"You brought back a GIRL? How do you mistakenly bring back a GIRL?"
"Shut up, Curly. She has short hair. How was I supposed to know?" Peter growled, crossing his arms over his chest defensively.
The Lost Boys all stood in a circle in the middle of the camp staring down at a little short haired, blonde girl that couldn't have been more than six years-old. Her blue eyes were wide with fear as she looked up into the faces of the teenage boys gathered around her. Her bottom lip suddenly began to tremble as tears filled her eyes.
"Aw, don't cry little girl... thing," Slightly crooned, dropping to his hands and knees beside the child and giving her an affectionate smile.
She just stared at him in fear for a moment, clutching her hands to her chest, before suddenly rearing back and slapping him quite soundly across the face.
The boys stared at the girl in surprise as Slightly grimaced and placed his hand over his sore cheek.
"Well, this one's certainly got spunk," he commented, a bit of pride filling his voice. He suddenly looked up at Peter with excitement. "We could keep her and raise her as a Lost Boy! She would never know the difference!"
Peter narrowed his eyes and wrinkled his nose at the suggestion.
"We're not keeping her," he stated firmly. "I'm taking her back at the first light of dawn tomorrow morning."
Slightly let out a groan of disappointment.
"But she's got the Lost Boy spirit!" He argued, dropping his hand from his cheek.
Peter opened his mouth to disagree when a loud, shrill, cry suddenly came from the little girl. The boys all ground their teeth together and clamped their hands over their ears as the child continued to scream for seemingly no reason.
"Somebody shut her up!" Peter yelled over the noise, his hands gripping around his ears.
Felix casually walked over to the basket of fruit the boys kept near the edge of the camp and dug through it a bit before pulling out a ripe, red apple. He walked back over to the girl who was still screaming at the top of her lungs and pulled out his knife. He made two quick cuts down the side of the apple, bent down, and held the slice out in his hand to the child. The little girl immediately stopped crying and stared at the piece of fruit in amazement for a moment. Then she delicately took it from his hand and began munching on it quite contentedly.
The boys slowly dropped their hands from their ears, staring at Felix with wide eyes, wondering how he knew exactly what to do.
Once the little girl had finished that piece of apple, Felix cut another slice and bent down to hand it to her. She happily took it and began crunching on it again. Felix knew that as long as the child's mouth was full, she wouldn't be throwing a fit.
Slightly grinned warmly at the little girl, still on his hands and knees beside her.
"She's so cute when she eats," he crooned affectionately.
The girl looked at him for a moment with big blue eyes as she continued chewing before placing her hand right in the middle of the boy's face and pushing him away. Some of the other Lost Boys snickered with amusement.
"I don't think she likes you," Curly said with a laugh.
Slightly's expression turned hurt as he frowned at the little girl.
"Why not? I'm being nice," he said unhappily.
"Alright, I think that's enough goofing off for one day," Peter interjected with a serious expression, uncrossing his arms. "Back to work."
The boys slowly began to disperse, going back to tending the fire or repairing weapons or such. As Felix made his way over to the pile of rocks the boys used to sharpen their knives, he heard the distinct sound of quiet footsteps behind him. He stopped short and felt something collide with the back of his legs. He turned sightly with a raised eyebrow, looking down at the little girl standing directly behind him. She was peering up at him with wide, blue eyes that reminded Felix an awful lot of Peter's, only hers were filled with innocence instead of mischievousness. He smiled a little, turning back around and heading over to the rocks once more going at a much slower pace so the child could stay with him.
Felix sat down on a log at the edge of the clearing once he had a smooth stone in hand. The little girl climbed up onto the fallen tree and sat down directly beside him, her legs swinging in the air. She grabbed onto his cloak and held it up to her cheek before popping her thumb into her mouth. Felix smiled a little down at the girl and cut another slice of the apple, holding it out to her again. The little girl took it and began crunching on it, keeping Felix's cloak still in hand. Felix sat the apple down on his other side before beginning to run his knife along the stone.
Peter stood on the other side of the clearing, his arms crossed over his chest again and his eyes narrowed as he watched the two. He didn't like all the attention Felix was giving to this little female. What did she have that Peter didn't?
