The young man strolled through the small village, his hands in his pants' pockets. He wasn't really looking for anything in particular, mainly just wandering.
He passed by several women hanging laundry out on some clothes lines. Nearby was a young boy throwing feed out to some chickens and a man milking a cow. The young man smiled a little to himself. He liked the quiet peacefulness of the village.
A very soft, flute like sound drifted faintly across the breeze. The young man continued to walk along, not even noticing the sound taking him captive. He followed the music's trail, the melody growing increasingly louder with each step until he finally turned a corner down a dirt ally and stopped dead.
A brunette boy only slightly younger than the young man himself sat with his back against the stone building, one leg stretched out in front of him, the other draped across it. He held a wooden pan flute in his hands, his lips barely grazing the ends of the pipes.
The music suddenly stopped, one note hanging softly in the air, as the boy lowered the instrument slightly and turned his head to look up at the intruder. His bright sky-blue eyes were striking even in the dim light of the cloudy day causing the blonde's breath to catch but only for a moment.
One eyebrow slowly arched on the boy's forehead as the two just stared at each other. The young man could tell the brunette was surprised even though his expression gave nothing away.
"Can I help you?" The boy finally asked, tilting his head to the side and studying the other male.
It took the young man a second longer to respond than it should have. The boy's soft face and porcelain skin were unfairly captivating coupled with those piercing blue eyes.
"You play beautifully," the blonde finally spoke, his voice quiet.
The boy's eyebrows rose ever so slightly as he studied the other male.
Years. For years the boy had sat in that exact same spot behind that exact same building and not once had anyone ever found him. This could be nothing but the work of fate.
At least, it would have been if the boy believed in such a thing.
His lips slowly rose into a smile that appeared more like a smirk.
"Why, thank you," the boy said, pushing himself up onto his feet and then brushing off the back of his pants.
He straightened up and smirked more openly at the other male.
"My name is Peter. Peter Pan," he declared, bowing ever so slightly in dramatics before holding his hand out. "And you are?"
"Devlyn," the blonde responded.
"Devlyn," Peter repeated, straightening back up again. His smirk faded for only a brief moment before being quickly put back in place. He slowly walked towards the young man, surveying him.
"Well, that's a rather... unfortunate name," he remarked, beginning to circle around the blonde. "You don't look like a Devlyn."
Peter stopped in front of the young man once he had made it back around and tilted his head again, his eyebrows furrowing in concentration.
The blonde found that he couldn't look away from the other boy's stare.
"I've found the name usually suits me," he finally replied, his lips slightly elevated in a tiny smirk. His fortune had never been very favorable.
Peter suddenly grinned, his nose wrinkling and his eyes light with amusement.
"Not anymore," he declared. "For today you have met me. And there is nothing more fortunate than that."
The clack of wooden wheels on gravel suddenly filled the air. Peter peered around the other male as a horse pulled a cart filled with crates of fruit past the small alleyway. The blonde turned slightly to watch as well, finally freed from the boy's stare.
The cart hit a small bump in the road causing a bright red apple to topple out of one of the crates and hit the dirt. The man walking with the horse didn't take notice though as they trod out of sight.
Peter stared at the object for a long moment before briefly gazing over the blonde male's profile.
He had an appealing face, Peter would give him that. His emotionless gray eyes and the hard line of his lips made it difficult to gage what he was thinking though even when he smiled. Peter always liked a challenge, however. He was thin, almost to the point of being unhealthy, a clear sign of what a difficult life he was leading. He was also quite dirty around the edges but Peter never really cared for cleanliness.
If this young man could hear the music from those pipes, that meant he was alone. Or, at the very least, felt alone.
An idea suddenly occurred to Peter as his gaze drifted back to the apple still lying in the road. A smirk rose to his lips as he casually sauntered past the blonde and over to the piece of fruit. He bent over to retrieve it, straightening back up and then tossing it a few inches up into the air before catching it again. He did this four more times as he surveyed the surrounding area.
Just then his eyes suddenly locked onto what he had been looking for leaning beside a closed door a few yards down the street.
"Say," he began with an innocent expression, turning back to the young man. "How good are you with a bow and arrow?"
The blonde shrugged one shoulder slightly, his expression giving away nothing.
"I'm alright," he allowed.
"Alright enough to shoot this apple off the top of my head?" Peter asked with an almost wicked grin.
And finally there was a hint of emotion in the other male's face. His eyes widened ever so slightly as anxiety began wafting off of him. Peter could tell he didn't like this idea one bit but the young man wasn't arguing. That was a good sign.
Peter casually walked down to where the wooden bow and three arrows were lying beside the doorway. He picked them up and then walked back, handing them to the blonde with a knowing smirk as he caught his eyes. No, he definitely didn't like this idea.
"You're not going to hit me," Peter stated, staring the young man straight in the eyes for a long moment. He turned then, heading across the small gravel road to a tree right on the edge of it. He turned back around to face the young man who hadn't moved an inch and carefully balanced the apple atop his head.
The young man slowly sucked in a deep breath as he pulled out one of the arrows and strung it back on the bow. He aimed for almost half a minute before finally releasing the arrow. It sailed across the road and then into the forest, four feet away from where Peter stood.
The brunette cocked an eyebrow and then scoffed.
"I thought you said you were alright," he lightly jest. "If that's the best you can do, perhaps I should have-"
The sound of the second arrow piercing through the core of the apple and then lodging deep into the tree immediately cut off Peter's words.
The blonde let out a soft breath as he lowered the bow to his side. Peter just stood there for a moment longer, his mouth slightly parted from his lost words. He knew the other boy would be good. He didn't know he'd be two arrows good.
Actually, he didn't know he'd be one arrow good. That first shot was clearly fired in its intended direction.
Perhaps Peter wasn't the only one testing the waters of this new potential companionship. Perhaps he, himself, was being tested as well. Was he truly serious about his dares? And, if he was, this boy was proving that he would take him up on every one of them.
Peter's lips slowly rose into a sideways smile. Maybe this really was the work of fate.
He ducked slightly out from under the apple and stepped back over to the blonde, his smile widening.
"Say," he began again, stopping in front of the young man. "How would you like to come home with me?"
The blonde's head tilted ever so slightly as he stared into Peter's bright blue eyes.
"And where would that be?" He drawled with a tiny smirk.
"Why, Neverland, of course," Peter responded with a grin and a flourish of his hand.
The young man's smirk widened a bit in amusement as his gaze turned uncharacteristically soft for only a brief second before regaining its usual stoic composure.
"What?" Peter asked, his delighted gaze staying locked with the other boy's. "You don't have anywhere else to be, do you?"
"No," the blonde replied simply.
"Tell you what," Peter continued, placing a finger up to his lips as he thought. "You come to Neverland with me and I'll... I'll make you my second in command. What do you say?" He asked with a grin, holding his hand out towards the blonde.
The young man glanced down at the hand and then raised his eyes back to those mischievous blue orbs. Once again he found himself thinking how unfair it was for this boy to have those captivating eyes coupled with such a soft face and fair skin. Like telling him no was even an option.
The blonde watched him for a second longer before smiling a little himself and taking the boy's hand.
"Sure."
Peter could have sworn he felt a light shock go through his hand and up his arm but he quickly pushed the thought of what it might mean out of his mind as he smiled openly up at the young man.
"Wonderful! Then from this day forward, you shall be my new companion... Felix."