Once upon a time, there was a fairy and a Lost Boy. They lived in Neverland, the place where no one grew up and nothing was impossible.
The two spent their days swimming with the mermaids and watching sunsets on top of Dragon Hill. They battled pirates together with the Peter Pan and the other Lost Boys and spent many adventures together.
Until one day, they decided to grow up.
Growing up was painful. It meant you wanted to leave the freedom of Neverland and become an adult.
They had to worry about adult things, such as paying bills and wearing tight suits. You no longer had freedom to do whatever you want, you had to follow rules.
The two kids bid farewell to their friends and left for London. They planned to perhaps start a life together, maybe.
They didn't know that the real world was a cruel place. No, there weren't evil pirate ghosts waiting for longtime revenge, but it was a different kind of cruel.
The two kids, now adults, moved into an apartment together. They struggled with finding jobs and paying rent. Soon, financial problems led to bickering, the bickering led to heated arguments, and the heated arguments led to Nini leaving.
Now, Ricky was alone in the world. He didn't have his best friend to stand by him or the Lost Boys.
When he'd given up Neverland, he'd given up his childhood. He worked in an office and had to wear stuffy suits instead of the leaf tunics he wore as his Lost Boy attire.
Now he knew what Peter meant. The real world wasn't the place for him. It was the place for grownups who led boring lives.
He was suddenly woken up by the sound of his boss yelling at him.
"RICHARD BOWEN!"
EJ Caswell, his boss, slammed a book on his desk. Ricky lifted his head up. "What?"
"Why have you been falling asleep again? Get back to work!"
Ricky sighed and looked at the checkbook. He was an accountant, a dull job to say the least. He wasn't dueling dragons or escaping from Captain Hook.
He wondered how she was doing.
Nini had been his best friend. They planned to grow up to start a life together. But one day, they parted ways due to financial difficulties.
Nini wasn't doing so well either.
She longed to be soaring along the mountains with Ricky instead of working as a cashier.
Unlike Neverland, no one here was friendly. They all looked past her without a glance. They didn't even bother to say hello or give a quick smile.
She daydreamed a lot.
She dreamed about him.
It got her in trouble a lot, that's for sure. But Nini wouldn't mind if she was fired. She wanted to go back to Neverland and become a kid again. Being a grownup was so very difficult, way more than she imagined.
She thought that growing up just meant that she and Ricky could spend their lives together. It would've been fun, besides the fact that adult problems broke them apart.
Now she realized what Tinker Bell meant. She didn't belong in the real world, no. Her place was back in Neverland.
That night, Ricky walked back to his flat. He slowly unlocked the door, perhaps hoping that she was still there.
They could go back to Neverland together! They could become kids again and do the things they all used to do, and have fun for once in a while.
A smile hadn't cracked once on Ricky's face since he moved to the real world.
Neither had Nini's.
He unpacked his bags and looked out the window. How he wished to return to Neverland and become a kid once again. He hadn't grown up, at least not on the inside.
Ricky put his head down at the kitchen table. "Why did we go? We could be so happy back home right now, chasing a rainbow or fighting a pirate. Instead we chose the real world, the place where imagination and fun come to die."
Suddenly, a small orb of light appeared in front of him. Ricky stared at it curiously. No, it couldn't be. It had been ten years, and he was sure they all forgot him by now.
The small orb sprinkled some pixie dust on him, and Ricky could feel himself soaring. He let out a loud laugh, chuckling as he flew out the window.
He began to think happy thoughts: sunsets, flowers, and...her.
Suddenly, he fell back to the ground.
"Right. Think happy thoughts."
The bystanders were more than surprised to see a grown man flying in the air.
Ricky had a feeling he knew where to go next.
Nini didn't know what to do. She groaned as she stared at the paycheck. Working as a cashier paid very little but drained all the energy out of her.
Then, she was interrupted by the sound of knocking at her window. She doubled back and found him.
"What the-"
"Come on!"
Those words sounded so familiar.
"Come on, race you to the stream!"
"Come on, let's ride across this rainbow!"
She wasn't sure she trusted him, but she opened her window and took his hand. Then, the pixie sprinkled pixie dust on her.
Nini gasped and giggled. She was flying! She hadn't felt this carefree in a long time.
"I'm flying!"
Ricky grinned at her, and Nini swore she saw the boyish look in his eyes.
"Race you to Neverland!"
The two friends took off, past the North Star and straight on till morning.
Nini woke up. She felt as if she was on a cloud.
Oh wait, she was. She was sitting on a pink cloud made of cotton candy.
Ricky was right beside her, just like old days.
He groaned and stretched, and gave her a sleepy grin. "G'morning."
His curls were messed up and all over the place, which made Nini laugh.
"Wait-" she said, noticing the biggest change.
"We're both kids again!" They yelled.
"I guess we haven't grown up yet," Ricky said.
"We haven't," Nini smiled, squeezing her best friend's hand.
"The real world isn't the place for us. If there's anywhere we belong, it's here," he replied.
The two best friends looked at each other for a moment.
"Race you to Mermaid Lagoon!" Ricky exclaimed.
Nini grinned and fluttered her wings. "Right behind you!"
I checked out Susan Adrian's Forever Neverland from my school library, and I was obsessed. It kind of inspired me to start writing a Neverland-themed Oneshot.
Here are pictures of Ricky and Nini as kids: