Apr 3
seen from Saudi Arabia
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seen from United Kingdom
seen from Saudi Arabia
seen from Germany
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seen from Australia
seen from Germany
seen from United States
seen from Saudi Arabia
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seen from Malaysia
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Cheers ya beautiful fuckers. I hope you have a good halloween and you keep safe, wear a mask, and vote!
Martini Time™️ is best enjoyed as close to the time one arrives home as possible, and preferably with Dave Brubeck playing in the background.
Martini Time
Holy SHIT! A Cocktail Friday submission? Jeez, it’s been forever. Written for this post.
Plunked out just in time! Enjoy!
@thisweekingundamwing @gwcocktailfriday
Trowa suppressed a sigh as he looked over the room. “Remind me again why I agreed to this?”
His companion snorted delicately, hooking her hand around his arm. “Because you look damn good in a suit and get to drink for free.” Relena glanced up at him with a knowing smirk before pulling him further into the room.
Trowa fell in step obediently, feeling like he had stepped into a time warp. The theme for the party was pre-colonial 1950s, complete with period style furniture and dress. It was basically a fancy Halloween party in mid summer, all in the name of whatever charity suited the host’s mood.
Relena had requested his presence, even though he normally didn’t attend events like this. Heero and Wufei were the first picks for protection during formal events, and in the event that either of them were unavailable, Duo stepped in, though he had been dropped lower on the list following the events during his last party with her. Relena had argued vehemently for his place to be restored, claiming it had been as much her idea as his, but her pleas had fallen on deaf ears.
Duo had merely shrugged, telling her she didn’t need the excuse of a stuffy party to get together for a real shindig. Relena had been thrilled at the open invitation; Heero and Wufei, not so much.
Thus Trowa had been added to the list, the wisdom of which he was still debating.
He casually noted more than a few admiring looks, and didn’t have to glance at Relena to know she found the attention amusing.
“I’m not going to say it,” he murmured to her.
She chuckled lightly, pulling closer to him as she squeezed his arm. “You don’t have to,” she smiled up at him, all charm, her voice like honey. “Their reactions say it all.”
He bit back his reply, knowing it would be pointless to draw her attention to the looks she was getting. As a prominent politician, she was used to being the center of attention, and as a beautiful young woman, used to the less than innocent leers.
Trowa glared over her head at one such expression, allowing himself a twing of satisfaction when the man paled and turned away as he took a hasty sip from his drink.
“See? You’re already enjoying yourself,” Relena commented, still wearing her polite mask, but her eyes were sharp. She knew exactly what he had been doing.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Trowa sniffed.
She huffed a laugh and stepped away from him. “Any preference on drinks?”
Trowa arched an eyebrow at her, then pointedly looked around the room, catching sight of the various martini glasses clutched in the hands of the guests. “I’ll let you take a wild guess.”
Relena rolled her eyes and left, leaving him to entertain himself with watching the effect she had on the other guests.
She, like everyone else here, was wearing a dress appropriate for the theme, a dark green knee length cocktail dress with a sweetheart neckline. The back of the dress was cut lower than some of the more conservative version he’d seen, swooping just above the small of her back. Her hair had been coaxed into thick waves, clipped carefully out of her face, leaving the rest loose down her back, highlighting the exposed stretch of skin. The dress flared out at her hips, accenting her trim waist. She finished the ensemble with simple, low heels. She had forgone wearing gloves, something he hadn’t realized was unusual until he noted how many others wore them.
Trowa watched her move through the crowd, grateful for his height, and made his way to a sitting area set in the corner of the room near the bar. He nodded to her when she turned to scan the room, then settled on the couch, angled to keep her in his sighs.
“Excuse me, is this seat taken?”
He glanced up at the woman who smiled at him in what he assumed was a charming manner. She twirled a finger in her hair as she cocked her hip, holding her glass delicately in the other hand.
“Yes,” he replied, dismissing her.
“I haven’t seen you before,” she pressed, sitting down regardless, blocking his view of Relena. He narrowed his eyes at her slightly, annoyed by her insistence. She crossed her legs delicately, carefully adjusting the folds of her dress to drape just so, then leaned forward. “I’m Amelia.”
“A pleasure,” Trowa answered flatly, glaring down at her before glancing over her head, trying to catch sight of Relena.
“I’m sure it is,” Amelia purred, inching closer with a sultry smile. “You’re quite the handsome picture. Most men here can’t quite pull off the look.”
Trowa returned his attention to her, not bothering to suppress his frown. He was dressed in a dark charcoal suit, the cut slightly different from the ones he owned, but the kicker had been his hair. Relena had insisted he style his hair appropriately, which meant a lot of hair gel. He had parted it on the side and slicked back his bangs, finishing it off with a polished sheen. He’d gotten more than a few looks and comments when he had arrived to escort Relena to the party.
To his surprise, Duo had been in her office, the two engaged in conversation when Trowa had entered. Relena had immediately voiced her approval, showering him in compliments, but Trowa internally braced for a comment from Duo. He had hoped to finish the evening without having to face any of his fellow ex-pilots.
Instead of a snide comment, Duo had studied him from top to bottom with a curious expression. He had risen from his sprawled position in his chair, murmured something to Relena before giving her a kiss on the head, then left, leaving Trowa more off-balanced than expected.
“Did you come here alone?”
Amelia’s question pulled him back to the present, noting she had moved closer during his lapse and was now nearly in his lap. Just as he opened his mouth, another voice cut in.
“He’s currently occupied.”
Trowa quirked a grin at the icy tone, standing to accept the drink Relena held out for him. She smiled back then turned a frosty glare at the woman still seated on the couch. “I thought I saw your husband in the other room,” she said sweetly. “I’m sure he’s terribly lonely.”
Amelia stood quickly with a huff, and marched off, disappearing into the crowd.
Trowa shook his head, smirking slightly as he watched Relena glare after her. “My hero.”
She turned to him, all traces of her glare gone. “She’s a leech,” she said bluntly, shocking a laugh from him. “I don’t know what her husband sees in her.”
He shook his head and motioned to the couch and settled down beside her. They sat in comfortable silence as they sipped their drinks when a thought occurred to him.
“Why did you ask for me?”
Relena finished sipping her martini before answering. “It was Duo’s idea.”
Trowa frowned slightly, not expecting that bit of information. “There were others who could have done this,” he said. “Jones and Turner were both ahead of me.”
“True, but they’re not nearly as nice to look at,” Relena said as she leaned back, laying an arm over the back of the couch, her empty glass hanging loosely in her grip.
“You’re saying Duo suggested I take you to this party just so you could see me dressed up?”
Relena hummed an affirmative as she smiled. “He has excellent taste.”
Trowa turned over the new information, thinking back to Duo’s watchful eyes, the way he had looked him over, his closeness with Relena, how the pair, despite their obvious differences, seemed drawn to each other. Trowa would be the last to admit, especially to himself, that he was a little jealous of their bond, how comfortable they seemed together.
“And you?” He finally asked, draining the rest of his drink.
“Our tastes often fall in line,” she answered, leaning her head back to stare at him with hooded eyes.
Trowa inhaled a shaky breath and set his glass on the coffee table. He had assumed, given when he had seen and the rumor mill, that the two were together in some capacity. She wasn’t really offering, was she? “What about Duo?”
Her smile stretched into a grin, and Trowa suddenly found himself pulled forward by his tie. He followed her willingly, until he was leaning over her, his heart in his throat as he realized what was happening.
“I promised I would share,” she whispered, then pulled him down for a searing kiss.