Disclaimer: Mobile Suit Gundam Wing is property of Bandai, Sunrise and Sotsu. Peter Pan is property of J.M. Barrie, Disney & Universal.
With the kitchen off limits, he had nowhere to escape to in the apartment, so decided to take a walk. Walking led to boredom and boredom led to DeathScythe. A perfect cure for boredom was hanging out with your buddies, right? Okay, so running routing checks and making minor repairs wasn't the most interesting thing Duo could've been doing, it did allow him to relax. He hadn't realized how stressed he'd been since Wufei invaded his home until he felt the tension ease out of his shoulders and he could have swore that his posture actually got straighter as he hunched over a control panel.
The message light blinked a silent amber. Duo wiped his hands on his pants, climbed inside the cockpit and then sealed the hatch. The code indicated the message was from Sandrock. Duo smiled and palmed the accept key. Quatre's boyish face appeared without a boyish expression. His forehead was wrinkled and his mouth had a distinctive downward curve. He was worried about something.
"Lay it on me," Duo demanded.
"I'm glad you don't have to wait for this."
"Why? What's wrong?"
Quatre's frown intensified and he took a slow breath. "I got some hits on the name 'Tinkerbell' but it they turned out to be completely irrelevant."
Irrelevant or impossible? Duo thought back to his conversation with Angelina, tried not to look too eager when he asked, "Irrelevant how?"
"Oh, um... They were all in reference to some book written in the twentieth century. I couldn't get all the details because there don't seem to be any copies of the book left." Quatre's eyes started to shine. "Duo, you don't mind, right?"
"Mind? Of course not, Quat. It's not your fault the stupid thing's out of print."
"That's not what I meant," Quatre rudely interrupted. Duo closed his mouth on the next thing he was going to say. Quatre was never rude. "I told Trowa." Now, that had come out in a reasonable tone.
"May I ask why?" He wasn't angry, just curious.
"He's a good reference," was the immediate reply. "Trowa spends some of his time with the circus, right? Circus folk are people of tradition. They're storytellers, so I thought that he might know someone who is familiar with the story in the book."
That made sense, but it still didn't explain Quatre's obvious unease. "So, did ol' Unibang know anything?"
"The story was modified into a play by a theater troupe that sometimes performs with his circus."
"He does know the story then!"
"No, but Catherine does. She performed the lead female role, Wendy, for an entire summer."
Duo's jaw dropped. "What did you say the name of the play was?"
"I didn't. It's 'Peter Pan.'"
Actually, the Wendy would do anything that Peter asked. Wendy. Peter. It was too much to just be coincidence. "And who was Tinkerbell?"
"I don't know."
"Is the play showing now?" There was a desperate fluttering growing in Duo's chest.
"I think so. Why?"
Why? Duo didn't really know either. "I need to see that play, Quatre."
Quatre took a moment to observe his friend. "Tell me what's wrong, Duo." It was a command not a question.
"Not now." Duo waved Quatre off with one hand, while he was making reservations on the six o'clock shuttle and securing four tickets to the "Greatest Show in the System" with the other. "Just meet me at the port at eight."
"Okay?" Quatre agreed uncertainly.
Duo cut the transmission, slipped out of DeathScythe, meticulously locked the hangar up and ran back to his apartment. He needed to collect his dates.
"Wufei? Angelina?" He didn't bother to take off his shoes. The shuttle left in less than thirty minutes.
"Here." It was Wufei, but it came from the guest room. It sounded like Angelina wasn't forced to do anything drastic to the overbearing pilot. Like break his nose.
Wufei was helping Angelina put her new wardrobe away. Angelina had already changed into one of the outfits Reilin had said a girl couldn't live without and Duo had to admit, Angelina looked cute. Duo shook his head. This was not the time.
"Something came up," he began.
"I understand, Maxwell," Wufei replied not taking his attention from the dress he was hanging up in the closet. "You don't need our permission to go."
"Um...no... That's not what I meant." Without further explanation Duo grabbed both of his guests by the wrists. "You're coming along."
Wufei wrenched his arm free and in the following fluid motion freed Angelina's as well. "Maxwell, don't-"
"Please?" Duo begged, eyes wide. "The shuttle leaves in twenty minutes. I'll explain everything during the trip." His eyes were as wide as he could make them and they were generously glazed with just the right amount of glistening saline. Duo wasn't entirely sure Wufei would be prone to the pleading eyes of a lost, starving puppy who'd just lost his master in a tragic traffic accident, but he had to try. And Duo never tried anything without giving it his best.
The Chinaman made a sound in the back of his throat but in the end he conceded.
"The circus is important, Maxwell?" Two hours in a shuttle did nothing but bad things to Chang Wufei's temper. It didn't help that Quatre was late.
Duo did his best to make his tone reassuring. "You'll see when we get there. Just be patient."
"Duo? Wufei?"
"Oop! There's my other date! Quat!" Duo raised a hand to wave Quatre over. "Er... Dates. How's it hangin' Trowa?"
Quatre, with Trowa in tow, made his way over to the trio.
Duo gestured Angelina forward. "Quatre, Trowa, this is Angelina. Angelina, these are our friends Trowa and Quatre."
"A pleasure to meet you." Trowa simply nodded. Quatre, however, bowed, took Angelina's hand and then placed a light kiss on the back of it. The perfect image of a gentleman.
Wufei fixed a glare on Quatre's hand until Angelina's was released. Duo almost smiled at that look of undisguised jealousy. Almost. He liked the idea that Wufei was opening himself up to emotion, but he wasn't sure it was being handled properly.
The blonde seemed to pick up on the glare. He released the girl's hand, taking a full step away from her.
"I got you a ticket," announced Duo in an attempt to break the crackling atmosphere. "Sorry, Trow, didn't know you were coming."
"What?" asked the blonde as he took the ticket from Duo. "'Cause I can't afford my own?"
"Poor people," moaned Duo in a mocking lament.
"Poor people, my ass."
Duo whirled around at that voice. "Hee-Heero? What are you doing here?" Duo swallowed a lump in his throat. "And watch your language! There's a lady present!"
"What am I doing here?" Heero shot, turning to Quatre. "That's a good question." Quatre shrunk a little, but only a little, under that intent gaze. "All five-" his gaze shifted to Angelina for a second, "-of us in one place. That's a little dangerous, don't you think?"
"What can I say, the gang's all here," supplied the blonde with false cheer. "Heero, I don't believe you've met Angelina."
To be continued...