Disclaimer: I don't own Peter Pan (the character(s), movie adaptions, TV adaptions, etc.), Shakespeare, and McFly. And it hurts me greatly.
A/N: Thanks to my incurable Disney!McFly disease, I've decided to make something based on one of my favorite Disney movies and not post it in my prompt fic. I'd like to blame banovice because her fic Bobble Hats & Sleds is the cause of this disease and inspired my obsession over PeterPan!Danny. And Spieling Peter (If you're reading this; that's sooooo cute that him and his friend that played Wendy (I heard she played Alice as well!) got married in Disneyland! AWWW!).
A/N 2: Obviously this isn't based exactly on the Disney film, but also a bit from the beginning of the Neverland miniseries and Hook.
Neverland (Chapter 1)
In a land far, far away (no, this isn't Star Wars), there once lived a boy named Peter Pan.
He lived in Neverland with his loyal Lost Boys and fought the greatest battles against the awful Captain Hook.
One day, Peter Pan decided that he needed to grow up. It was the day after he brought Wendy back home.
So he did. He left everyone behind. Even the one thing he needed the most to fly; fairy dust.
The only thing he brought to the real world was a magical orb that a mysterious pirate offered to him before he left with the rest of his fairy dust.
There, in the real world, Peter Pan grew up. He grew up and had two lovely children with his wife (who knew Peter Pan could fall in love?).
He even made the best friend he ever had. His dearest Wendy. They never did have an adventure like they did in Neverland.
But he promised his kids that they would have an adventure of their own when he sat in a hospital bed, the monitor showing his slowing heartbeat.
Sure, Peter had beat Captain Hook countless times. Battles that he's told his children so many times they've been able to recite them like a poem.
But the greatest battle he's ever fought was against terminal cancer.
And as quick as that, Peter left. The boy who seemed to have so much time in his hands only had barely a handful of it.
But his magical orb still remained.
In the backyard of a small Victorian styled home, a rooster crowed at eight AM sharp. To the neighbors, they've learned to ignore the annoying sound. Eight AM isn't a reasonable time to wake up, especially on a Saturday. To the owners, they've learned to wake up the second they hear that crow.
Because that crow meant something to them.
To a boy, it sounded like his father in the morning when he did his morning wake up calls.
But his father isn't around anymore.
Instead, on a weekend, it meant that he had to make breakfast. He almost always does, unless it's a special occasion.
He groggily got out of bed and rubbed his eyes awake as he made his way down the stairs and into the kitchen, where the smell of bacon and pancakes were wafting around.
To his astonishment, the little old woman had woken up before him and seemingly almost done with cooking breakfast. It must be a special day.
"Miss Darling, you shouldn't 'ave." The boy smiled generously.
The little old woman - Miss Darling - shook her head and chuckled. "Danny, you've known that in the few years that you've lived here, I would rather go by Wendy. And besides, it's a tradition. My mother used to do this when it was one of her children's birthdays."
The boy - Danny - covered his face with his hands. "Oh, I can't believe it! I've forgotten my own birthday! I thought it was tomorrow."
Miss Darling picked up the last pancake from the pan and put it onto the small stack. She covered the stack of pancakes with her homemade syrup and chopped up raspberries and set them on the table with a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice and a small plate of bacon.
She walked up to Danny and pinched his cheek. She opened her arms and Danny accepted the hug. "You're fifteen now. All grown up."
Danny chuckled. "If anything, I still feel like I'm ten when I'm around you."
Miss Darling pulled away from the hug, fresh tears falling down her face. "You're accent is still so thick like your mother's-"
"But as charming as my father's. I know. You've told me countless times, Miss Darling." Danny chuckled again. He bit his lip to prevent himself from letting those tears out.
Miss Darling could see this and held his arms. "Are you okay, Danny?"
After a long pause, Danny mumbled, "N-no."
Miss Darling cooed and pulled Danny in for another hug, stroking his hair as Danny held her tightly, as if she were to disappear.
Besides, his entire family did.
It was Danny's sixth birthday when he lost his father to terminal cancer, Peter Pan. Sometimes Danny wished his father took on his mother's maiden name. Danny Jones sounded a lot better than Danny Pan.
