Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing, and am making no money off of this fic.

AN: Written for the December 27th Cocktail Party prompt found here: gwcocktailfriday . tumblr .com(/)post/189792363879/thisweekingundamevents-tipsybartender-the. (Without the spaces and parentheses.)

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For the First Time by luvsanime02

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Relena really didn't mean to get Duo so drunk on her new Christmas punch recipe.

In her defense, kind of, she didn't really expect that Duo would be such a lightweight. When she jokingly proposed a drinking contest, though, Duo had laughed it off. He'd obviously assumed that she could never win a drinking contest between the two of them, and. Well.

Relena's always been able to drink a surprising amount of alcohol before feeling like she's losing control of herself. She figured, since Duo found the idea of her winning a drinking contest ridiculous, that he was the same.

What Relena didn't expect was for Duo to go from tipsy to trashed in the blink of an eye. He hadn't even finished his last cup of punch yet, but he was definitely drunk. Very drunk. He's been rambling about anything and nothing for the past fifteen minutes, but now, he's going quiet.

A quiet Duo is a sad Duo. No, that isn't true. Duo's almost always sad, Relena's come to realize. He just rarely chooses to show it. Right now, he's not bothering with putting up a mask. Relena's not even sure that he could if he wanted to. He's curled up in a corner of her couch because standing made him almost fall over.

Relena's not even feeling much of a buzz yet, honestly. She's definitely sober enough to feel guilty that she brought Duo's mood down. With a sigh, Relena sits next to Duo, leaving the big bowl of punch and their glasses on the table across the room. He's had enough, clearly.

"Sorry," Duo mumbles. Funny, that's what Relena had been about to say.

She gently runs her fingers through his bangs, pulling them aside to see his eyes better. Duo likes to hide behind his hair a lot. So do Heero and Trowa, now that she thinks about it. Duo tries to smile at her, but the gesture falls from his face almost as soon as it begins forming.

"I'm done drinking tonight, so I guess you win," Relena says easily. She doesn't know how to reply to Duo's apology, or even what exactly he's apologizing for. It doesn't matter, she supposes. They're both sorry.

Duo's eyes close, and he slowly slumps sideways until he's pressed against her. "'Kay," he says softly.

She peers down at him, wondering if Duo's fallen asleep, but no. She can see a sliver of color now. Duo's still awake, and he's watching their friends intently.

Relena leans her head back against the couch and watches them, too. Everyone else is having a good time, at least. They've all noticed her and Duo sitting together on the couch, of course. They probably all saw the exact moment when Duo's mood shifted. Everyone's giving the two of them their space, though, and it's nice.

Duo's warm. From the alcohol, Relena assumes, since his skin is usually quite cool. He's leaning against her more and more as each second passes, and Relena knows he's going to fall asleep in another minute.

That's fine. Relena's rarely been this close to Duo for any length of time. He always seems to be in motion. She likes it. He has a very light smattering of freckles across his nose and cheeks, and he's really quite pretty for a guy. Cute.

Maybe Relena's had more to drink than she thought. Or maybe she's just really looking for the first time. Whatever. Relena curls up beside Duo and decides that a nap sounds like a pretty good idea, after all. All of the other thoughts in her head can wait until later.