Five times Tinker Bell and Terence hid their feelings for each other and once they didn't
English is not my first language; I promise I tried my best :)
1.
Her first visit to the Mainland came to a perfect end on a clear night, when a few shinning stars decorated around the brightest moon she's ever seen. The clouds were not thick, so the fairies in the sky could see clearly the gathering on the ground.
Tinker Bell was obviously overjoyed. She flew swiftly among her friends, who were all chattering happily as if the long trip did not exist at all.
"Hey Tink! Did you enjoy it?" Asked Silvermist.
"Oh, come on, Sil" replied Tinker Bell, "that was the best time I've ever had!"
They were near the ground now, where many other fairies were welcoming them. In the head of the crowd stood Queen Clarion. Seeing them coming down from the sky, the Queen fluttered forward and greeted them with a smile. "Fairies, welcome back," she said, "Well done everyone, you have brought a beautiful start to the new year. And Tinker Bell," she turned to the tinker fairy, "I see you accomplished your mission." Tinker Bell nodded and smiled.
Fairies began to wave good night to each other and return to their homes. Tinker Bell knew she would have a good rest tonight, but she must go to a certain place before heading back home.
From a distance, the Pixie Dust Tree looked like the source of all the light in the universe, but it was the tranquility of the night that made it even more mysteriously beautiful. Tinker Bell flew to the pool of golden dust; she waited.
Not long after, as she expected, she heard wings flapping and a boy's voice calling her excitedly: "Hey, Tink! You're back!" She turned around, "Hi Terence! You are working quite late."
"Oh yeah," he said, flying towards her, "busy recently. Emm…. How was the Mainland?"
"Everything was wonderful! I saw the natural talented fairies brought spring, but what excited me the most was that I found the actual owner of the music box. I gave it back to her! She was a little girl, and I believe she was happy having her toy back." She suddenly discovered she was starting to forget her true purpose of coming here, so she changed the subject immediately—
"Terence, I came to … say thank you."
"What? You don't need to thank me." he said with a little chuckle.
"But I do." She quickly replied—perhaps too quickly, "I want to thank you for listening to my… complains and made me realize my talent is important. And…" she reached for the small bag on her waist, "for the extra pixie dust."
Terence was obviously not used to receiving these much thanks at the same time, "Emm, in that case, so glad I could help, Tink." He added a tiny smile, similar to the one he gave her after she learned about the importance of being herself.
Tinker Bell put the little bag of dust in Terence's hand, "I did not use all of them, so you can take back what was left. I know pixie dust is an important resource."
"As you wish," he said, putting the small bag in his satchel, "anything else I can help you with tonight?"
"No… that's it… Goon night Terence."
"Goon night Tink." He waved as she flew out of sight.
2.
Tinker Bell woke up this morning feeling very relaxed. She had finished all her work ahead of time this week, which meant she could use the last day to freely do anything she wanted to.
So, she flew to the library. This was the place she came to the most often besides her working place. It was still early when she arrived; the seats were all empty. Every once in a while, some birds would chirp. The morning sun of spring cast a white-golden glow on everything that sat still. Tinker Bell took a deep breath and flew to the shelves she wanted to explore today: those with the books about tinkering. Years have passed since she realized the importance of being a happy tinker, and no one could deny she was extremely talented in inventing and repairing things. Tinker Bell had been learning about all the machines and techniques ever used in Pixie Hollow, and even some used in the world of humans.
Today was perfect for some learning.
Tinker Bell carried several books back to a window seat. She soon became immersed in her readings and did not notice the sunlight on her desk was blocked a bit—someone took a seat in front of her.
But whoever that was, he knew precisely not to disturb, as Tinker Bell kept reading for the next two hours without noticing anyone sitting at the same desk. It was only until she stood up to take a break when she finally saw the other fairy: acorn cap and vest of red leaves. The morning sun bounced back and forth on his golden hair and light skin; his blue eyes, with the kind of attention that only belonged to him, were focusing on his pages.
"Terence! I thought you were at the Mainland!"
"Good morning Tink!" Terence replied animatedly, "Yes, I was at the Mainland, but I managed to come back one day earlier with several other fairies. We finished our work ahead of time." Tinker Bell grinned at his words.
"That is also why I am taking a day off."
"So, we can both stay here today! That's wonderful!" Terence said. A huge smile lit up his face, followed by a sudden blush—realizing he perhaps said out his thought too loudly.
"Well, I guess…yes." Tink replied with obvious expectation. "Let me get us some water."
At the hydration station, she took one extra drink before getting two glasses of water for her and Terence, hoping the water could clear her mind about why her cheeks were burning. Honestly, this was not the first time she felt shy and awkward when being along with Terence. She thought about his blush: was he thinking about the same thing as she did?
