A flood of individuals wearing masquerade masks and formal wear gracefully swept across the ballroom, each switching partners at the end of every dance. The attendees all knew one another and often bickered senselessly amongst themselves; however, for the sake of decency and the whole point behind the masquerade, they all mutually agreed to feign ignorance to the identities of their fellow nations. This system proved thus far to maintain peace among the countries, preventing any sudden outbreaks of rioting or other petty nonsense.
Gilbert squeezed his way through other nations, deciding to break away from the dancing crowd. He'd just finished a dance with his close Canadian friend, who unfortunately had just been whisked away by a certain Russian enemy of his. Scowling, the Prussian cast a bitter glance at the two nations, almost cursing their happiness. Gilbert didn't approve of Matthew's open relationship with Ivan, but he wouldn't protest. He had his chance with the Canadian and he missed it. That was fine though; he wasn't great with commitment and Matthew was way too good for him anyway. It was best that Matthew moved on.
Swearing softly in German, Gilbert absentmindedly navigated his way around the bustling ballroom and pushed away all thoughts of his former love interest. His inattentiveness to where he was guiding his feet caused him to predictably bump into another person. The albino stumbled slightly, but managed to regain his balance. On the other hand, the one he'd crashed into hit the floor with a soft huff of surprise. Because he wasn't in the best of moods, