A/N: For my recent flash fic fest on tumblr, anonymous asked for mythea, title: Concept Of The Lost Ones. So everyone, here is my Peter Pan-inspired Mythea kid!lock AU, rated K. Enjoy!
The concept was simple: bring unhappy, abandoned or neglected children - the lost ones of the world - to Neverland where they might live their lives in freedom and peace and friendship and (best of all) magic.
The problem, Mycroft discovered, was that not all children were made to live in peace. Anthea Darling was, for sure; the two of them could walk for hours, just holding hands and weaving flower garlands; swimming with the mermaids or engaging with the tribe of Pacific Islanders who'd somehow found their way to Neverland even before the pixies and other magical beings had.
Her younger brothers, however - and his own problematic younger siblings Sherlock and Eurus - were not content to just enjoy what Neverland had to offer. No, Sherlock now fancied himself a pirate, with Eurus and a boy named Victor Trevor as his first recruits. And of course John and Michael Darling thought that was more the life for them, and that new girl, Molly Hooper wanted to join the pirate crew… "Why can't they just be happy, Thea?" Mycroft complained as one by one a good half of the children he'd brought to Neverland went off to play pirates with his brother and sister. "Why do they have to change things?"
"I dunno," she said with a shrug. "But instead of fighting with them about it all the time for real…maybe we could make it a Game instead?"
Mycroft thought about it for a few minutes - or maybe an hour, since it was hard to judge time here - then decided it was the best idea he'd ever heard. He gave Anthea a shiny copper penny he'd been saving for just such an occasion. She blushed prettily as she tucked the kiss into the pocket of her pinafore. "So how do we make this game the best one ever?" Mycroft asked.
"Well," Anthea said with a big grin, "first we have to find a real, live pirate ship…"
