TW! Knives/Daggers!

Y/N

_

LOUIS PARTRIDGE THINKS I'M COOL.

I don't remember ever caring what Louis Partridge thought, but yet now it was all I could think about.

We ended up walking back towards the camp for dinner, where the Lost Boys were already waiting. Caleb jumped up when he saw me, but Finn snatched his hand and pulled him back harshly onto the log bench they were sitting around.

"Hey," I said, walking towards them, "long time no see, guys."

As I sat down on the opposite log, the sound of crinkling fire and smell of burning fish surrounded the hideout with warmth. Louis slid in next to me, snatching up a food spear from the ground.

"Skipper's back!" Noah exclaimed, tossing me my own spear, "we made some fish!"

"What if she doesn't eat fish?" Gaten added, nudging the boy to his right.

"Then she can have the fruit," Finn said, shoving a bowl towards me.

I grinned sheepishly, taking the bowl from the curly-haired boy's hands and picking a few blackberries out. Every time I was around these boys, it got a tad bit chaotic. I liked it, honestly.

As I began to chew, Louis slapped his hand on the bench and let out a laugh.

"You guys missed it!" He yelled, "[y/n] went to see the mermaids today!"

As soon as he said mermaids, the boys widened their eyes and looked at me with panic. Apparently they also knew how jealous those girls could get. I bit my lip, continuing to eat; Louis could tell whatever story he wanted to tell, I was more worried about eating.

"Tell me they didn't try to drown her," Noah whispered, leaning towards the fire.

Louis shook his head, "they were trying to get her wet, but she pulled the ultimate power move against them."

"What happened?"

"She dove into the water! You should have seen the looks on the girl's faces!"

I remembered those looks, and my confidence went shooting back to the top at the thought of it. It was momentarily, but I still liked how I was the winner of that fight.

"I don't think I'll be back to the lagoon anytime soon," I chuckled, setting down the bowl, "they probably hate me more now."

"And who cares?" Gaten shrugged, "you've got us."

"That's true."

"And more specifically, you've got me," Caleb smirked, winking.

As soon as the boys saw that, they sent him a glare, and the campfire got silent. I didn't see why they were so upset at him for saying that. It was just flirting, right? I didn't find it uncomfortable, honestly, so it was fine with me.

But apparently it wasn't fine with Louis.

Clearing his throat, Partridge stabbed his spear into the flames, drawing out a charred fish.

No one moved.

Louis cleared his throat again.

And suddenly it was like an earthquake was crashing through the island, all four Lost Boys scrambling out of their seats and snatching up their belongings.

"I think I left the stove on," Finn mumbled, running off towards the treehouse to our left.

Before I could question why they had a stove in a wooden tree, Gaten and Noah went running after Wolfie with record speed. Caleb lingered behind for a second, gathering his bags into his hands.

"I left my stove on too," he mumbled, before rushing off like the rest.

There was a moment of silence, where Louis and I were just staring at the fire in confusion (well, I was confused, he just kept eating his fish). Setting down my spear, I narrowed my eyes inquisitive.

"Okay," I said, slapping my hands on my thighs, "what was that?"

Louis took another bite of his food, his mouth full, "what was what?"

"What just happened."

"They left their stoves on," the boy shrugged, "didn't you hear?"

"Louis, I know you don't have a stove."

"Then maybe it was the oven," he smirked, turning to face me, "anyways, you left this at the cove."

Throwing his wooden stick into the flames, I watched as he reached underneath the log bench to pull out a bundle of brown leather. It was the dagger and sheath Hook had given me, and seeing it in Louis' hands made me uneasy.

He was holding the weapon from his enemy.

"Thanks," I said quickly, taking it from his hands and shoving it behind my back, "I forgot about that."

Thankfully, he didn't seem to notice my flustered behavior. Instead, he looked more interested in the idea of why I had the dagger, not who I needed the dagger for.

It was much easier to lie for the why.

"Do you know how to fight?" He questioned, leaning a few inches closer to me.

I felt tempted to move away by habit, but I stayed in my spot, "with the dagger?"

"Yeah."

"No, not really."

"Then why do you have one?"

The real answer would be simple to say, but not simple to take. How was I supposed to tell him the truth? I couldn't just bat my eyelashes and say 'hey Louis, I'm actually a pirate that's the co-captain of your greatest enemy, and I was given the dagger to ensure you didn't try to resist being captured'!

Gosh no, I wasn't going to say that, because I didn't want it to be true in the first place.

"That's because it's better to be with one than without one," I said, clearing my throat, "Neverland is unknown to me still."

Louis stared at me for a second, his eyes scanning me in interest. I didn't know what was running through his mind, but it made me want to know. I was intrigued...and I also didn't realize I leaned in closer to him too.

No thank you.

"Anyways," I said flusterdley, realigning myself, "that's why I have it."

Louis let out an amused puff of air, shrugging "I can teach you to defend yourself, if you want."

"Defending myself is easy," I added, "but you can teach me how to fight instead."

"Done deal," the boy said, hopping onto his feet and whipping out his own dagger from where he usually carried it by his side, "shall we duel?"

I tilted my head, "you think you can win?"

"You don't know how to fight," he shrugged, "so obviously I will."

Unsheathing my dagger, I clutched the handle tightly and stood up. The forest was dark in the firelight, but I had a clear view of my opponent.

Him, and his brown, wavy, hair, and dark brown eyes that reminded me of molasses.

"Ready?" I grinned, holding up my dagger, "no skin to skin hits, just blades."

"I agree with that."

"So are we good, or—"

"GO!"

Before I had the chance to finish my sentence, Louis lunged towards me, his small knife sliding a few centimeters from the side of my head. He could have stabbed me in the face.

"You see?" He said, spinning his dagger away from me, "I could have killed you."

I scoffed, still embarrassed he was able to win so quickly, "you started too early!"

"That's lesson one."

"What is?"

"Your enemy will never tell you when they strike," Louis explained, beginning to pace, "you have to be ready at all times."

I frowned, "fine."

"Fine?"

"I said fine, as in I agree."

"Okay, you just sounded—"

Before he could finish his sentence, I clutched my dagger and leaped towards him, swinging my blade towards his side.

Surprisingly, he was prepared. Apparently he took his own advice to heed. Dodging to his right, he grabbed my wrist and flipped me around, shoving me off to the side.

Lunging to his left, he did the same. Letting out a breath, I took a step back and held up my weapon. He had a pattern with the way he fought: see the attack, dodge to right, then shove opponent. Luckily, I picked things up quickly.

Lunging again, I watched as he did his dodge, but this time I swept his legs from under him, causing him to fall onto his back.

Planting the heel of my boot over his chest, I grinned. He was staring back up at me with a bewildered look on his face, almost in slight adoration. I guess he didn't think I'd pick it up so quickly.

 Too bad.

"Never mind," I smirked, "I already know how to fight."