Chapter Text
Chapter 1 - Bare Necessities (From "The Jungle Book")
The bare necessities of life will come to you
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"And then Peter Pan came flying in to fight the dreaded Pirate Captain!" Gemma exclaimed, the little 11 year old jumping up onto the bed, acting it out. "There was sword fighting as the Captain tried to fight off Peter, but the lost boys came on board to help and take the treasure!" She shouted before jumping off the bed and running around the room, pretending to fly as her siblings laughed.
"But Peter Pan was just too good for him," She continued. "Cause he chopped off the Captain's hand and fed it to the crocodile, who swallowed it in one big go. Then Peter and the lost boys took the treasure back to their tree house while the Captain grabbed a near by hook and shoved it in his wrist as his new hand and getting his new name, Captain Hook." She finished with a nod, sitting cross-legged on the bed opposite, grinning at her brother and sister. "Harry, are you listening?" She whined as she realized he was looking down at their sister rather than at her.
"Of course!" Harry replied with a grin, looking up at her. He was a caring older brother and loved the stories Gemma told, even if they were a little far fetched a times. But then again, don't all orphans dream of a place where they can have fun all the time with a group of kids just like them?
"Then why aren't you looking?" She pouted, so Harry made a point of staring at her with huge eyes, making her laugh and push him away.
"I am!" He mocked her whining. "I was just seeing if Darc was awake." He added, squeezing the little girl in his lap to make her giggle.
"I am," The six year old said through a yawn. "M'sleepy though."
"Well that's why I was telling a bed time story!" Gemma replied as if it was obvious.
"Okay, and that's the end?" Harry asked, hugging his other sister as she sat in his lap, snuggled into his chest.
"Yep." Gemma nodded with a giggle.
"But what happens after?" The 17-year-old boy asked.
"Yeah," Darcie piped up, agreeing with her big brother as she fought to keep her eyes open. "What happens after?"
"Um," Gemma said thoughtfully, trying to answer her little sister. "Peter Pan just played games on the island with his lost boy friends."
"Neverland?" The tiny girl, her eyes wide with hope and wonder.
"Yeah, Darc," Gemma nodded. "Neverland. With the mermaids, and the pirates and-"
"Tinkerbell!?" Darcie gasped in wonder as her eyes got even bigger, making Harry laugh.
"Yeah!" Gemma exclaimed. "Tink too!"
"C'mon, I think it's bed time, girls." Harry laughed as his two younger sisters groaned in protest. "Come on."
Gemma let out a dramatic sigh as she climbed into her bed, getting a kiss on the head from Harry before he turned around to the youngest girl.
He picked her up and carried her over to her bed, tucked her in and kissed her head too.
"Good night," He said as he walked to the door.
"Harry?" He heard Darcie whine from her bed, making the older boy sigh.
"Yeah, Darc?" Harry replied, going to sit next to her.
"Harry, I need bun-bun." She said, referring to her bunny-rabbit toy she had since she was born.
"I'll get it," Harry answered, stroking her hair before getting the toy from their shelf and handing it to her and kissing her nose, making her giggle.
He stood up and ruffled her hair before going to leave the room.
"Harry?" Harry stopped and turned around to the sounds of his younger sister calling him.
"Yeah, Gem?" He asked, this time going to sit on the other bed by his other sister.
"Thank you." She whispered, grabbing his waist as she hugged him.
Harry let out a chuckle and stroked her blonde hair. "For what, love?"
"For giving me a family." She answered, her face still pressed against his stomach.
Harry smiled. He knew that them getting adopted had nothing to do with him, even if the girls believed he was some sort of super hero. It was simply a matter of the right family coming along and liking them.
But it was cute, so Harry didn't correct her.
"You're home now," Harry answered.
He pulled back and the little girl smiled up at him. He slowly lowered her back down into bed as she closed her eyes.
"Don't worry, little wink." He whispered, using her nickname before stroking his hand over her face. "Close your eyes, go to sleep."
He smiled fondly at her one last time before turning to leave the room, hopefully without being stopped this time.
"Good night." He said into the darkness, turning on their nightlight before heading to the door.
"G'night." Gemma answered and only snores were heard from Darcie's bed. Harry smiled as he turned the light off and closed the door, leaving his sisters in a warm bed for a change.
Although they weren't his biological sisters, they had all been in the same orphanage since the day Gemma and Darcie arrived together and he loved them like they were. The two sisters had taken a liking to the older boy and they all became as close as siblings almost straight away and now, the same family had adopted them all, so they were siblings anyway.
He shut the door gently and turned around in the hallway before heading downstairs to go and sit with his new parents.
"Oh, Harry."
Harry entered the lounge room to see his new adoptive mother, Anne, smiling up at him from the couch.
They had only been with their new family a few days, and so far they had been absolutely amazing to the three orphans. The couple were kind and caring and loved them like they were their own, but still Harry felt like something was missing from his life.
He was so grateful, but all his life he had only ever known the orphanage and being alone with only the two girls, and they had only joined him a few years ago.
It was strange, but nice, he felt like he could finally relax now that the girls had a good home, even if it didn't feel like a home to him.
"Oh." Harry smiled. "The girls have just gone to sleep."
"Okay," She answered, as Harry sat beside her. "Have you done your homework?"
