Chapter Text
“Truth or dare?”
“Oh god, Douglas, I’m not going to play that!”
Douglas turned in his chair and shot his captain a look. “We have a long and lengthy flight back to Fitton, Martine, and personally I am both exhausted and bored.”
He certainly reflected as much and more. His hair had been pushed back several times, leaving a couple of cowlicks sticking up in the back. Douglas had shed his jacket off an hour ago and his sleeves were rolled up idly, lounging in his seat while Martine had control.
Martine’s lips twitched down before she finally nodded. “Fine, whatever. Truth.
“Then let us begin.” Douglas thought for a couple of seconds. “Do you actually have the entire manual memorized?”
Martine gave a small smile and nodded, clearing her throat before launching into a spiel in her authoritative tone.
"Attaching Wing to Trike Carriage: Make sure that the ignition is off. Remove wind shield using quick release snap fittings securing the windshield. Position the wing on its A-frame, facing into the wind, with the nose on the ground. Release the mast swivel locking bolt located on the mast behind the back seat. Use the holes in the back seat headrest area covering the engine to slide your hands in to release this bolt. Release the compression strut on the bottom bracket on the fairing by releasing the quick locking pin. Gently pull out the compression strut from the bracket..."
Douglas chuckled and held up a hand. “I get the idea, truly I do. I’m impressed. Your turn, truth.”
Martine assumed a smug expression, “Alright then. How many women do you think you’ve been with?”
“How many I think I've been with? More than I actually have, though not by much..” Douglas drawled with a prideful grin that could put the Cheshire Cat to shame.
Martine simply rolled her eyes. “Truth.”
“What is your biggest fear?”
“Not being able to fly.”
“I’m shocked, truly I am. Truth.”
Martine pondered, she was running out of questions to ask. How could Douglas think of so many? “What did you do for fun when you were younger Neither you nor Herc have ever told us.”
The older pilot strayed into thought, for the question brought back a deluge of sentiment, recalling reckless parties and a different bed every night. “For the most part, you don’t want to know. I was, however, quite an active participant in theater.”
Martine’s eyebrows raised a little. “Huh. I didn’t know that. Okay, truth for me.”
“Heaven forbid, what would your last meal be?”
Martine let out a laugh. “Have I committed a horrible crime?”
“Awful. You charged Carolyn extra because we had to divert. Please don’t say potatoes.”
“Why would I say that when I could have anything? I’d appreciate some steak. Maybe a side of pie, or some kind of pudding.”
Douglas tilted his head, that did sound sort of nice. It seemed much better than what the captain normally lived on. “Dare.”
“Sing an excerpt. From one of your plays, I mean.” Martine smiled as the first officer quirked a brow in incredulity. “I’m curious.”
Douglas sighed. He didn’t even notice her flick the switch for the intercom, “Very well.” Taking a moment to compose, he started his song in a graceful baritone.
“Stars, in your multitudes. Scarce to be counted, filling the darkness, with order and light. You are the sentinels, silent and sure, keeping watch in the night…”
Douglas quickly noticed Martine's thumb on the intercom button, grinning. “Turn that off before Carolyn comes in here and kills us.”
Martine grinned and turned it off. “Sorry. Dare, I suppose.”
Carolyn opened the door and glowered at her pilots, “What the hell was that?”
“Too late.” The gallant first officer turned to the newcomer, his arms open in a friendly platitude. “Ah, Carolyn, I take it you didn’t enjoy “musical theatre hour?”
“Douglas, we are transporting some of the most humorless Chinese accountants I have ever had the displeasure to meet in my life. I suggest you try to control your musical outbursts.”
“If I must.” And with that, Carolyn left, Douglas rolling his eyes with a smile.
There was silence between them for a moment. Douglas was the first to laugh, then Martine followed with her low giggle. “Jesus, I’m sorry, Douglas.”
“It’s quite alright, brings back pleasant memories. You picked dare, right? I dare you to...” Douglas thought for a moment. “You should sing, too. ‘An eye for an eye.’ So as to not turn away Carolyn's newest sources of income, let's let Arthur be the recipient of your melodic vocals.”
Martine scoffed. “Really? Why and what?”