He would admit that it was rather amusing watching such a tiny thing trail after his tallest Lost Boy and maybe Peter's heart did flutter just a little when he noticed how gentle his deadliest warrior was with the child but that was just it. Felix was PETER'S Lost Boy. The girl shouldn't have even been there.
"Boy, Felix and that little girl sure have taken a liking to each other, huh?" One of The Twins asked Curly as they sat on a log together restringing their bows a few feet in front of Peter. "I bet she follows him around everywhere the rest of the night."
Curly smiled as he looked up at the pair in question.
"Yeah. She's like a baby duckling with her mommy," he commented before suddenly turning to look at The Twin. "Hey! If Felix is the mommy, does that make Peter the daddy?"
Peter tensed as the two snickered in amusement.
"She DOES kinda look like them," The Twin remarked with a chuckle. "Blonde hair, blue eyes, a fiery spirit... Maybe she's secretly theirs."
"Nah, she's too cute to be Peter and Felix's kid," Curly laughed.
Peter jerked his hand through the air as a wave of magic smacked the two boys in the back of the head. They pitched forward in surprise, almost falling from the log, before wincing and rubbing at their heads, dropping the bows to their feet.
Peter snarled at them as he stormed past, heading straight for Felix and the little girl. Curly and The Twin just watched him with wide, fearful eyes. They hadn't even known Peter was listening to them.
Felix looked up from the knife and stone in his hands when Peter stopped in front of him. Despite the Neverland ruler's forced calm demeanor, Felix could feel the anger radiating off of him. The blonde quirked an eyebrow wondering what Peter could possibly be so upset about now.
"One of the boys left his spear over by the boar's hideout. Go get it," Peter commanded, his lips sliding into a smirk. "I'll watch the girl while you're gone."
Felix just sat there for a moment, his eyes staying locked with Peter's, before he slowly got to his feet, smirking a little at the shorter boy's clear jealousy. The little girl released Felix's cloak and climbed off the log, standing beside the blonde.
Peter crouched down in front of the girl, forcing a sincere smile on his face.
"Hey, there. You're going to stay here with me while Felix goes out for a bit to do some work," he said pleasantly.
The little girl just looked at Peter before turning her gaze up to Felix. The taller male gave her a small smile as Peter straightened back up.
"You're not going to hurt her, are you?" Felix asked, half kidding, half not, as he eyed Peter's overly shocked expression.
"Why, of course not," he stated with offense, his eyebrows knitting together in mock surprise and hurt. "I'm merely going to keep an eye on her while you're away."
Felix studied Peter's expression for a moment longer before finally turning to head out of the camp. A suddenly sharp cry stopped him in his tracks though and he quickly looked back over at the two. A few of the Lost Boys glanced over as well.
The little girl had one arm outstretched towards him with tears rolling down her cheeks. Peter was gripping onto her other arm to keep her from going after Felix.
"Stop whining you little pest," Peter growled at her in annoyance.
The little girl suddenly turned towards the brunette and swiftly kicked him in the shin. Peter grimaced, releasing his hold on the girl's wrist in order to rub at his leg. She ran over to Felix, hugging his leg tightly. Felix smiled softly in amusement and squatted down in order to be level with the girl. He could hear Peter muttering curse words under his breath.
Felix pulled out a small piece of wood from behind his back along with his knife. As he whittled away at the carving, the girl watched him curiously. Peter was eyeing him as well but with narrowed eyes and a scowl.
"Have you ever heard the story of the young prince that was turned into a bird?" Felix asked as he continued to work, glancing up at the girl's wide, blue eyes. She shook her head. "Well, once upon a time there lived a very selfish, young prince in a castle high on a hilltop." Felix glanced up at Peter with a tiny smirk. Peter rolled his eyes and crossed his arms over his chest, letting out a quiet sigh because he knew exactly where this fairy tale was going. At least, he thought he did.