Harry nodded and turned his attention to the TV. Usually, whenever they were watching TV in the shared playspace at the orphanage, there would be kids running about everywhere and Harry found it strange to be sitting in near silence.
"So how was school today?" Robin asked during an ad break.
"Good," He replied with a smile.
"That's good." Anne answered. "Learn anything new?"
"Yeah, some English and Maths stuff," Harry explained. "Nothing too exciting though."
He didn't really know what he was supposed to say in these kinds of situations. He had never had any adults ask how his day was or what he did. No one except the other children asked about his life. So no matter what he said, he always felt awkward.
The two new parents laughed along awkwardly with the boy, trying desperately to make him feel at home.
"And the girls?" Anne asked.
"Yeah," Harry grinned at the mention of them. "They're great. School's fine and the homework's done."
"Good," Anne nodded. "You really take care of them, don't you?"
"Yeah," Harry smiled to himself. "I always have."
"It's sweet," Anne answered "I-"
She was about to continue, but she was shushed by Robin as the show returned.
So they said it silence as the program played, Harry not paying much attention, but instead focused on his past, remembering the good times he had at the orphanage. He had been there all his life and although he was happy to have a family, the other orphaned kids had all become sort of like his family and he missed that.
"Alright," Harry was snapped out of his daze by Robin standing up. He looked at the blank TV and then the clock to see that the show must have finished.
"We're off to bed. Good night, kido." He ruffled Harry's hair affectionately, before him and Anne left the room and headed upstairs.
Harry sighed and stood up, following them up the stairs. When he stopped at his bedroom door, he noticed Anne had stopped there too.
He reached her arms out for a hug, which Harry gratefully obliged.
"Have a good sleep, we'll wake you up bright and early for school tomorrow." She said.
"Okay," He answered he hugged her back. She really did give the best hugs, aside from his sisters of course.
"Goodnight Harry." She added in a whisper by his ear.
She pulled away with a smile and continued walking to her bedroom where her husband slept soundly already, giving Harry one last wave before disappearing behind the door.
Harry smiled to himself and crossed the hall to where his bedroom was. He quickly changed and climbed into his new bed, this biggest he'd ever had.
It was odd, and it had taken a lot of getting used to, especially since for the past 17 years he had been sleeping in a room shared with all the other boys at the orphanage. He had gotten used to the sounds of others around him all the time, and now it just seemed eerily quiet.
He pulled out his phone, the new one his new family had given him, and opened his instagram account. He had only had it a few days, but he was already addicted, having only ever the bare necessities, he sometimes felt like he was living in luxury just because he has a phone.
After liking a few pictures of some random people from his school, he closed the phone and tucked it under his pillow, still in the habit of keeping his belongings close.
He didn't really care for his school, it was just the local run down comprehensive school and he knew he wasn't going to see any of the students there again anyway.
He wasn't bullied, but everyone knew that he'd lived at the orphanage and for the past 5 years of being there, everyone knew that he was an orphan.
He didn't have many friends either, just a couple people who he could sit and talk to so he wasn't a complete loner, and he didn't go to parties or invite people over, because who would come over after school to an orphanage?
He sighed and pushed the covers off himself before getting up and walking over to his window. He sat on the window seat and put his chin on his hands as he stared out over the night sky.
All his life, he wanted to be normal. To have someone who cared about him. For a while, he thought he would find that in a family, but ever since Gemma had taken up the habit of telling Peter Pan stories, Neverland seemed like a nice alternative.
He stared up at the stars and saw the two brightest, particularly the one on the right. The second star to the right, Gemma always called it. He smiled to himself at the thought.
What more could he want? Neverland was just like his orphanage, but with no adults to control them, and a beautiful island to explore with all his friends who had joined him over the years.
Harry sighed and closed his eyes for a minute, wishing desperately for a better life. Oh, what that would be like.
He could smell the ocean wind and feel the fresh grass between his toes, the fresh water of the rivers and the rough wood of the communal treehouse.
Harry found himself smiling at that, holding onto the thought before opening his eyes and letting the smile slip as he remembered where he was.
But it's only a story. He thought to himself.
He sighed and gave the star one last gaze before getting back into bed and curling up into a ball, thinking of the same place that always seemed to haunt his dreams.
However, just as he closed his eyes to go to sleep, he saw a shadow flicker across the window.
His eyes shot wide open and he panted as he stared at it, but nothing was there. His heart was going a million miles an hour, he was sure he saw something there.
He was scared, like any rational human being would be, but he was terribly excited too.
He blinked a few times before convincing himself that he was, in fact, being stupid, so he lied back down and tried to sleep.
But again, just as he closed his eyes, he knew he saw something. He sat bolt upright, staring right at the spot, as he got even more anxious.
What if the stories are right? He thought to himself. What if- no, don't be stupid, Peter Pan is only a story... He thought to himself. But what if... What if...
There, in the window, there was an outline of a person standing on the windowsill. Harry blinked, but it didn't go away. He stared directly at the silhouette, and realized it was not only real, but it was a boy.
The window opened and the boy moved to climb inside. Harry sat frozen as the mystery teen entered his bedroom with a grin and stood with his hands on his hips, looking Harry in the eye as he flashed him a smile.
"Hiya kid!"