Disclaimer: I do not own these characters or this show.
They say Neverland is a paradise, especially when it comes to the weather. Almost every day feels like summer, making it a wonderful place to be. However, even in a place as magical as Neverland, there are exceptions. It was the beginning of summer, promising the nicest weather, and a certain pirate crew of four was eagerly anticipating it. Excited about the season, they decided to spend the night on their newly rebuilt ship, the Buccaneer—or Bucky, as they affectionately called it. They had lost the original ship in a hurricane not long ago, but Peter Pan, the embodiment of "anything is possible," surprised them with a new one. This version was slightly larger, though not as big as the Jolly Roger, to better accommodate their growing crew, consisting of two teenagers and a pre-adolescent.
Tonight, however, the weather was anything but pleasant. On the very first night of summer, the rain poured and the wind howled. The three young pirates had planned to sleep on the deck under the stars, expecting mild temperatures. But their plans were literally rained on as they dashed below deck when the storm began. They feared another hurricane that might claim their ship again, but the storm, while fierce, wasn't strong enough to do more than toss the ship around. Still, it required some quick repairs from their leader.
Meanwhile, the rest of the crew tried to sleep in their hammocks, though it was difficult with the ship rocking violently. Each giant wave that crashed into Bucky caused the hammocks to sway, making it nearly impossible to rest.
Cubby, a young twelve-year-old with blonde hair and a physique he was trying to rebuild after years of hardship, was particularly frustrated. He had been thrown out of his hammock for the third time that night, landing hard on the wooden floor of the cabin. Huffing in irritation, he sat up. The loud drilling sound from somewhere outside further disturbed his attempts at sleep, but he was too tired to venture out into the storm to investigate. He looked across the room to see another hammock. In it was Izzy, curled up in a yellow blanket, seemingly sleeping peacefully despite the noise and the ship's rocking.
Cubby glared at her, exasperated.
"Coconuts! Izzy, how can you sleep with all this racket going on?" he shouted, his voice grumpy and tired.
"I can't," she replied, her eyes still closed and her body still in a sleeping position. "Fake it till you make it, Cubster."
Cubby crosses his arms with a pouty face and then looks to the right and sees an empty hammock that belonged to their leader.
"Where's Jake?" he asks. Izzy adjusts herself in the hammock.
"He's down below fixing the leak," she says, muffled by her blanket. "The hole was pretty big and it was starting to fill up with water down there but Jake said he could handle it."
"So that's why we haven't sailed back home yet? " Cubby asks. Izzy nods, closing her eyes again. "Well I sure hope he fixes it soon—," he's interrupted by another aggressive jerk of the ship-making everything in the cabin slide across the wooden floor. "I don't know how much more of this rocking I can take."
"It'll be ok, just close your eyes and try to sleep." Izzy comforts.
"Well, alright then. Goodnight matey." Cubby says, walking back over to his hammock.
"Goodnight." Izzy squeaks, tiredly. Cubby heads back to his hammock and can't help but think of how cold it looks, now that he's got up again. He looks back at Izzy and notices how warm she looks. Of course, being the only member of the crew who had some common sense, she made the wise choice of bringing a blanket. Cubby, Jake and Skully had told her about a hundred times that it was summertime and she wouldn't need one for it would be sweltering hot, but of course, it ended up raining and blowing cold wind. Cubby feels even colder as he looks at her small form comfortably swathed in warmth, then an idea sparks.
"Izzy…" Cubby squeaks, heading over to her hammock.
"What?"
"Do you mind if I join you?" he asks, Izzy's eyes open and give him a tired look. "Please? It's really cold in here."
"Oh….." Izzy moans as she pauses to think for a while. She gives Cubby a quick up and down. Despite being only twelve, he was bigger than her now but only just by a bit, she supposed. Jake was the giant of the crew, not Cubby. "Oh….alright, come on." Izzy says, lifting the blanket up so he can get under it with her. Cubby's face lights up.
"Aw thanks Izzy!" Cubby says, crawling into the hammock and snuggling under her blanket, next to her warm body.
