Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing, and am making no money off of this fic.
AN: Written for the January 26th Cocktail Party prompt found here: gwcocktailfriday . tumblr .com (/)post/170023540488/cocktail-friday. (Without the spaces and parentheses.)
########
A Proposition or Two by luvsanime02
########
Wufei warily eyes the tacos that arrive at their table, and honestly doesn't know what to think. He's never been an especially big fan of tacos, the usual ones with seasoned beef in them. All three of these tacos have different fillings, though. He has to admit to himself that the one made with chicken looks promising. Or, at least, not completely terrible.
"Dig in," Hilde exclaims, and then she and Relena each grab a taco almost before Wufei can register her words. He arches an eyebrow, wondering if he should protest on principle. Then again, they did leave him the chicken taco, and so Wufei lets it go with a sigh.
He then looks interestedly over at the three drinks that also arrived with their food. "So, why are they all different colors?" he asks. He doesn't understand why Hilde and Relena have ordered all different beers for the three of them.
Relena smiles sweetly, and then pushes the darkest brew over towards Wufei. He eyes her expression warily, knowing by now to be cautious of her seemingly innocent expressions. "That's because this one is for you," she says, not answering his question at all.
Hilde smirks and grabs the lightest one, leaving Relena with her own glass, which she picks up and sips from while also raising an eyebrow at Wufei in a clear challenge.
He scowls. Wufei doesn't especially enjoy the taste of beer, although the food will help to dilute the flavor. He takes a bite of his taco, which really is quite good, and then takes a cautious drink from his glass.
Huh. It's not that bad. Still not his favorite thing to drink ever, but Wufei's definitely had worse. As he relaxes, Hilde laughs softly and salutes him with her own glass. "I told you to trust us," she chides. Wufei acknowledges her comment with a nod. Yes, he's glad that he let the two of them order.
"So, why are we here again?" Wufei asks.
Relena looks around. "This place seems busy," she says, once again not really answering Wufei's question.
He sighs again, but nods, going along with it for now. "Yes, it does." Not busy enough for the atmosphere to turn loud and obnoxious, but there's a steady stream of people coming and going. Clearly, the owners have a successful business.
"Food's good, too," Hilde chimes in, taking another bite of her taco.
Wufei drinks some more of his beer, which he thinks might technically be an ale, and then gives both of them a pointed look. "Yes," he agrees. "The food's fine, and plenty of people seem to like eating here." He sits back and folds his arms. "And this is all relevant because…?"
Relena and Hilde exchange a glance, and Wufei can already feel a headache forming. "Well," Relena says, "the thing is, the owners are actually considering selling the place."
"They're an older couple," Hilde says, right on cue. Wufei wonders if they've rehearsed this speech. "They don't have children, and they're thinking about retiring. Running a restaurant is a lot of work, of course."
"But it's manageable," Relena says quickly. They've definitely rehearsed this. "Especially with more people involved."
Wufei looks from one of them to the other, barely able to believe what he's hearing. "You want to buy this place?" he asks blankly. "You want us to buy a restaurant together?"
"See?" Hilde says, turning to Relena. "Listen to how enthusiastic he is! And you thought he'd be against the idea."
Wufei snorts at the sarcasm. "This is the most ridiculous thing either of you have ever proposed to me," he informs them flatly.
"Even more ridiculous than that time with the picnic table that-" Hilde starts to say.
"Yes," Wufei interrupts. "Even more ridiculous than that time. And we're not talking about the picnic ever again, remember?" he says firmly.
Relena nods in agreement, and quickly steers the conversation away from that memory. "Right. Anyway, please at least think about it, Wufei?" she asks. "We'll look up the actual numbers, and make sure that the place is turning a decent profit, but this could be a good project for all of us to do together, right?"
Honestly, Wufei doesn't know what to think. He's never considered being a restaurant owner before. It's not something that the three of them have ever talked about, either. Still, that doesn't automatically make the idea a bad one.
"Why here?" he asks, curious.
"Our first date," Hilde says bluntly.
Wufei blinks, surprised. "You two had your first date here?" he asks.
Hilde rolls her eyes and smirks. "No," she explains, "I mean our first date. The three of us."
Wufei stares at her again, and then at Relena, and then takes a moment to let that announcement sink in. He's… not quite sure how to respond. The three of them have been casually involved for some time now, but Hilde's definitely implying a transition into something more permanent here.
"Alright," Wufei says, "I'll think about it." He's not sure which proposition he's referring to more, but he's absolutely including both of them in his statement.
Relena nods, accepting that Wufei needs some time in order to consider everything, and Hilde winks at him, amused. "You'll only end up saying yes anyway," she says, draining the last of her drink.
She's probably right, but Wufei's not about to tell her that. He takes another bite of his taco and looks around. It's not a bad place, he admits. Might even be worth investing in. Maybe.