Tinker Bell shook her head slightly, throwing away the uncertainties, and took the two glasses of water back to their desk.
But the day still passed in absolute joy. Terence was studying dustology and he sometimes discussed with Tink about the machines used by the dust keepers; "There are more and more fairies," he explained, "efficiency is valued."
"No problem!" Tink answered, "I can suggest to Fairy Mary about this project of improving the efficiency for dust processing. Speaking of which…" she paused, apparently she was serious about what would come next, "You were working too much this season. One day I woke up at around 5 in the morning and I saw you already started working. And I heard from other dust keepers that you do this almost every day."
"Hey, that's alright!" Terence chuckled, "I am pretty glad Fairy Gary trusts me this much."
"Okay…" Tink said, giving in, "You are… truly a very nice person, Terence. But… you must not stress yourself out. You know, if you feel tired, you can always come and talk to me." She really had no idea the suggestion slipped out.
At the end of the day, Tink and Terence flew out of the library together, laughing. They were spotted by Rosetta, Iridessa, and Fawn. The three could not help but shared some knowing smiles.
3.
What happened in the past few days were all a miracle to her. She broke the Moonstone, made a balloon, went on a journey, found the enchanted mirror, wasted a wish, and, the best of all, she and Terence forgave each other and became best friends again.
Best friends… she pondered. The way she missed him while alone on the journey, and how happy she was when seeing him really had flew all night and all day to look for her— who exactly was him to her?
"Tink?" It was Terence, apparently, he had noticed her inattention.
"Oh, emm, I'm fine." Tinker Bell quickly replied, a little nervous, about which she really did not understand: the worst had passed, she made it back unhurt, and the scepter was extremely successful. Right now, they were almost at the Pixie Dust Tree. She had been holding the scepter and Terence at her side.
The Pixie Dust Tree looked so large with all the fairies, who formed a glowing path across the lake and into the heart of the leaves. When they were just about to enter the tree crown, Tinker Bell grabbed Terence's hand and placed it on the scepter. "I couldn't have done anything without you," she said sincerely, "we have to compete this together."
They led the way into the Pixie Dust Tree, which suddenly sparkled with blue. More and more fairies entered, and the giant tree gradually turned into a center of light and laughter. "This way my dear," said the Minister of Autumn, "you can now put your creation along with all the other scepters, as a part of the history of Pixie Hollow."
Tink smiled proudly, she held out the beautiful scepter, and with one last touch, she put the scepter onto its place. Her friends were waiting back at the pool of golden pixie dust: Silvermist, Iridessa, Rosetta, and Fawn. Tink thanked them for the performance at the ceremony.
And then it was time to party. The Cooking Talents had prepared food. All kinds of insects and birds were filling the night air with sweet music. But Tink only fetched a small basket of food before flying to Terence as fast as she could and caught him before any of his colleagues did.
"Where are we going?" Terence asked, laughing. They were flying through the leaves, which tickled him by patting on his skin.
It did not take them too long to reach the destination, though. Terence gasped when he saw the view.
The moon shone its brightest light, a veil of faint blue and pure ivory. Pixie Hollow was totally immersed in the holy glow. Down in the giant tree, the laughter from fairies could still be heard vaguely, but everything extending from here was covered by the safe and sound of the autumn night.
"I think the past season has been quite stressful for both of us, so perhaps we need to take some time off tonight," said Tink, sitting down and handing Terence her basket, "hungry?"
"Well, you did a great job." Terence said, taking a piece of fruit cake. He seemed to be lost in thought all of the sudden, and Tink absolutely noticed.
"Terence?"
"Oh, emm, nothing. It is just…" he turned his gaze to Tink, "it is fine you are angry with me sometimes; I just wish you can always tell me when those times come. I mean, this is… what friends do, right?"
"Oh, sure." Tink replied, though this was meant to be her line. "Well… are we all good then?"
"Yeah." Terence nodded.
The party went on for almost like forever, but Tink and Terence were nowhere to be seen. This would likely result in another gossip the other day. But tonight, they did not care. Tink let her head fell on Terence's shoulder, sighing in content. He put an arm around her waist, breathing in the scent from her dress and hood.
So, this was how and where her adventure ended.
Well, it was so much better than she had imagined.
4.
The border was quiet. Tinker Bell knew there were winter fairies in the depth of the woods, but she could not hear them, which was exactly what she needed today. "Ah, this is the border." Terence said, gazing into the everlasting snowfall. He knew that in the human world summer and winter cannot exist at the same time, but here in Pixie Hollow, all it needed was a little bit of magic.