But when his mother asked if he wanted to switch back to her surname, Danny didn't want to. He felt if Pan was no longer his last name, he was letting go of his father. And he didn't want to do that.
His mother was very depressed after Peter's death. Danny didn't like seeing her sitting in bed with a blank expression on her face. Life was drained from her body.
Vicky, who was eight at the time, did most of the cooking and bossing around, which was why she was so bossy nowadays. They had to look presentable, as if their mother had actually been taking care of them. They still didn't like seeing their mother in the state she was stuck in. Danny even tried to set his first grade teacher up with his mother to get her to start dating again. But of course, things spiraled out of the pair's control.
Bills piled up, her work started to get suspicious about why her kids were calling in for her sick and vacation days, and close friends of hers were wondering if her 'fever' had gotten any better.
Their mother began to feel the weight get heavier on her shoulders, and she knew she couldn't bear it anymore.
On the night of Danny's tenth birthday, Vicky and Danny awoke to a gunshot. It sounded awfully close. Too close.
Soon afterwards, Vicky and Danny had been put into an orphanage. Danny decided to change his name since he had no parents to make a choice on it. Daniel Alan David Pan-Jones. Long...but just what he wanted. On Danny's eleventh birthday, Vicky was adopted by a nice American couple from New York. The day after, Danny got adopted by Miss Darling. He was glad that he could be taken care of by someone close to the family. Vicky would visit on holidays, at least.
And this was Danny's life now. He had a nice group of friends and a good home. Every once in a while, Danny fell into this deep depression. Whether it was a school day or not, Danny couldn't get out of his bed. Black filled his mind. But it only lasted a day. Danny didn't want to end up like his mother.
Danny pushed out of Miss Darling's arms and dully ate his breakfast. He fought so hard to keep the blackness from overtaking his mind. Today is his birthday. He needed to be happy today.
But so many bad things happened on his birthday.
"Danny love, you've eaten enough, I think." Miss Darling squeezed his shoulder softly, snapping Danny out of his thoughts. He didn't even realize he'd been eating so much unconsciously.
"Thank you, Miss Darling." Danny picked up his dishes and placed them in the sink.
"I think it's time you go meet your friends. They're waiting for you outside." Danny jumped at the sound of someone knocking loudly on the door. He shook his head and, for the first time today, smiled genuinely. Only he knew who could be knocking in such a way.
"I'll see you this evening?" Danny called out as he dashed upstairs to change quickly into some fresh clothes. Running a hand through his hair, he hopped down the stairs and slipped on his shoes as fast as he could.
"Yes, dear. Be back by seven-thirty, on the dot, alright?" Miss Darling questioned from the kitchen as the water from the sink ran noisily.
"Okay!" Danny replied as he opened the door. There stood his closest friend, Tom Fletcher. Tom is like the older brother he always wanted. Danny's never been more comfortable with anyone else. Tom is the only person he told about his father being the legendary Peter Pan. Tom hasn't believed 100%, but he had faith in Danny, and Danny never lied, unless necessary. And Tom knew when Danny lied. More so, Tom knew everything about Danny and Danny knew everything about Tom. They're the source of each other's happiness.
"Thomas," Danny greeted with a cheeky smile.
Tom rolled his eyes and ran a hand through his fringe.
"Daniel. Art thou ready to have a spectacular day?" Tom stuck his hand out in a gentleman fashion. Danny snorted and pushed away his hand politely.
"Someone's a bit Shakespeare-y today." As Tom walked off the porch, Danny followed beside him, trying to match his steps.
"I have lines to rehearse, smart one. I'm in Much Ado About Nothing, remember? I got the part as Claudio and I have to act-"
"As charming and dashing as you possibly can. You've been rambling about it all week," Danny cut off. He ignored his friend's glare and asked, "So, where are we off to?"
"To the park," Tom answered with an eager grin and tone.
Danny raised an eyebrow. "What are you up to, Fletcher?"
Tom shook his head in an exaggerated fashion. "Nothing. Just that it's going to be the best birthday you'll ever have. I know it."
Danny smiled and gave his blonde friend a side hug. "Thanks Tom. I'm sure it will be."