"Don't mention it," Izzy says with a weak smile. "Now sleep."
Cubby was about to drift off to sleep, comforted by the warmth of Izzy's blanket, when a few minutes later, the cabin door creaked open. Jake stumbled in, shivering and slightly dripping wet from the storm. His teeth chattered slightly as he stood in the doorway.
"Well…I fixed it!" he announced, proudly. Cubby and Izzy, both utterly exhausted, barely acknowledged him. The lad with the red bandana slumped his posture at their lack of enthusiasm. "Well, you guys don't have to thank me that much." he muttered sarcastically.
"Good… job." Izzy, half-asleep, managed to say before sinking back into her slumber.
Another shiver ran down Jake's spine, his damp clothes clinging to his skin. He had spent the last hour in ankle-deep water fixing the leak, and now, the biting cold had settled into his anything to keep Bucky ship shape and his crew safe.
Jake moved towards his hammock, only to find it just as cold and unwelcoming as the seawater that had threatened to flood the ship. He shivered again, glancing across the room to see Cubby and Izzy snuggled together in her hammock. The sight of their shared warmth sparked an idea in his mind. Without hesitation, the leader of the three stood up from his hammock and quickly made his way to Izzy's.
"Move over, mateys." he declared, climbing into the already crowded hammock and snuggling up to Izzy, who was now sandwiched between the two boys.
"Hey!" Izzy exclaimed, her eyes snapping open in surprise.
"What's the big idea!?" Cubby echoed her sentiment, glaring at Jake.
Jake shrugged, unabashed.
"Oh I don't know. It's freezing, and you guys are warm. Self-explanatory." he said, settling himself more comfortably.
Izzy pouted, trying to push the fifteen-year-old pirate off.
"Yay hey…no way, Jake! There is no more room, so go sleep in your own hammock."
Jake raised an eyebrow, glancing towards Cubby.
"Well, you let him on." he pointed out.
"He doesn't weigh a hundred and thirty pounds!" she hissed, despite it was also Cubby who she was trying to avoid being crushed by, given that she's now the smallest of the crew ever since they aged a few years.
"Yeah! And I'm also not soaking wet either!" Cubby added, glaring at Jake. "It was your idea to spend the night out at sea, and now we're in the middle of a storm!" Cubby continued, his blonde hair sticking out in every direction.
"How was I supposed to know it was going to rain?" Jake asked defensively. "Shouldn't the smart one know that?" he added, pointing at Izzy.
The girl huffed, her patience wearing thin.
"I may be the smart one here, but that doesn't mean I can predict the future! But aside from that, I did make the smart decision of bringing a blanket, so you guys can just suck it up!" she sassed, her eyes narrowing at the two boys.
Jake was not ready to give up his newfound source of warmth.
"Oh, have a heart, Iz." he whined as he snuggled closer to her and Cubby's warm bodies.
Izzy's exasperation reached its peak.
"I already do, and I would like to keep it beating, so I would appreciate it if you scooted over because you're squishing me!" she exclaimed, trying to find some space for herself in the cramped hammock.
Reluctantly, Jake shifted slightly, giving Izzy a bit more room. The three of them, now bundled together, tried to find comfort in the swaying hammock, hoping for the storm to pass and bring a peaceful night's sleep.
"This would be a lot easier if we were small again." Cubby noted, shifting uncomfortably.
"I agree, so either one or both of you better skedaddle right now! This is my hammock!" Izzy declared, glaring at both boys.
"You get off, Jake!" Cubby ordered, despite his lower rank.
"Me!? I was just out there for an hour fixing Bucky and I'm freezing! Where am I supposed to sleep, then?" Jake asked, his green eyes wide with disbelief.
"On the ground with all the other bugs." Cubby joked, a mischievous grin spreading across his face.
"Well! That's the thanks I get for practically getting pneumonia trying to patch up the ship while you guys sleep? Who always takes care of you guys when you're sick or when you're sad or when you're in trouble?" Jake demanded, expecting them to acknowledge his efforts.
"Peter does." Cubby replied, enjoying the opportunity to tease Jake.
