.com]

scars in use: As the minutes ticked by, Peter's body began to adapt to the man's own- heart beat slowing as his breathing did the same- an even match of rise and fall. The hum itself soothed him and Peter sighed softly in return, mouth moving almost as if speaking- and though no sound came out, his lips brushed against James' earlobe.

Sleep urged him closer to his bed time companion, as if worried he may mysteriously vanish in the night and the boy's legs wound him tighter, body flat against James' own as his fingers remained securely knotted in the man's shirt- as if trying to disappear himself.

[ironhook.livejournal.com]

It was the touch of lips to his ear that finally stirred James awake, and with another purred hum he tilted his mouth into Peter's hair, a genial smile curling his mouth. Slowly, though, James realized that he was in bed with someone. A little someone, from the feel of it, who clung to him like a second skin. And even before he opened his eyes, a sinking feeling curled in the pit of his stomach. They smelled like wind and sunshine, and there was only one person in the world that could be described as such.

Forget-me-nots darkened by night opened slowly, and as he saw that golden hair millimetres from his face, the sinking feeling abruptly dropped and his insides ran cold. Because he knew, without a doubt, that he was curled in an intimate embrace with none other than his archrival, Peter Pan.

[all-butone.livejournal.com]

Though he was indeed, sound asleep- the sudden change in the man's position startled him; a stiffening where he should be soft and warm. Peter frowned softly, mumuring the boy's name in a concerned but groggy half-whisper- as if asking him to relax once more. It wasn't often he had such pleasant dreamless nights, and the boy certainly didn't wish to lose them now.

His body arched against James' once more as he shifted- hips rolling forward as his legs readjusted themselves and Peter sighed contentedly.