The typically chatty and cheery pair was unusually quiet and uncomfortable. Tom noticed this and tried to think up ways to start out how to ask Danny what was up. It wasn't easy to get Danny to open up about his problems. He didn't like to 'trouble' people with them.
Because Tom is the indecisive type, he said the first thing that came to mind.
"Your dad died exactly nine years ago."
Tom cringed once he said this. Danny and him rarely talked, let alone brought up, the topic of Danny's dad.
"Yeah. You know, Miss Darling told me that once I turned fifteen, she would give me the gift my dad planned on giving to me. I'm pretty excited about it," Danny said with a small smile.
Tom was shocked by this. For once, Danny was okay talking about his dad. About Peter Pan.
"Are you okay?" Tom asked with caution.
"Yeah. Why, is there something on my face?" Danny saw the confusion Tom wore on his face. "Am I pale or something?"
Tom chuckled and sighed with relief. "No, it's just that...never mind, it's not important. What's important is getting something from your dad. Do you want me to sleepover or...?"
It became a tradition that Tom would sleepover at Danny's house for his birthday. Danny was grateful that his friend always wanted to be there for him.
"Is it okay if you don't this year? It's not that I'm tired of it, believe me. I feel like this is kinda personal...ya know?"
"Yeah, it's fine. Whatever you want, Dan," Tom replied quickly. A bit too quickly for Tom's taste. He wasn't sure why the words felt so bitter as they left his mouth.
After a couple of conversations consisting of what the present could be and "That one hot blonde girl who always looks over at you," says Tom, they finally arrived at the park.
From behind all the playground equipment, trees, and picnic benches popped out a good chunk of Danny's other friends. Tom was happy that Danny looked truly surprised and delighted. He liked seeing his friend happy. It made the reaction better when Danny saw Vicky by the main picnic bench that held the presents and food.
"Vicky! I 'aven't seen you in ages!" Danny cheered. He ran into his sister's embrace. Looking at his sister after so long, she reminded him of their mother.
"It's nice to see my growing little bro," Vicky giggled, ruffling Danny's hair.
Tom smiled to himself proudly. He organized this all himself. He called every single person Danny's ever made contact or hung out with two weeks in advance, told them what Danny liked as a gift, bought all the snacks himself, and to put the cherry on top, he made a secret visit to Miss Darling's house while Danny was out to ask if he could invite Vicky to the surprise party.
To say that Tom liked Danny as a friend is inaccurate and is an understatement. To say that Tom has found the brunette charming, adorable, and boyfriend material is correct enough.
"Hey Tom!" Tom's other close friend - James - waved at Tom frantically. Tom shook his head and met him by the slide.
"James, what's up?"
"Are you going to tell him yet?" James asked giddily with a wide smile.
Tom blushed fiercely and shoved James playfully. "Will you shut up?"
This made James smile even wider and move even giddy. "No! You need to tell him! It's been, like, three years since your last relationship. You can't let this eat you away any longer, Thomas Michael Fletcher. Or else."
Tom crossed his arms over his chest and raised an eyebrow. "Or else what?"
"Or else I'll tell him myself, duh."
Tom's eyes widened. James was never afraid to do things he'd say he would do.
"I will tell him, okay? Not today, though."
James groaned and sat himself at the end of the slide. "When? When you two are laying in graves next to each other? Why not today?"
"He's got something personal - something family related - going on later this evening. It's serious. I don't want to spoil anything," Tom sighed. He motioned for James to scoot and he did as he was told. Tom sat next to him and bit his lip as he looked over at Danny by the picnic table. He just finished chatting with Vicky and accepted an offer to play a bit of footie with his friend Keith.
"Of course he'd tell you. He never tells anyone about his personal life, let alone anything about his family - besides his hot sister - unless it's to you. Face it, he probably likes you back."
"How would you know? I don't want to take the risk, James," Tom admitted as he hid his face in his hands.
"We have to take risks sometimes, Tom. If we don't, we'll never know if that risk was going to be worth our while or not. It'll end up as a regret, whether the outcome could have been good or bad."
Tom sighed again.
"I...I'll think about it."
James groaned. "Thinking, shminking!"
Once seven PM hit, everyone said their goodbyes and headed back home. Only Tom and Danny remained (Vicky was going to stay, but said she needed to do something and would meet Danny back at Miss Darling's.).