"Fine, I see how it is then." Jake said, finally getting out of the hammock and stomping away. Despite knowing Cubby was just trying to tick him off, Jake couldn't help but feel slightly irritated.
"Oh, knock it off, Cubby!" Izzy snapped, sighing heavily. She remembered all the times Jake had taken care of them in the past and felt a pang of guilt for not repaying his kindness. "It's alright, Jake, you can come back."
Jake paused mid-stomp, turning back to look at Izzy.
"Really?" he asked, his annoyance melting away into a hopeful expression.
"Yeah, come on," Izzy said, shifting to make a bit more room. "Just don't crush me again," she says as she turns to Cubby. "You don't crush me either."
Jake's face lit up with gratitude. He quickly made his way back to the hammock, carefully climbing in. The three pirates, now packed like sardines, settled down once more.
"Thanks, Iz." Jake whispered, the warmth of the blanket and his friends finally starting to chase away the cold.
"Yeah, yeah, just go to sleep." Izzy muttered, closing her eyes again.
"Uh, guys…" Cubby's voice squeaks out in a nervous tone, barely audible above the creaking of the ship and the howling wind outside.
"What?" Jake and Izzy respond in unison, their patience wearing thin from the night's chaos.
"There's something I forgot to do…" Cubby admits, his face scrunching up with worry. His blonde hair, tousled and messy, casts shadows across his forehead in the dim lantern light swinging from the ceiling.
"Oh, just go in your pajamas!" Jake grumbles, his own exhaustion evident in the way his body sinks deeper into the hammock. His soaked clothes cling to him, spreading dampness to the already cramped space.
"What!? No! Disgusting! Absolutely not! Get out of this hammock Cubby!" Izzy shrieks, her voice rising in horror. Her eyes widen as she looks at Cubby, clutching her blanket tighter.
"It's not THAT, you guys!" Cubby quickly clarifies. "What I meant was I forgot to plan what we're gonna do tomorrow!"
"Oh, let's just see if we can survive tonight, Cubby," Jake says, his voice laced with fatigue. "Hopefully Bucky doesn't spring a leak again."
"Well, if he does, you'll get up to fix it, right?" Cubby asks, his voice a mix of hope and apprehension.
"I was hoping you'd come and help me next time if he does," Jake says, his tone turning timid before a smirk creeps onto his face. "Well...unless you're too scared to, of course." he teases, his green eyes glinting with mischief.
"I am not!" Cubby declares, puffing out his chest despite being squeezed in the hammock.
"Fantastic!" Jake says, his grin widening. "Get ready to get your feet wet, Cubster."
"Whatever you say Jake." the other boy grumbles.
"Let's just get some sleep!" Izzy declares, exasperated. Trapped in the middle of them, literally, she feels every movement and is desperate for some peace.
"Fine with me," Jake says, rolling onto his side. "Goodnight, crew."
"Goodnight." Izzy and Cubby echo, their voices softer now as exhaustion finally takes over. A few minutes later, Izzy's gentle breathing and Cubby's steady snores fill the small cabin, a lullaby against the backdrop of the rolls over, facing Cubby and Izzy's sleeping forms, their faces soft and peaceful in slumber. He snuggles closer, careful not to disturb them but needing to feel their presence.
"Good night mateys." he whispers, a smile tugging at his lips as he finally begins to drift off.
Just as his eyes start to close, a loud pounding comes from the cabin door.
The knocking startles all three young pirates, causing a chaotic tumble from the hammock. Jake is the first to fall, hitting the wooden floor with a resounding thud. Little air is knocked out of him just as Izzy lands on his back, her small frame adding slightly more weight. But then comes the grand finale—Cubby, a lot larger and heavier than Izzy, crashes down on top of the pigtailed lass, effectively sandwiching her and pressing both of them into Jake. The combined weight leaves the black haired leader gasping for breath.
Despite the pile-up, Jake's attention is riveted on the persistent knocking at the door. The sound cuts through the storm's roar, insistent and unrelenting.
"Who's there!?" he shouts, but the knocking continues unabated.
"Get off me! Get off me! Get off me!" Izzy gasps, trying to squirm out from beneath Cubby. Her voice is strained as she struggles for air, crushed between Cubby and Jake. "Cubby, get off!" she orders, her breaths shallow and desperate.
"Oh, sorry Izzy." Cubby says sheepishly, quickly crawling off her. Izzy takes a deep, relieved breath as she scrambles to her feet, giving Cubby a half-hearted glare.
Jake, meanwhile, is already up and moving towards the door, the persistent knocking still echoing through the cabin.
"Coconuts, who in Neverland is knocking on a ship, in the middle of a storm and in the middle of the night?" Cubby wonders aloud, rubbing his sore limbs as he gets to his feet.
"I dunno," Jake whispers, his voice barely audible over the storm. The tension in the air is palpable as he reaches for the doorknob, his heart pounding in his chest. The cold metal feels like ice against his skin as he turns it slowly, bracing himself for whatever—or whoever—awaits on the other side.
Jake was about to turn the knob when Cubby suddenly grabbed his arm. "Wait, don't open it!" the younger lad called, worry etched into his voice.
Jake paused, his hand still on the doorknob. "Why not?" he asked, his eyebrows knitting together in confusion.
"We don't know who or what's on the other side!" Cubby insisted, his eyes wide with fear.
Jake glanced back at the door, the persistent knocking still echoing through the cabin. "Exactly, we don't," he said, reaching for the knob again. But before he could turn it, Cubby tugged at his vest once more.
"What?" Jake asked, now tired and slightly agitated.
"It could be a ghost…or an evil spirit," Cubby whispered, his voice trembling.
Jake rolled his eyes. "Don't be ridiculous, Cubby. Evil spirits can't knock on doors…," he said, but then turned to his first mate with a hint of uncertainty. "Can they, Izzy?"
Izzy stood there, arms crossed, looking quite offended that he would ask that question to her specifically after the ghostly-sprity incident that was now over a year long ago.
"I'm. Not. Talking." she croaked, flatly.
Jake shrugged, deciding to ignore the superstition.
"Alright, that settles it." he said as he went to open the door.
"Jake, don't!" Cubby cried, but it was too late.
Jake swung the door open, and a powerful gust of cold wind and rain rushed into the cabin, drenching them all anew. The wind howled through the small space, making the lantern flicker wildly.
"Close the door!" Izzy squealed, wrapping herself tighter in the yellow blanket.
Jake didn't even check to see who or what was at the door. He quickly shut it, now even more soaked than before. Both his mates were also wet, their clothes clinging to their shivering forms.
"Uh... whoops." he said cheekily, a weak grin spreading across his face.
"Coconuts," Cubby muttered. "Now it's gonna be colder inside than it is outside!"
Izzy, always the voice of reason, tried to look on the bright side.
"Oh, look alive, mateys. At least we still have each other to keep us warm."
Jake sighed, glancing at the dripping wet hammock.
"Y'know what, you guys sleep in the hammock. I'm taking the floor," he said, sitting down against the wall. The cold, damp wood seeped through his clothes, but he didn't care. He was the oldest so he should act like it, and it was his responsibility to look out for his crew.
"Are you sure?" Izzy asked, feeling a pang of guilt.
"No. But at least it'll be less cramped." Jake replied, trying to smile despite his discomfort.
Izzy, always loyal, decided she wouldn't let her leader bear the discomfort alone.
"Well, if that's the case, I'll take the floor too then," she said. Despite her fragility that often made the whole crew treat her like she was made of cake, she hopped out of the hammock and sat down on the floor to Jake's left, just a few inches away. "You can have the hammock, Cubby."
"Oh, what the coconuts, now you guys are making me feel bad," Cubby said, hopping out of the now-empty hammock and dragging Izzy's yellow blanket along so they could all share it. He plopped down on Jake's right side. "I guess this isn't that bad," he said, leaning against the wall. "It's a lot roomier."
