𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐧𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠

despite the wave of satisfaction she feels when he declares she’s the only one he has left, an ache pierces his heart for him. his family had let him down again. tinkerbell had a home she could go to when peter wasn’t around. she could go to the fairy kingdom and the fairies, her friends, would welcome her warmly. her room would always be in the home tree, awaiting her again, as well as her workshop if she ever decides to tinker once more. and although tink feels so much at home with peter than she ever felt there, she still had a place she could go to when things went awry with peter. peter really had no one but her now, she didn’t know whether to hate his family for that or be grateful to them.

he watched her — really watched her — as she turned her face away and spoke with that softness she rarely allowed anyone, including him, to hear. she was angry and hurting, and peter . . . peter felt something unfamiliar and unmanageable sink down to the pit of his stomach. guilt, maybe. fear. longing. all tangled together in a way that made him want to run. the thought of feeling any sort of vulnerability around anyone terrified him. even more so when it came to tink. now more than ever, he felt it necessary to impress her in any way he could. since his return, he did anything that would keep her attention on him always and refused to show any signs of weakness. when she finally looked up at him with that threat, peter stepped forward. carefully, almost cautiously. like she was something precious he could break with the wrong move.

❝ tink . . . ❞ his voice dropped, softer than she’d heard from him in a long time. ❝ you think i’d go back there? after everything they put me through? ❞ he huffed out a breath, running a hand through his hair in clear frustration. not with her, but with himself. with the mess he made. with how painfully human he felt whenever she looked at him like this. ❝ i only ever left because i was worried about my brothers. i thought returning home was the right thing to do. ❞ he shook his head, an airy, humorless laugh escaping. ❝ but it wasn’t my home. not like here. not like— ❞

peter’s gaze drifted over her face, lingering just a little too long. enough for the air between them to thicken, for the truth he’d been dodging to slip dangerously close to the surface. ❝ i’m not going back to them. ❞ he said it plain & firm. ❝ they don’t get to have me. they never really wanted me, anyway. ❞ another step closer. he was near enough now that she wouldn’t have to tilt her head if he bent just a little. ❝ but you . . . ❞ his voice softened again. ❝ you’ve always wanted me around. even when i didn’t deserve it. even when i was stupid enough to leave. ❞

his return had been no secret considering the fairies were tied to neverland and neverland was tied to peter. the second he was in neverland they all knew, every single inhabitant knew. the fairies had been impatient on seeing him again. of course tink had been smug on seeing him first and watching over him alone for a few days knowing that everyone else was dying to see him again. in those few days the fairies were planning a celebration for him, although tink loved parties she had wanted peter for herself longer.

it didn’t surprise her one bit that they practically swarmed him when they made it to the heart of fairy haven. they all loved hearing about tink’s adventures with peter and she loved sharing them solely to show off that she was peter’s favorite fairy of all. however, after he left they were smart enough to not bring him up again after seeing what his departure had done to her. the only ones who dared to were her close friends, queen clarion, mother dove, and her sister. of course they were dying to talk to him and ask him all the questions they didn’t want to chance asking her.

nonetheless, it still bothered her for peter to give them his attention when she was the one he should be giving all his attention to after all he’s put her through. she tugged on her bangs roughly. when she looked away from the frenzy around her and peter she noticed terence and queen ree seemed to be the only ones not surrounding him, they hovered off to the side. the former looked somewhat annoyed while the latter had a look on her face tinkerbell couldn’t read. tink looked away before she could catch the concerned look clarion shot in her direction.

it didn’t take her long to realize she didn’t have to endure this so she flew off to her house, locking herself inside. it’s not as if peter would notice she was gone anyway or even care. she sat at her workbench, eyeing the leftover materials from a gift she had made for peter she had yet to give him. anger and sadness both threatened to crush her. ultimately it was sadness that won out, leaving her returning to that feeling that consumed her when peter initially left. as if the weight of it crushed her she slumped over her workbench, her wings wilted to the floor. how silly she was to think he still cared for her. maybe he would pick a new fairy to be his favorite, apparently he has plenty to choose from.

tink didn’t know how long she stayed like that, but it started getting late enough that she supposed she would go to bed here tonight. right after she had let her hair down there was a knock on her door and the giant shadow that cascaded on her house told her it was peter. part of her wanted to ignore him and just go to bed, but she found herself speaking to him instead. it was almost concerning how weak she was when it came to him. she wiped at her eyes to assure there was no proof of her crying before opening her door. with her hands on her hips, she remained in the doorway rather than fly to him.

❝ tink… ❞ he breathed. it came out like a sigh, like her name alone carried the whole weight of what he should’ve said earlier but didn’t. he shifted forward until he was sitting almost directly in front of her door, close enough that he had to tilt his head slightly just to keep her in view. his movements were slow this time, as if he was afraid that too much sudden motion might chase her back into the safety of her tiny home.

❝ i didn’t notice you were gone because they pulled me right into the middle of them, ❞ he said, voice low but steady. ❝ there was too much going on. everyone was asking questions and touching my sleeves or tugging at my hair. you know how they get. i could barely hear myself think. ❞ he rubbed the back of his neck, a faint, embarrassed flush rising to his cheeks. ❝ but i still knew something felt wrong. i didn’t realize it was you missing until i turned and didn’t see you next to me. ❞ his gaze flicked to her face, searching for even the smallest shift. when it finally clicked that tink wasn't by his side, he left without warning, immediately flying off in search of her home. he barely remembers who he was even talking to. he thinks it was rosetta who was mid-sentence when he left, but he can't bring himself to even care about that. surely it's something she'll bring up to tink later.

he huffed out a small laugh at the memory, though it faded almost instantly. ❝ they didn’t like it, you know. queen ree gave me this look like i’d just broken a rule. ❞ he doesn't mention terence almost dropped his acorn lantern on his foot. tink probably wouldn't find it as hilarious as he did. there was something about that dust-keeper that peter didn't like and he couldn't quite put his finger on it. so it was an amusing sight to see and something he'll keep in his memory for amusement. his smile softened. warm, lopsided, and undeniably peter. ❝ but i didn’t care. i just wanted to find you. ❞

he glanced behind her, into the dim interior of the teapot home. he could faintly see the shapes of her small tools, her workbench, and the tiny lantern she kept lit even when she was sad because she couldn’t stand the dark. then he looked back at her and this time when he spoke, there was no teasing. no airy flippancy, just sincerity he rarely let anyone hear. ❝ tink . . . you’re the one who taught me how to fly without falling into every tree between here and mermaid lagoon. you’re the one who stayed beside me and made neverland feel like home in the first place. ❞