Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing and am making no money off of this fic.
AN: Written for the February 21st Cocktail Party prompt found here: gwcocktailfriday . tumblr .com(/)post/190840417767/cocktail-friday-post-responses-on-friday-february. (Without the spaces and parentheses.)
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Response by luvsanime02
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"What do you want to order?" the bartender asks.
Zechs doesn't know and doesn't care. He opens his mouth to order a whiskey, because it's simple and effective.
"He'll have a flaming Lamborghini," someone says behind him. Someone familiar.
Carefully, Zechs turns around to face Dorothy. She gives him the same challenging look as usual. Zechs would be comforted by that look if he wasn't so exasperated. "What did you just order me?" he asks, resigned.
He doesn't care enough to change the order now, so he'll have to deal with whatever Dorothy asked for. It will either be very good or the most rotten thing that Zechs has ever tried. Depends on her mood today, really.
Dorothy waves the question away as though she can't be bothered, which is probably the truth. She sits down on the stool next to Zechs, but she's obviously not here to drink. Which means she wants to talk. Zechs mentally braces himself for whatever she's there to say.
She waits in silence, though, until Zechs's drink is brought over. He's intrigued by it, watching blue flames dance across the top of the alcohol. No wonder Dorothy chose this drink.
Zechs blows out the flames and takes a large sip. Hm. A little too sweet for him, but not that bad. He can deal with it.
"Why did you say no?" Dorothy asks when the drink's halfway to Zechs's mouth for another sip.
He sets the glass down. "Should I have said yes?" he asks in return. He would have thought that, of all people, Dorothy would understand why saying yes to Relena's job offer would be a disaster.
"I think," Dorothy says, "that Relena has a lot of faith in you, for some reason."
And whatever that reason is, Zechs doubts Dorothy shares Relena's sentiment. Oh, she doesn't hate Zechs. The both of them are too closely tied to Treize even now, years later, long after his death, for her to harbor hatred for him. But Zechs also doubts that Dorothy holds much faith in his integrity.
"She does," Zechs agrees, picking up his glass again just to have something to hold. It's not a saber, but it will do. "She has faith in humanity."
Zechs does not. Dorothy idolizes humanity but doesn't believe in people, either. In that, in their jadedness, they are all too similar.
"You don't have to believe the same things that Relena does in order to support her," Dorothy points out.
Zechs knows that, really. "I'll always support her," he tries. It's not enough, he knows. Zechs has never been enough.
Dorothy sighs, like Zechs is being too tiresome for words, and indeed, she stops talking. She reaches over and plucks the glass out of Zechs's hand, and he doesn't protest. Dorothy drains the glass in one gulp and signals the bartender for another.
They spend the next ten minutes sitting together silently, and it should maybe feel awkward, but it doesn't. Zechs is no stranger to silence, and for all her opinions, Dorothy knows the value of listening instead of always speaking.
Dorothy finishes most of the second drink, too, and then she stands up. Unexpectedly, she leans over and pats Zechs's cheek fondly. "You don't have to feel like you're good enough for her," she explains patiently. "Relena already thinks you are."
With that, she leaves the bar, sticking Zechs with the bill for the drinks, of course. But, well, he doesn't mind.
Zechs doesn't know if he's going to accept Relena's offer or not, in the end, but he feels better about the whole situation. That's worth the price of a couple of drinks, at least.