"One day, the prince's servants brought him a golden cage with a beautiful little bird in it. Now, this bird had never sung a note in its life but the servants had been given strict orders by a certain woman that the cage be brought immediately before him. Confused, the young prince asked who the woman was but the servants hadn't a clue. The prince liked the looks of the bird, so he decided to keep it regardless. For many days, the young prince took great care of the bird by feeding it and talking to it. He grew to love the bird and the bird grew to love him back. So much so that, one day, the bird sang. It sang the most beautiful song the prince had ever heard and he was overjoyed. That night, the very same woman that had first given the bird to the servants appeared at the young prince's window. She was a fairy and she told the prince that she had been watching over him ever since he was born. She knew how selfish he had been but she saw that he had learned to love something other than himself and that love had changed his heart. She said that she would grant him one more gift. She turned the young prince into a bird so that he and the bird would be free to be together forever. Legend has it that, if you're really quiet and you look closely up into the treetops, you can still see the prince and the bird flying freely together."
The little girl tilted her head all the way back so she could look up at the tops of the trees. Felix smiled a little and slipped the little carving into the girl's hand. She looked down at it in surprise and saw that it was in the shape of a small bird with feather details and all. Her eyes lit up instantly and she held the thing close to her chest.
Felix straightened back up, feeling his knees pop at being crouched for so long. He looked over at Peter who was giving him a smirk with his arms still crossed but his eyes held a more thoughtful emotion.
"How did you get so good with children?" Peter asked, his voice almost laughing. It was so odd to see someone as dangerous and deadly as Felix being so gentle and soft.
"I was the oldest of five much younger siblings," Felix replied, cocking an eyebrow. "You know that."
"Oh, right. I forgot," Peter stated, crinkling his eyebrows with confusion before shrugging it off. Felix had been on the island for so long, it was difficult for Peter to remember much of anything about his past. In a way, he had grown to assume that Felix had just always been there.
"Well, I suppose you should be off," Peter continued, raising an eyebrow at the blonde male.
Felix reached down and ruffled the little girl's hair a bit before giving Peter one last smirk and then heading off into the forest. This time, the girl didn't whine or make any movement to follow.
/
Felix arrived back at the Lost Boys' camp later that night. He had found the spear exactly where Peter said it would be. He wasn't sure if one of the boys really had left it there or if Peter's magic had simply put it there in order to make his story seem convincing but, regardless, Felix had found it.
When he entered the camp, he noticed all the boys were sound asleep in their bedrolls and hammocks. Even the little girl was curled up between a couple of the older boys close to the low burning fire. The bird Felix had carved for her was resting beside her head. Felix smiled a little at the sight. He guessed Peter hadn't had too much trouble with her then.
He walked over to the tree with the hollowed out cave beneath its roots that Peter had turned into their lodging at the edge of the clearing. He found Peter seated on one of the chairs inside sharpening a spear with a knife. Peter looked up with a raised eyebrow as he approached him.
"I see you found the spear," Peter commented with a smirk.
Felix leaned it against the wall of the cave before easing down onto the ground a couple of feet away from the Neverland ruler.
"We're not keeping her," Peter stated, watching Felix for his reaction.
Felix looked up under his hooded cloak to meet Peter's gaze, raising an eyebrow slightly at the sudden remark.
"You know how I feel about children," Peter continued, wrinkling his nose a little in disgust as he continued sharpening the spear in his hand.
Felix's lips quirked upwards as his gaze dropped to the ground. He knew how Peter felt about children but that didn't stop him from thinking every now and then that maybe Peter's feelings wouldn't have been quite so negative if things had happened differently. If Peter hadn't been tricked into being with that woman just one night all those years ago, if he hadn't had a child suddenly forced upon him when the woman took off, if he and Felix had decided one day to leave Neverland to try making a normal life for themselves in the Enchanted Forest, then maybe... just maybe Peter's feelings would be different. If Peter's son had been with Felix, would Peter still resent the man so much?
Felix knew better than to bring up such thoughts like that with Peter himself though.
"What?" An exasperated voice suddenly cut in.
Felix looked up to see Peter watching him with narrowed eyes and a frown. Felix merely raised an eyebrow at him quizzically.
"You have that look you get when you're thinking about something. What is it?" Peter demanded.
Felix chuckled a bit.
"I'm not thinking about anything," he drawled with amusement.
"Liar," Peter growled, getting to his feet and placing the spear and knife against the chair. He casually stepped over to Felix and sat down on his lap, wrapping his legs comfortably around the blonde's waist, removing his hood and resting his arms around his neck. Felix placed his hands on Peter's small waist and pulled him closer against his body.