All of the leftover food and torn up wrapping paper was left to be thrown away and all that was left on the picnic table were Danny's gifts from his friends. Tom had brought over a wagon from his house to carry Danny's presents back to his house.
"It's a nice present, Danny," Tom chuckled. One of Danny's presents consisted of a Peter Pan hat. Which is from Tom.
"Bloody hell, Tom, you know I don't like those stupid Peter Pan things from the Disney store. Those people think they know my dad and what he wore as a boy..." Danny mumbled. He couldn't help but smile. He did actually like Tom's gift. Those Disney creators were right on point. How they knew what Danny's father wore when he was a leader of the Lost Boys, he'll never know.
"You never told me that movie was actually true," Tom said with a surprised expression. He sat himself on top of the picnic table and smiled.
"Well, it is. I don't know how they got their information, but everything's true," Danny shrugged. "It's weird. It's like a documentary, only in cartoon form."
"The irony," Tom laughed. Danny laughed along. Usually, he wouldn't be comfortable talking about his dad. But today, he was okay with it. He wasn't sure why.
"You do like it, don't you?" Tom asked. Once Danny finished stacking all the presents - in an annoyingly sloppy fashion that Tom was tempted to fix - in the wagon, Tom took hold of the handle and started to walk down the sidewalk with Danny right beside him.
"Of course. I even plan on dressing up as Peter Pan on Halloween, so thank you," Danny teased as he pulled on the hat and jumped in the air, flapping his arms like a bird and crowing just like his dad used to do. Tom shook his head and laughed boisterously. As they passed by a street lamp, Tom could almost see a young Peter Pan in Danny. The similarity was uncanny.
"Whoa."
Danny raised an eyebrow, his blue eyes sparkling under the street lamp light.
"What? What is it?"
"Are you sure you can't fly? I mean, gosh, you look just like Peter Pan. Just like that little boy in photo albums at Miss Darling's house. Except you have an accent, but that doesn't matter."
Danny rolled his eyes and chuckled lightly, looking up to the sky. Right there he could see the North star. And the second star to the right, there was Neverland.
"I don't know. I wish I could. But obviously, I don't have any fairy dust, or whatever it's called," Danny joked. He pulled his pockets out to make emphasis on the joke.
Tom shook his head. "Whatever. But really, you look just like him. You have everything a Peter Pan needs. If you had the chance to be him, you should take it."
Danny looked straight into Tom's eyes and smiled his boyish smile.
"Thanks. I'll take it into consideration."
To Tom, it felt like three sweaty hours (more like twenty silent minutes) until they arrived at Miss Darling's house.
Helping Danny lift the wagon to the front porch, Danny faced Tom before entering the home.
"You've been quiet. Are you alright?"
Tom was genuinely taken by surprise at the question and blushed madly. "Oh, nothing. I'm okay, Danny. Just a bit tired, is all."
Danny stepped down the front porch steps so he ended up standing right in front of Tom. Most of the time, Tom was okay with being this close to Danny, but because he wanted to tell Danny how he felt so badly, this was incredibly uncomfortable. He looked down at his feet.
"Hm. You know, I really like my shoes. I'm going to look at them like I want to eat them," Tom thought. Many thoughts scrambled about in his mind.
"You can tell me, you know."
Tom sighed. For a long moment, the two didn't say anything. They just stood there, breathing in each other's breaths.
Out of nowhere, Danny pulled Tom in for a hug. Tom reluctantly wrapped his arms around Danny and took in his scent, closing his eyes.
"Thanks for the party, Tommy. I don't know what'd I do without you."
"You're welcome, Dan."
He pulled away from Danny's embrace and felt his breath hitch. Looking at Danny, he almost leaned in and kissed him right there.
In that moment, Tom knew he couldn't do it. He wasn't sure if he'd fallen for Danny or Peter Pan for a second. Maybe it was his Disney crazed brain thinking.
"I- I..."
Tom unconsciously backed away from Danny, slightly tripping once his feet touched the sidewalk. Danny gaped at him in confusion. "Tom?"
"I'm sorry Pet- I mean, Danny. I... I'll see you tomorrow!"
