Who: Peter Pan and Tinkerbell When: Early August Where: The Garage What: Former quasi-siblings hanging out and catching up Rating/Warnings: Low/None Status: Complete
Tink was so glad to get back in touch with Peter. It was great! He’d fit in like peas in a pod in her house (then again, who didn’t get along with her parents?) and when he’d been taken away, Tink missed the kid. It was such a blast from the past being back in touch with him, and she was excited to hear all about how he’d been over the past few years. ...ten years? Had it really been that long?
She called out to the guys that she was taking a lunch, then headed into the air conditioned lobby to hang around and wait for Peter to arrive.
It had been a complete surprise to find Tink on the network. Spontaneous reunions hadn’t been something he was expecting from the network, but he was more than happy how it ended up. A date to catch up was made and he was curious to see what she was doing with her life now since she was older than him and should probably be doing something adult-like with her life.
A garage hadn’t been his first idea for her, but she had always been handy, but he was sure he would get the whole story when he got there. He pulled up and made his way to the lobby with a big smile when he saw her, “Tink!”
Tink sprung up from the sofa where she’d been sitting and playing with her phone. The smile that broke out across her face at the sight of him was absolutely ridiculous. She bounced across the room, careful to keep her wings tucked away, and then flung her arms around him. “Peter!!”
Once she reached him he took her into his arms and gave her a tight hug. This felt like he was home again and he still ached slightly at how he wished things had gone differently back then. There were some bad choices made and consequences taken, but he had never forgotten how good of a thing he had going with them, “Long time no see.”
Hey, time passed, but Tink’s affections didn’t change. She was a good lady, then and now. She’d grown up a good kid. It’d been a good house, too. Her folks were awesome. And her older brothers were awesome, too. Peter was awesome, but he was gone too quickly. She hugged him as a drowning man would hug a floatation device. “Seriously! Way too long.” She pulled back to look at him, and something clicked in her head. Like she was just now realizing he was part of her dreams. Huh.
“So… how the heck are you??” Tink asked, trying not to get distracted.
“I’m good. Things are finally clicking together, so that’s nice. It’s great to not be stuck at a boarding school or in a foster family, no offense to your parents. Leaving that house really sucked, but I think I’ve finally put myself back on my feet,” he explained with a smile. He would have grown up differently with them, but he was proud of who he was now, “So, explain why in the world you own a garage.”
“You look good, man. Really good.” Tink was proud of him, too. She lifted a hand to pinch his cheek, grinning, then released it and motioned to the sofa. They could sit and have a cup of coffee. “Well, that’s actually not that long of a story. I went to trade school to become a mechanic--I was always good with cars and whatever--and afterward no one would hire me. I’m… y’know… a girl. Lots of shops had reservations that I wouldn’t be taken seriously.” She fixed a cup of coffee in the Keurig.
“But the Old Man who owned this place gave me a chance. That was about eight years ago. I’ve been working here ever since. He became my mentor, the old bastard. And I guess he liked me--must’ve loved me--because when he died he left me everything.”
The pinch to his cheek earned a wrinkle of his nose and he batted at her hand. Oh yeah, they were definitely siblings at one point. He knew about her being handy with cars and tools in general, so he was impressed that she went to school for it, but he frowned when he mentioned the sexist people in the world, “that’s awful. I’m glad that you were able to find someone to help you out. I can’t believe he left you everything; must have seen something really special in you. Congratulations on having a place of your own.”
“Thanks.” Tink still couldn’t believe it all. It was… luck? Sheer force of will. Determination, really. She’d fought with the Old Man, but she’d stuck around, too, when other people hadn’t. There was some kind of love there, she figured. She had some kind for him, he must’ve shared it with her. And he was selfish and greedy, so much that he wouldn’t have even thought of donating his wealth. His only son was lost to him in a car accident years before, which made him disinclined to continue work at the garage. Hence hiring Tink to pretty much take over.
“But what about you? I want to hear everything. It’s been years.” She came over to the sofa with both coffees and offered him one. Tons of cream and sugar.
Talking about himself was something that Peter hated to do, especially if it involved his past. He wasn’t completely proud of everything that happened while he was growing up, but he was doing his best to correct past actions. But, this was Tink, and if he had to tell anyone the sordid tale then no one better than her. He let out a sigh as he grabbed the coffee from her with a thanks, “There’s not a whole lot to tell. Left you guys and went to a boys home. Was a bit of a punk through most of that time, but still managed to graduate. Cleaned up my act for the most part post graduation and moved out into the real world with a few of the boys I met there. I’m going to UC Irvine right now, haven’t decided on a major, and I’m assistant manager at a coffee shop. Oh, and I like to play guitar at various boardwalks for cash.” Hey, at least he was being honest.
“Wow, you’re going to college? That’s amazing!” Tink said, genuinely happy that Peter was on a proper course in life. She’d always known that the boy had potential, and she was glad that he was living up to it. “Ooh, you work at a coffee shop, too? I want to hear you play. I haven’t heard you play guitar in so long.”
“I am, it’s a lot of fun. I just really enjoy learning, so that’s probably why I haven’t really picked a major. But yes, the coffee shop is great - you can stop by, and remind me to bring my guitar next time,” Peter commented with a laugh. He had always been musical growing up, but being in a proper school had really helped him get good at it, “What has been going on with you since I left your family?”
“I will! I’ll remind you. It’d be good to hang out again soon.” Tink beamed. “Well… My brother got married. The one you’d think would, anyway,” she teased. “And they made me wear a pink dress.” It was pretty awful. “Now they’re pregnant. That’s how she said it, anyway. They... like my brother would be having the baby, too.”
“Oh god, you let them do that to you?” Peter was impressed that she hadn’t put her foot down. He could only imagine the grumpy faced photos of her in a pink dress, “But that’s exciting news that they’re having a baby! You’ll have to let me know if he comes around sometime and we’ll have to have a meal together. I should also stop by your parent’s and say hello.”
“You should definitely go by and say hi.” Tink grinned. “Or, better yet, we plan for a big, family meal. All of us together.” Tink had two older brothers, a new, pregnant sister-in-law, and a couple of younger, foster siblings. (Three now.) So it was a huge, happy family. And they’d love to see Peter again.
“I like that idea, let’s definitely plan something,” Peter had a handful of people he considered his siblings and Tink’s family had been his favorite ones. The idea of being able to surprise them all again and show how much he had grown up would be fantastic, “Alright, now it’s time for you to give me the tour. And before we do, I just wanna say that I’m glad we found each other again. I’ve missed you and your family.”
“I’ve missed you, too, Peter.” Tink said, and wrapped an arm around him for a hug. “All right. Come take a look around the garage.”