"You got that right," Jake agreed, draping the blanket so it covered all of them from the waist down. The fabric was a thin barrier against the chill, but it was better than nothing. "Now let's try to sleep agai—-"
Knock! Knock! Knock! Knock! Knock!
The relentless pounding resumed, louder and more urgent than before. The three of them tensed, eyes wide as they stared at the door.
Jake took a deep breath, his earlier bravado wavering.
"Whoever it is, they sure are persistent," he muttered, glancing at his friends. "Okay, new plan. We answer it together. Ready?"
Cubby and Izzy nodded, their expressions a mix of fear and determination. They stood up, huddled close under the blanket, and approached the door as one. Jake's hand hovered over the knob, his heart pounding in his chest.
"On three," he whispered. "One…two…three!"
They flung the door open, and the three of them braced themselves, only to be met with a surprising sight.
There, flapping in the rain, drenched and looking quite annoyed, was their talking pet parrot, Skully. The colorful bird had evidently been ramming himself into the door to try and get their attention.
"Moldy cheese and crackers! It's about time!" Skully squawked, shaking out his wet feathers and sending droplets everywhere. "I thought you three had gone deaf!"
Cubby blinked in disbelief.
"Skully? You were the one making all that racket?"
"Who else?" Skully huffed, hopping inside and fluffing himself up indignantly. "I've been out there getting pelted by rain and nearly blown away by the wind. Ever heard of a welcome mat?"
The pale lad sighed in relief.
"We thought you were a ghost or an evil spirit."
Skully cocked his head, an amused glint in his eye.
"An evil spirit? Uh oh. Has Izzy lost it again?" the green bird asks in concern.
Izzy shot them both a glare.
"No, but I'll tell you what I have lost: Sleep! So unless you guys would like to keep walking down a bad memory lane, let's call it a night."
Cubby and Skully both buffed up their chests, ready to argue when Jake quickly intervenes.
"Yo-ho-hold it!" he says, separating the three. "What were you doing out there, Skully? I thought you were right behind me when I was coming back from fixing the leak." Jake said, bewildered.
"Well, I was, but when I saw we were still getting tossed around, I went over to try and help Bucky release the anchor." the tired bird squawked, his voice muffled by the rain.
"Now why didn't I think of that?" Jake whispered to himself, a small embarrassed smile forming as he rubbed his chin.
"Anyways, we're not gonna get tossed into the sea to the point where we end up on the mainland! You're welcome!"
"Thanks, Skully." the three pirates said in unison, returning to their old positions on the floor, against the wall, with Jake in the middle, Izzy on his left, and Cubby on his right.
"Now, let's actually sleep this time." Jake said. Before he knew it, both of his friends were passed out asleep, Izzy's head on his shoulder and Cubby's snoring from falling into his lap. He let out a little giggle, rolling his eyes playfully as he sighed heavily.
While the other two slept, Jake remained awake. His mind drifted back to one or two years ago, those darker times when he didn't have his crew by his side. When Izzy was possessed, Cubby became a cold-hearted grouch, and Skully ran away. The memories of those lonely nights, the weight of responsibility, and the fear of losing them again kept his eyes open. But now, watching his friends sleep soundly beside him, a warmth spread through his chest. Despite the bickering and everything that went wrong tonight, he felt an overwhelming sense of gratitude. There was nowhere else he'd rather be than right there, in between the two most important souls in all the Never World to him. Jake closed his eyes, the steady breathing of his friends and the warmth of the blanket lulling him into a peaceful sleep. Finally, despite the storm raging outside, the cabin felt like a haven. The bond they shared was stronger than any storm, and for Jake, that was all that mattered.
He was about to drift off when he heard Skully screech.
"Hey Jake," the bird whispered gently. "Mind if I squeeze in there?"
"Sure, Skully," Jake whispered as the parrot then cuddled on top of Cubby. "There's always room for one more."
The End
How's your day going y'all? Mine was going fine until I learned that I've been spelling Scully wrong the entire time. When I went to click the characters for this fic I panicked. I thought it was spelled with a k not a c. Like a skull cap.
Anyways, first one shot is finally up! Hope you liked it and pls review if you want to!