And with that, Tom dashed away. He knew once he'd get home, James would call him, and he'd have to give him the disappointing news. Tom was disappointed himself. He almost called Danny, Peter!
Danny, on the other hand, was shocked. "Was he... was he going to call me Peter Pan?"
Looking at the pile of presents, Danny grabbed one that had a reflective surface on the box. Lifting it up to his face, he gasped.
"I look like Peter Pan."
The resemblance was almost there. The freckles, the eyes, the haircut. He could have been a redhead, but he got his mother's hair. Peter Pan was written all over Danny's face. And he hated it.
Danny loved his father. He did. But he deserved nothing, nothing, to look almost like him. He wasn't, and isn't, his father.
He couldn't live up to the expectations of being Peter Pan. Danny could remember having a chat with his father the week before he died. Peter Pan never wanted to grow old. He never meant physically, but personality wise.
Unlike him, Danny was eager to grow up. He wanted to become a musician. In order to become a musician, you needed to be old enough to do some things. And Danny wanted to grow old really fast so he could do all that.
He grabbed the hat off his head. He twirled it around his finger.
"Danny, what are you doing out there? Get in here, you idiot!"
Danny looked up and saw Vicky standing against the doorway. With a sigh, he grabbed the wagon and brought the presents inside. Danny realized that he needed to give the wagon back to Tom tomorrow. If he'd ever talk to him properly. "Nice hat," Vicky smirked as she closed the door.
"Wendy's upstairs taking a shower. Do you want me to help you bring those upstairs?" Vicky added. Danny, still unable to talk, nodded. The two silently took Danny's presents into his room and brought the wagon back outside on the porch.
"Tom got you that?" Vicky pointed at Danny's hat once they settled themselves on the couch with two mugs of hot chocolate.
Danny nodded.
"Hey, what's up? You're not talking," Vicky asked in a concerned tone.
After taking another sip from his mug, Danny said, "Tom almost called me Peter."
Vicky also took another sip from her mug and raised an eyebrow. "Peter? As in Peter Pan?"
Danny sighed. He took off his hat and looked at it again. "Yeah."
"Hah, that's hilarious!" Vicky laughed, covering her giggles with her free hand.
"It's not funny!" Danny's voice boomed throughout the house. Vicky stopped laughing and looked at Danny with a frown.
"What's wrong with looking like Dad? I'd take it as a compliment, not an insult."
"I'm not Dad, Vicky. I can't be. I don't deserve to look like him if I can't be him, you know?"
Vicky rolled her eyes. "I don't think you have much of a choice, kiddo. Peter Pan was our dad. Obviously, I got most of my looks from mom. So, guess who get's most of Dad's looks...?"
Danny sighed. It was a rhetorical question. It was him. Without thinking, he put the hat back on and took another sip from his mug.
"Oh, how adorable. You look just like your father," Miss Darling cooed as she walked down the stairs in her nightgown.
Danny grumbled and his expression grew sour as Vicky snorted, trying to hold back her laughter.
In her hand, she held an antique looking box with a note attached. Danny eyed it curiously.
"Here's an extra mug of hot cocoa, Wendy." Vicky put down her mug to give Miss Darling the extra mug that sat on the coffee table between the couch and the armchair.
"Thank you, Vicky," Miss Darling said as she sat herself down in the armchair, taking a long sip from her mug.
"What's that?" Danny blurted out. He couldn't help it. Curiosity got the better of him.
Miss Darling looked up at him with a soft smile, then looked over at Vicky. The two of them looked at each other with a knowing look.
"Is there something I don't know?" Danny asked as he looked between the two women.
"It's time, isn't it?" Vicky ignored Danny's question.
Miss Darling nodded. "Danny, remember when I told you a while ago that when you turn fifteen, I'd give you the gift your father planned on giving you?"
Danny nodded eagerly.
"Well, here. Take a look."
Miss Darling handed Danny the box. He looked at Miss Darling and Vicky. It seemed like they knew what it was. He hated that.
Opening it slowly, whatever it was inside, started to glow a golden color. Once Danny opened it completely, a shiny, golden sphere was revealed.
"Wow," Danny gasped in wonder. "What is it?"
