Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing, and am making no money off of this fic.
AN: Written for the May 3rd Cocktail Party prompt found here: gwcocktailfriday . tumblr .com(/)post/184480754797/cocktail-friday-post-responses-on-friday-may-3rd. (Without the spaces and parentheses.)
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Expectations by luvsanime02
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Wufei looks down at the serving tray and raises an eyebrow. "Is that china?" he asks.
Hilde blinks. "Why are we being served mojitos on a silver platter?" she asks.
"And why do the drinks have straws in them?" Relena wonders. "Are we supposed to get drunk during this meeting?"
"It would make things less nerve-wracking, I'm sure," Wufei replies. He reaches down to take one of the cups. As he brings it closer, Wufei can see that it is, in fact, china. With delicate etchings along the rim. He's almost afraid of staining the surface with his saliva, or something else equally ridiculous.
"I think I figured out the reasoning behind the straws," he says, suddenly realizing.
Hilde seems to have no such hesitation. She picks up her cup as slowly as possible, but takes an eager sip of her drink from the straw. "I'm a little surprised that we're being served alcohol at all," she admits. "Are your parents delivering some backhanded insult, or something?" she asks Relena.
Relena bites down on her lower lip, which doesn't reassure Wufei one bit. "I don't think so," she says slowly. She picks up her cup with grace and ease, genuinely not seeming to notice the delicate china in her hands, and gulps down half of her drink in one large swallow.
"Nervous?" Wufei asks quietly. In any other situation, he'd be teasing her, but his voice is very sincere right now. He'd be nervous, if this was an introduction to his own parents. He's still a little anxious at the moment, but not nearly as bad as he'd be while sitting in front of his family. Then again, he's already well aware that his parents disapprove of their relationship.
Relena nods. "I don't think they really care all that much," she admits, and her purposely casual tone is painful to hear. Wufei wishes that her parents cared about Relena's personal life more, even if they didn't approve.
Hilde exchanges a quick, grim look with Wufei. She has one hand braced under her cup now and the other carefully wrapped around the outside, and looks like she doesn't want to take in a deep breath for fear of accidentally breaking the china with her suddenly trembling fingers.
Wufei lets out a careful, controlled breath of his own. "We don't care what happens today," he reminds them. "As long as there's no poison in these drinks," he adds wryly.
That startles a laugh out of Relena, and Wufei watches her shoulders relax slightly. "I'm sure that my parents wouldn't choose something so mundane as poison to murder someone with," she says loftily.
"Well, I'm relieved," Hilde snorts. Their conversation doesn't stop her from drinking more of her mojito, though.
"They're late," Relena says quietly. Wufei nods, and drinks more of his own mojito. It's quite good, at least. "We came all the way out here at their request," she continues. "They could at least walk down the damn stairs and into the drawing room on time."
Wufei's glad that she's upset. That way, he doesn't have to be. Wufei getting angry would be a very bad idea today, especially before Relena's parents even arrive.
"We could just leave," Hilde offers, though none of them move. Of course they're not going to leave. Not after working up the nerve to show up in the first place.
"Let's give it a few more minutes," Wufei says, though he knows that all three of them will sit there for hours, if necessary. Wufei can't imagine anyone more stubborn than any one of them, let alone all three of them together. They can outwait Relena's parents.
The three of them will be fine, no matter how this day turns out. "We'll be fine," he says out loud, to reassure the others and himself.
Hilde smiles. "Yeah, we will be," she says, quietly but confidently.
Relena shakes her head, but she looks ready for the upcoming discussion, whatever happens. "Of course we will," she agrees, and that's that.