"You know I hate it when you lie to me," Peter pouted, shifting a little on Felix's lap because he knew how much their contact drove him crazy.
Felix simply smirked, ducking his head a bit so he could press his lips firmly against Peter's. Peter pressed up into the kiss briefly and then pulled back after a moment with a sigh.
"We can't keep her," he repeated, his eyebrows furrowing and his voice sounding almost pleading for Felix to understand.
"I never said we should," Felix responded almost scoffing. Did Peter really think he wanted to keep the little girl that badly? Felix knew she needed to go back to her family and that was perfectly fine with him. He couldn't take care of the Lost Boys, Peter AND a child. Not in a place like Neverland.
"I know but you're making those faces like you do," Peter continued, wrinkling his nose.
Felix chuckled again and shook his head before gazing down into Peter's bright blue eyes.
"The only person I want here is you," he said with a tiny smile.
Peter snorted, rolling his eyes and looking off to the side. Felix noticed the way his cheeks had flushed at the comment though.
Felix suddenly grabbed onto Peter's chin and turned his head back around so that their eyes locked together. Felix tilted his head down and pressed their lips gently together once more. Peter smiled into the kiss before suddenly pulling back again. Felix felt like groaning in frustration.
"So, which one was I in your little story earlier? The prince or the bird?" Peter asked, a devilish smirk forming on his lips as one of his eyebrows raised with mischievous curiosity.
Felix smirked in amusement and tugged Peter's hips closer to his body.
"The bird, of course," he responded, feeling his heart flutter at the big grin that lit up Peter's face.
"Good answer," Peter remarked with pride.
He pulled his arms tighter around the back of Felix's neck and lifted up a little in order to catch his lips in a heated kiss. Felix bit down on Peter's bottom lip, eliciting a soft noise from the back of the brunette's throat. Felix shoved his hand down the back of Peter's pants as Peter's legs tightened around his hips. That was when the boys suddenly heard soft footsteps at the entrance to the hollowed out cave.
The two looked over in surprise to see the little girl holding the bird carving against her chest with one hand and rubbing at her eyes sleepily with the other. Peter glared at the girl in annoyance when he suddenly felt Felix picking him up by his waist and gently easing him down onto the ground beside him. Peter narrowed his eyes at the blonde in aggravation.
He didn't know why but, for some reason, Felix felt embarrassed being caught in such a position by the child. If it had been one of the Lost Boys that had walked in on them, Felix would have merely stared the boy down until he felt too uncomfortable and left. It was different with the little girl though.
Peter watched the child walk over to Felix and curl up beside him with a yawn. Felix smiled softly down at her. Peter ground his teeth together and suddenly got to his feet.
"I think I'll sleep outside tonight," he stated with forced pleasantry, heading for the entrance of the cave.
Felix immediately reached up and caught Peter's wrist. The Neverland ruler purposely turned his face away though, refusing to look at the blonde.
"Peter," Felix stated, his grip staying locked on the boy's wrist.
Peter kept his expression hard and his face turned away, knowing that he would give in if he looked at the blonde.
"She's only here for one night," Felix continued, his voice slightly amused.
Peter felt his lips twitch in annoyance but he finally glanced over at Felix, quickly catching his eyes. Felix had a tiny smirk on his face as he gazed up at him. Peter looked down at the little girl sleeping beside Felix. As much as he hated sharing Felix with anyone, it WAS just for one night. And Felix seemed to like playing this motherly game. Peter figured it wouldn't kill him to allow one other person in their cave just for that night.
Felix smiled when Peter let out an exasperated sigh and allowed the blonde to gently tug him down on his other side. Felix leaned back until he was resting on the ground and Peter placed his head on Felix's chest, curling up against his side. Felix rested his arm around Peter's shoulders, lightly combing his fingers through the brunette's hair.
The little girl curled up against Felix's other side wrapped her tiny arms around his elbow as she slept. Felix felt Peter stiffen at the action but he relaxed a little when Felix pressed his lips against the top of his head. Felix couldn't help but smile softly at how the three of them must have looked. Despite Peter's clear distaste for the whole situation, he had been willing to go along with it. Maybe Felix could still change Peter's mind about children after all.
Then again, as possessive as both he and Peter were, it was probably for the best that it would always be just the two of them. After all, three's a crowd.