"What makes you think you can just barge in here and use my stuff?"
"Tink, I didn't barge. I knocked and you let me in," Curly replied. "And it almost looked like you were happy to see me."
Tink rolled her eyes and turned away. She had been happy to see him at first. But then she realized he had just come because the only other design program was with her in central control. She should have known he was just using her again. Stupid, selfish boy.
"Why should I let you use my program?" She snapped. "We're not friends. You don't know me very well."
Curly shrugged. "Maybe. But I do know how it feels to have your tongue in my mouth, so that ought to count for something."
Tink gasped and cycled through a dozen emotions before she turned red with anger. But before she could unleash the string of expletives waiting on the tip of her tongue, Curly stepped towards her and apologized.
"I'm sorry, Tink, that was uncalled for. But at least I know you well enough to know that you have your own design program. Nobody else in Neverland knows that, except maybe Peter, and I'm pretty sure he left to find Wendy."
Tink bristled at the mention of Wendy, but she knew that what Curly said was true. She blew a stray strand of hair out of her face and relinquished her chair to Curly.
"Fine, use it. But make it quick, I was working on something," she lied.
"Thank you," he said, looking her in the eyes before sitting down in her chair.
Tink stood in the corner and tried to look angry, but for some reason she kept fighting back a smile. Peter would never intrude on me like this just to get ahead in a competition, she kept thinking. But those thoughts weren't eliciting the indignant feelings she was hoping for. Instead, she wondered if Peter even knew what kind of applications she had available to her. She wondered if he would ever think to ask her for help with something like this. She found herself absently fiddling with the first prototype of her fairy avatar which had been lying on the desk. The head was far too big and the wings had barely held the weight of the rest of the machine, but it had served its purpose for a few months before she worked out the kinks and upgraded to a new model.
"Where do you keep your ... ? Oh, there they are," Curly said, answering his own question. Tink watched him design a small tool to fill up the hole. At first she couldn't imagine how something so minuscule was going to do the job, but once she realized what it was, she saw the brilliance of it. He was creating a device that would plug into Neverland's framework to regenerate the soil and roots that had once filled the pit. He was finishing up by adding elements to the design.
"You'll probably want to use magnesium," she murmured.
"Ah, yes. Tink, you are a genius."
Curly checked his work, then uploaded the design to the tournament portal, and sat back, letting out a slow breath.
"Made it with three minutes to spare." He turned around and smiled, and Tink felt her cheeks burning for an entirely different reason than before.
"That was really impressive," Tink said, clearing her throat and willing her temperature to return to normal. "I never knew you were so good at solving problems."
"I suppose it's because I cause a lot of problems," he responded lightly, but Tink could decipher his underlying meaning.
She took a step closer. "I'm sorry about what I said before. I think you have actually become one of my good friends. After Peter, of course."
His smile faltered a little. "What more could I ask for?" He replied, a subtle edge to his voice. He stood up from her chair and suddenly she was staring at his broad chest. She looked up at his face and immediately wondered if she should have looked at the floor instead.
"Tink," he murmured, "don't get angry with me for saying this, but you have the most amazing eyes."
Her knees nearly buckled beneath her. "I can't believe you would say such a horrible thing," she joked, letting out a shaky laugh.
Curly looked at her with an intensity she had never seen before, and she had to remind herself to breathe. He put his hands on her shoulders and pulled her to him. She was almost positive he was going to try and kiss her, and she couldn't decide if she wanted to return the kiss or slap his face. He was coming closer, closer...
"Task four complete."
The monotone voice erupted from her computer speakers and they both pulled away from each other and stared at the screen. After a few seconds, it displayed the results of the design competition. Curly's device had come in second.
"Yes!" He exclaimed. "Thanks, Tink! I couldn't have done it without you!" He pulled her into an enthusiastic hug, nearly lifting her off the ground. She tentatively returned the embrace and found that his midsection was rather smaller than she had imagined. He was definitely no longer the chubby boy who had come here years ago. He drew back and smiled at her, and Tink realized with some embarrassment that her hands were still around his waist. She quickly dropped them and stepped back.
"You should go." Curly's face fell so fast it was almost comical. "You need to go finish the tournament," Tink added.
"Oh, right." He turned and headed out the door. "Thanks again!" He called before disappearing down the path. Tink slowly shut the door, then rested her head against it. She took a few deep breaths and tried to sift through her conflicting emotions. Fine, I'm attracted to him, she admitted to herself. Very attracted to him. But she couldn't imagine sharing the same kinds of experiences with him as she did with Peter. Plus, even though he had said nice things and pulled her close, he had ultimately come just to use her stuff. Who's to say he wasn't just using her too? She had to be careful. Peter had hurt her, and she didn't want to be hurt again.
"Stupid, selfish boy," she muttered.