"Indeed!" Tink said excitedly, "I really should have brought you with me the first time I came here. I am so sorry Terence; I was too eager to find out about my sparkling wings."
"No, it's alright. You needed time alone with you sister." Terence quickly said, "Besides, we are already here right now. I see you do not want to disturb anyone else."
Indeed, Tink had planned this trip only for Terence and her. He had been so busy recently, and her, afraid of troubling him, did not ask him to go out. Tink was definitely aware of her female friends' advice, and knew she need to show her care as Terence's best friend, but something always stopped her from reaching out to him. Once she finally dared to go to his working place. Fairy Gary and the other dust keepers seemed excited about her visit— most of them even knew she was here for Terence, how did they? Zarina, who became Tink's close friend after the blue dust incident, quickly dragged Terence out.
They flew away together, both feeling a bit embarrassed. But Tink was feeling confused also: since when had Pixie Hollow started to joke about Terence and her? Perhaps wanting to avoid further awkwardness, Terence took her to the beach, where they could be alone. Tink soon forgot her confusion and enjoyed the day with him; despite everything, she could never deny she love spending time with him.
So she arranged this visit to the winter woods, knowing Terence had never came to this place before.
Now they were at the border. They put on their coats, carefully placed their wings inside the coats-as there were no winter fairies around to frost them, and walked into the winter together. "Wow, this is colder than I thought." Terence said, putting on his gloves, seeing Tink also putting on hers.
"You will get used to it. Come on. It's pretty fun out there."
At first, they just strolled in the snow, letting the little pieces of coldness fall on their coats— Tink was feeling so lucky she had added waterproof layers to them. The snow gradually became deep. At one point, Terence found himself started to sink into the soft pile of snow; he quickly grabbed Tink's shoulder for support, which resulted in them both fell on top of the thick snow. The next moment they were laughing and throwing snowballs at each other. Tink threw a handful of snow at Terence and knocked his acorn cap off his head, and Terence quickly threw a bigger snowball back, hitting Tink's right shoulder. When the snowball fight stopped, they stood up and shook the remaining snow off their coats. Tink couldn't help but stole a glance at Terence.
His golden hair was a little messed up— but in such an adorable way. His blue eyes, clear and kind as always, sparkled with excitement. His ever-so-slightly chubby cheeks, as well as his round nose and pointed ear, all grew a bit red from the coldness that surrounded, reminding her of the first touch of redness of autumn fruits.
Well, he was pretty handsome.
Terence had finished dusting the snow off his coat and turned his attention to Tink, who suddenly became aware of her own staring, shifting her eyes rapidly. "You have a patch of snow on your back; here, let me help." He walked to her and cleaned that part for her.
They spent the rest of the day just wandering and talking. Tink reminded herself to tell her sister later on about this visit, but for now, she just wanted to be alone with Terence.
When the day ended, they were sitting on a cliff, viewing the magnificent sunset. It was especially beautiful when viewed in the winter: with ice and snow all around, the reflection of the colorful clouds looked like a miracle of fire inside water. The warmer side of Pixie Hollow could also be spotted from where they were sitting. Tink imagined that the fairies on the other side must be busy right now—she would also be in any other days. But for now, she was enjoying such a great gift from nature with…
Her best friend?
Tink pondered on the thought. For ages she had been sure about the way she referred to Terence, but now, she was certain that something had changed, and perhaps had changed a long time ago.
"There was once a time when I wanted to be a light fairy." remarked Terence suddenly, which was to Tink's surprise.
"What? I thought you always liked your job."
"I do, but…you have to admit, being able to shift sun beams and light up the fireflies, these are pretty cool. Sometimes you just want to have what you don't have but ignore what you already have."
"So…you've always understood why I wanted to change my talent back then?" She asked.
"Yes, Tink, I do." Terence answered, he turned his eyes back to her— his blue eyes reflecting the last shade of red-gold, "I always do."
5.
Summer had come, again.
Tinker Bell sat in front of her house tonight. Tomorrow they would depart for the Mainland. Ages had passed and she had already become one of the fixed members to visit the Mainland; it turned out that even the fairies were there to change the seasons, tinker fairies were constantly needed to make and repair all kinds of tools.
A nightingale flew close, resting on a branch than hung so elegantly in the cool evening air. Soon, beautiful music began to fill in the empty space underneath the new moon, making the world seemed not that vast.
Why did she feel lonely tonight?
Tink shook her head, several loose strands of golden hair fell from behind her ears. She could be with her friends tomorrow, and they were going to settle down in a new camp; she should be happy.
She was so deep in her thought that she did not notice another fairy approaching from behind. And when she finally noticed, the newcomer had already sat down next to her. "What's wrong Tink?" Terence asked, obviously concerned, "You look…sad." He naturally slipped one arm around her waist.