“Because when you are dared to do something, usually you do it. And I don’t know, ‘I Believe I Can Fly’, ‘Leaving on a Jet Plane’, ‘Up-Up and Away.' Really, Martine, there are several selections, and those are just the aviation- specific choices.”
Martine scowled and turned on the intercom. “Would Arthur Shappey come up to the flight deck, please?”
Within moments, a boisterously happy steward made his way up, and grinned at the two pilots, “Hello, chaps! Is there something you needed, Skip?”
“No, nothing really... I was just going to… um… sing to you.” Douglas gave her a look of curious impatience.
Arthur blinked, then smiled wider, “Wow, thanks! What are you going to sing?”
“Well. Um. I’m not exactly sure…oh.” She cleared her throat, and turned a deeper shade of pink. What came out was a singing voice that was far from theatrical quality. Low, quiet, and shaky, but it was much better than Arthur’s Christmas ballads, physically painful as they were. “I believe I can fly...”
“Oh, do sing louder, we want to be able to hear you.”
“Shut up, Douglas!” Martine hissed at him, then continued, louder, “I believe I can touch the sky… I think about it every night and day...”
Arthur decided at that point to break in with a very loud and off-key, “I spread my wings and fly away!”
Martine winced slightly, but smiled, “Thanks Arthur.”
“Not a problem Skip. Thanks for singing to me a little. That was brilliant! Will you need any tea or coffee?”
Douglas shook his head. “I don’t think so.”
“Right-o, then. Have fun!” And with that, he let himself out.
Douglas sat in his chair trying to hold in a series of laughs. Martine rolled her eyes, “You can laugh. I’m a terrible singer and I know it.”
He chortled, “That was marvelous. Dare.”
She muttered, “I dare you to kiss my ass.”
“A bit risqué, but if you insist..”
Martine shot him a death glare as he snickered. “That's not funny!” Then, a wicked grin formed on her freckled face, “You will regret that. I dare you to…” she broke off, and whispered the rest of her sentence into his ear. He drew back unexpectedly.
“You can’t possibly be serious!”
“But I am.”
“But to Carolyn?”
“Of course! Now, go get her, tiger!”
And with that he rose, sending a rather dirty look at the beaming young woman. She would indeed regret it, he just hadn’t thought of how yet, though several scenarios popped into his head at the idea of retribution. Honoring the tradition of Truth or Dare, he waltzed up to a rather bored Carolyn as she stirred a cup of coffee in the galley. She gave him a bewildered look. “Well?”
Douglas shook his head and pretended to busy himself with a cup of his own before, with hesitation, bringing his hand to give a regrettably loud smack to her bum. Before Carolyn could rear back and unsheathe her claws or dig around the galley for knives, he dashed back to the flight deck with a tight-lipped expression on his face.
“The deed is done.”
Martine gaped at him, “Really? You’re a bloody hero, you know that? I wouldn’t have been able to do that.”
“I suppose not,” he mumbled somewhat sullenly. “By the way, I fully intend to throw you under the bus the moment she comes up to claw my eyes out.”
“Understood.” She stifled a giggle.
-
The two pilots tried to make themselves as inconspicuous as possible once they touched down in Fitton. This failed miserably, as they were about to make it across the airfield, a loud, happy voice rang out, “Bye, Douglas! Bye, Skip!” before another loud, but significantly loud voice called them back. They cringed, then turned on their heels and returned back to the plane.
The lecture wasn’t as bad as it could have been. Aside from the yelling, and tossing the blame around like hot potato, it wasn’t all bad.
“No more Truth or Dare on the plane, understood?”
“Yes, Carolyn.”
As the two exited the plane for the second time, Carolyn rubbed her forehead, “Between my ridiculous pilots and our financial issues, I’m about fed up.”
Arthur hugged his mum around her shoulders, “You’ll figure it out…hey, next go-round, you can save money and make some of us bunk together? It’ll be like a sleepover! I can even bring extra blankets and pillows and things to make forts and...”
Carolyn gave it a good amount of thought while Arthur waxed poetic about the merits of sleepover activities before she smiled. Smirked, more like. Arthur knew that look as one Mum used when she was thinking of something evil.
“Yes, I can, can’t I?”