"It was your father's," Miss Darling explained. "Before he left Neverland, a pirate handed this to him. He's told me all about it, and even told me to never tell you, but I have a feeling that he wrote it down in that note attached to the top. He wanted to tell you himself."
"You both knew about this thing, but never opened the note or told me until now?"
Vicky and Miss Darling nodded. "The day before Dad died, he told me about the orb. He said it as if it held great importance, especially to you. I don't want to say it yet, but this changes your future entirely, little bro," Vicky explained.
Without a word, Danny closed the box and pulled the note off the lid. Taking a deep breath, he opened it.
Danny,
Happy 15th bud! You must be so grown up by now. But because you have Pan blood, you're never too old to be considered not a kid.
And I know you hate that. Ever since you were little, all you wanted to do was grown up things. Like taking out the trash. And getting a job and wearing a tie. Your mother told me that you would make a better dad as a ten-year old than I would ever be.
At this point, you must be wondering what that golden orb is. It's magical. Of course, everyone else thought I was crazy.
Remember when I used to take off on those week-long 'business meetings' every month? Those weren't business meetings.
Those were trips to Neverland. Because I didn't bring fairy dust to the real world, I had to have another way to check in on my Lost Boys. That's what the orb is for.
Once you've read this note, sadly, there's no turning back, kiddo.
I need someone to take care of my Neverland. I know my Lost Boys have held the fort pretty well, but they can't hold it down much longer when Captain Hook is probably planning something bigger and stronger every time. They've been waiting for you.
I know you're probably thinking: I can't leave my friends! I can't leave Mom! I can't leave Vicky! I can't leave school!
But they need you, Danny. Neverland needs you. They're going to need you there until they can hold up on their own again, which may be a while. I don't know how long I stayed a boy.
And unlike you, I didn't have a family to worry about. So don't think I don't know that this is going to be a really hard decision for you.
Now that you've turned the big 1-5, you've got the night before the next day at school to make your mind up, okay?
Whatever it is that you decide, I just want to let you know that I'm always proud of you.
Love,
Dad
For a long time, Danny just stared at the letter. He felt the tears stinging his eyes. He couldn't read the letter again, but he couldn't look up and face Miss Darling and Vicky.
"We called your school and we were allowed to drop you out, as long as you had 'homeschooling'," Miss Darling started to explain.
"We told them you were going to move in with my guardians and I in New York. We planned on having you tell that to your friends," Vicky added. She shuffled closer to Danny and squeezed his shoulder reassuringly.
"I- I... I don't know if I want to do it," Danny muttered, his voice cracking. He sniffled and wiped his nose with his arm.
"Oh, Danny-"
"No, I get it. I do. I know it won't be that hard to tell my friends and my school and it'll be kinda hard leaving you two. You're the only family I have," Danny started as he cut off Miss Darling.
"But if there's anyone I can't leave, I can't leave Tom. He just wouldn't understand. He'd want to come along."
Miss Darling and Vicky looked at each other than back to Danny. "That's understandable. But the main question is, are you actually going to do it?"
Danny sighed. Looking back at the letter, he thought about what'd it be like. He would have to sacrifice so much.
Danny knew that he had to postpone his need to become a musician. He'd have to live - for who knows how long - knowing that his friends and family might die off while he protects Neverland. He would probably forget most of the crap he learned at school - if anything, that sounded like a pro instead of a con.
And he'd have to leave Tom. Tom is practically his everything. You can have a Miss Darling, you can have a Vicky, you can have a Keith, but you can't have a Tom. Because to Danny, there's no one else in the world like Tom. There's no one as nice, sympathetic, loyal, and kind as Tom.
His words echoed in Danny's mind. "You have everything a Peter Pan needs. If you had the chance to be him, you should take it."
"Yes. I'm going to Neverland."
Miss Darling and Vicky smiled the widest smile they ever smiled. They hugged Danny as tightly as they could, knowing they may never see him again.
And Danny held himself together as best he could and hugged them as tight as he could and smiled as wide as he could. Because this may be the last memory he'll have of what he has left of his family.
A/N 3: This was going to be a SA, but I realized I made the plot longer than I wanted to. So instead, this will be a mini-fic that will hopefully consist of six chapters or less. I bet I'll probably go beyond my limit, though. I hope you enjoy impatiently waiting for the next chapter. :)