"Some thoughts came to me tonight," Tink did not mind telling him everything— in fact, she had been thinking she needed him tonight. "Thoughts about loneliness," she continued, "I guess that is part of the negatives of being a fairy, isn't it?" She lifted her head a bit to look at him in the eyes, "Lizzy's summer house no longer existed."
Terence knew that, he was, in fact, there when Tink realized she may never see that girl again. He had absolutely no idea where she was off to but guess she grew up and had to move to somewhere far away; however, he did know Tink burst into tears right there and then and he hold her all the way back to their camp, hoping his presence could ease some of her pain.
As he was hoping right now.
"That house was pretty old when I first met her, but I never imagined it would really be removed someday." Tink stared into the horizon decorated with faint shades of glowing silver, "And several years ago when I was on the Mainland, I saw the cars and houses were changing into different models and shapes, they seemed…a lot more… modern."
Terence listened.
Tink lift a hand to brush away her tears. "We live very long lives, Terence, and that means we have to see the world change and our human friends leave." The last part faded into a tiny whisper.
And then she was silent again. The nightingale had left— perhaps went back to its home. The tranquility of the night suddenly seemed such a weight.
Tink wrapped her arms around Terence's neck, "why are you not coming with us tomorrow?"
Terence sighed, putting both arms around her waist, "You know we have a schedule for deliveries, and I WILL be there since the fourth week into summer. So it won't be long before we can stay together."
"You promise?" Tink raised her head slightly, as if still not assured.
"I promise." Terence said after a brief pause and with a sense of determination. "Now come on, you need to rest." He lift her up and walked with her into the house.
6.
Tink had visited the Mainland many times, but she never felt lonely in any of her previous visits.
This time things were all different.
Lizzy had grown up and perhaps would not have spare time to come to the countryside anymore. Fairies relocated to a different camp, as more and more humans were starting to gather around the original one, making it no longer safe. Cities have increased in numbers and expanded in sizes, so the natural-talented fairies had to split up into smaller groups to work in parts of the cities. She could not stay with her friends because an increase in the numbers of fairies working outside meant an increased chance of being spotted by human. Well, and above all, Terence was not with her.
The other fairies had sure noticed she was down ever since arrival, and all had tried to comfort her. Tink thanked everyone for the effort and made sure to appear more cheerful around them. But deep down in her heart, she knew something had changed, and she could not find out the way to carry on.
So, this was why she finished her work earlier this afternoon, saving some time to fly to the top of the fairy camp and just being alone for a while. Ironic, she thought, I needed to be alone in order to heal the wounds of being lonely.
Summer breeze came from not far away; Tink looked down and saw Vidia flying among the tall grass, like she always enjoyed doing in this season. Tink secretly thanked Vidia for bringing the breeze she craved for at the moment. She slowly reached to the top of her head and let down her hair. Shaking her head slightly in the warm wind seemed a good way to let go of certain memories in the past and to face whatever that might come in the future.
She was completely unaware of the time passing until the air surrounding her became a bit cool; she was just about to hug herself to stay warm when she felt something— like a piece of cloth—was put on her shoulder.
And she already knew who that was.
"You came." She smiled, slightly turning her head back to greet him. She had thought she would rush to him and put him into a tight embrace, but she realized now she did not need to. After all, things have remained the simplest and most sincere form between them, for such a long time.
There was something else, the last part to a complete and eternal sincerity. She was ready to take the step. And she knew deep in her heart that he was, too.
"You know I would always come to you." Terence whispered, sitting down on the branch beside her and adjusting his vest that was now on her shoulder. "We will always come to each other. We have been keep doing this for ages."
"Ages…" she repeated, her voice spread out by the evening wind. In a distance, the city lights shone through a thin haze, mixing with the various red, orange, and yellow of a summer-day sunset. For the first time since arrival, Tink's heart flutter at the beauty of the scene, and perhaps at something else, too.
"Terence," she slowly turned to him. Now face to face, they were looking directly into each other's eyes. "Do you think we can… keep doing this for the rest of our lives?"
Terence was slightly shocked by this, but he quickly regained composure, smiling warmly back at her, "Yes, we can."
His hand moved to cover hers, gently and carefully. Although this was the first time they hold hands like this, Tink immediately knew it felt right.
"Tinker Bell, I love you." Terence said her full name, so that she would be sure it was her that he had always and would always love.
"I love you too Terence." She locked her eyes with his before slowly closing them as he leaned in to kiss her.
The sun had set behind the horizon; the last light escaped from afar, and everything was a silhouette of late dusk and early stars. Among them are two fairies who finally found their hearts.
And, well, they could not wait for a new life to start.
—The End—