Older Peter Pan X Older Reader: Part 8

You were blissfully suspended in that magical state between wakefulness and sleep. Wrapped in a cocoon of warmth and comfort. It was peaceful where you were at the moment…wherever that was. Once again you kept your eyes closed; afraid that in opening them your new found paradise would come crashing down into an even harsher reality. You really didn't want to wake up in the breakdown that had seemed to become your life as of late. Right now not a single thing hurt and you reveled in being able to breathe deeply without any struggle or injury. Your skin didn't send out any shots of stabbing pain nor did you taste any ocean water on your tongue. You were warm, dry, and most glorious of all free from all pain; physical and otherwise. You wanted to surrender yourself to this marvelous floating tranquility.  

And so you were content to lie there perfectly still and placid. But the longer you lied there the more awake your brain became. Unwanted thoughts swirled inside your head in an un-ending stream. How could you be unscathed after being beaten and drowned by a pack of murderous mermaids? Didn't you pass out from the pain? Why were you lying here alone? What if it was all a dream...What if you were actually lying in your own bed right now and everything that happened had just been a product of your over active imagination? What if you had been completely fooled by the illusions in your head… The more you thought about it the more that seemed to be the most likely case. Everything that happened was so outrageously ridiculous and impossible! Shadow men coming to life, flying to another world, jealous pixies, a harem of wild men who lived in a secret hollowed out tree, an evil pirate with a hook for a hand, and killer mermaids. If you had told anyone else about this they would think you were on the edge of sanity! You were going to have to stop reading so much fan fiction. It was actually starting to rot out your brain…

The last dregs of sleep had completely fled you leaving you wide awake and no longer content to just keep lying down. Still you stubbornly kept your eyes shut. Even if it was a dream it was one that you weren’t ready to wake up from yet. Though some really scary things happened in it, the way you felt about Peter was more real than anything you had ever felt for anyone in reality before. Frustrated you groaned aloud and buried your head in what you realized could only be a pillow. Your suspicions of it all being a dream was confirmed when you twisted your hands in the heavy blanket covering you. NO! Let me go back! your inner mind screamed at the unfairness of the real world.  You wanted to go back and live in that artificial world of make believe. You were happier living as a fool in a beautiful illusion then you’d ever been in real life. You were being irrational and delusional, but you didn't care. You lied perfectly still and tried desperately to will yourself back to sleep…back to Neverland…back to him.  

You stayed like that for what felt like eternity. Sleep did not come. Inexplicably heartbroken at having the most beautiful dream you’ve ever had cruelly ripped from your fingers. Should have known. Peter was too perfect to be real anyways and even if he was he wouldn't have anything to do with someone like me. Finally admitting defeat you opened your eyes to face the harsh light of your average day to day life. What you saw however was not your bedroom ceiling. It was uneven wood. That was…strange... Confused you shot up in bed only to take a sweeping glance around the room that was most definitely not your bedroom. But you did know whose bedroom it belonged to. With a rush of pure unadulterated joy you squealed in delight as your eyes hungrily took in every inch of Peter’s bedroom. With each noted landmark your heart soared. The worn and faded wooden dresser, the small fire place on the far right wall that was casting a warm glow across the fur skin rugs on the floor, and the tall throne carved right from the roots of the great tree itself. You had never been happier to see a room in all your life. You had no way of knowing if it was day or night because Peter’s round room was deep underground; the only light coming from the crackling fireplace. You were lying on the bed that The Twins had pushed in here what seemed like weeks ago. Confused at your lack of physical pain you looked down to check out your body. Completely baffled you turned your hands over remarking in astonishment to not find a single scratch or bruise. In fact your skin looked freshly cleaned and felt as smooth as a peach. You looked down at your clothes only to find that your night clothes were gone and replaced with an over sized worn shirt that you guessed had to have been a cast off of one of The Lost Boys. But when you brought it up to your nose you breathed in the intoxicating unmistakable scent of Peter. It smelled like soft woods, fresh morning sea air, and sweet wild honey with a background of something purely masculine. You heard a distant murmuring of voices and not really knowing what to do with yourself you quickly shot back down into the bed and pretended to still be asleep. You had no idea why and was about to sit back up when you heard the rustling of the large bear skin curtain that acted as Peter’s door.

Feeling it was too late to pop up now you kept up your act. With your eyes closed all of your other senses went into overdrive. Your ears strained to hear every single sound. You heard a soft clink of something being set down on what you guessed was probably the dresser. Then you heard a soft scraping sound of something being dragged across the floor close to your bedside. Your heart sped up as an irrepressible need to move spread throughout your entire body. You weren't sure how long you would be able to keep up your sleeping beauty façade. It was Peter. Somehow you just knew it was him sitting in what you surmised was a chair at your side. You felt it in your bones

You were just about to pretend to magically wake up when out of nowhere you felt his presence lean over you. He called out your name softly, but you didn't respond. You just tried to keep breathing the way a deep sleeper would. You didn't know why exactly you started to pretend to be still asleep it was just an instant reflex, but the more you thought about it the more you recalled previous events.  Thinking of how you ran off by yourself stupidly because you were jealous and insecure then how you were drowned by mermaids and then saved by Tootles only to pass out later from pain made a wash of shame seep into you. Sheer embarrassment was what kept your eyes closed now. How on earth were you ever going to look him in the face again? Just thinking about it made you want to crawl into a hole and die. But it seemed your mutinous stomach had other plans as it cried out a pitiful squeal of hunger.

You had been caught. Surely he knew now that you were awake. You had expected Peter to call you out, but instead you felt and heard his weight shift as he stood up and began to walk away. You wanted to cry out at his absence but before you could you heard a clink clink sound of dishes followed by the sounds of his boots on the floor coming back towards you. He stopped right beside the bed and hovered there. He didn't move or make a sound for a few painfully long seconds. No longer able to bear it any longer you lifted your head up and opened your eyes only to see Peter’s rich warm brown ones staring into yours tenderly. “Peter,” you whispered his name not sure what exactly you were going to say. He stood there handsomely rakish looking with a tray of food with a wooden cup in his hands. There was even a tiny bouquet of freshly picked wildflowers draped across the side of the tray. Peter deftly reached out towards you with one hand while the other balanced the tray as he brushed your hair away from your face. Still he didn't speak; he just gazed at you with his comforting and understanding eyes. Feeling impossibly intimate and foolish at the same time you decided to open up to him, “I had a nightmare. I thought that this was just a dream and that none of it was real.” You kept your voice soft, afraid of somehow breaking this unexpectedly fragile moment. Peter kept stroking your hair and his voice was hushed when he replied, “Maybe it isn't…but I’d rather be with you asleep then anywhere awake.”

An overwhelming feeling of love surged in your chest and tears threatened your eyes. “That’s exactly how I feel about you,” you confessed. Peter’s eyes shined, not with tears like yours, but with an equally powerful emotion. His plush lips quirked up in a sweet half smile. “I love you.” And although his voice was the barest of whispers it struck you with the force of a blow. You remained still, trying to absorb this glorious moment. Peter’s body tensed at your silence and his eyes clouded with caution. He went from being completely relaxed to looking as if your next words might shatter him.You immediately filled the small space between you by scooting to the edge of the bed and locking your arms around his waist. You rested your head gently against his flat stomach. “You don’t know how glad I am to hear that. I love you too, I can’t describe how much,” you said softly while trying not to choke on the emotions that were welling up within you.

Other boys had made you feel awkward or inferior in some ways, always afraid to be your true self, but with Peter you could make a total fool out of yourself and still feel like the loveliest of creatures because you knew that no matter what, that is how he sees you. It was reflected in the gentle way he caressed your hair, the way his eyes twinkled with a mischievous light every time he looked at you, the way he hugged you tight as if you were two puzzle pieces that were made to fit together. Despite your previous misgivings about a relationship with him, looking back now, everything he did made you feel truly accepted and loved and that was something worth holding on to. You vowed you would never walk away from this beautifully strange enchanting man ever again. He was now yours and you were forever his. To show him this sat up on your knees delicately balancing your weight on the mattress. This brought your face up to his shoulders, then reached up and took your hands and placed them on both sides of his chiseled face; forcing him to look down and lock gazes with you. You tried to convey with your eyes the emotions that no amount of words ever could. Peter’s warm brown ones responded and the twinkling laughter was instantly extinguished and replaced with an intense seriousness. Peter responded by bending down to lay a feather soft kiss on your forehead before whispering in your ear, “I love you.” You lifted your head up until your lips briefly met his, as you whispered back, “I love you too Peter.”

Too be continued…

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Authors Note: I hope that some of you enjoyed this re-write. I know it has been a long wait for some. I tried to salvage as much of the original chapter as I could so some parts may be familiar to those that read the original. Now that this story is no longer a lemon it should all flow together, if I missed something though please let me know. And just in case some of you who haven't read ahead were wondering about how the wounds were all healed, that will be explained in the next chapter. Well anyways that is my stocking stuffer to all of you guys. I hope you all have a very Merry Christmas, or whatever holiday you guys choose to celebrate! Peace and love to everybody, and a very Happy New Year!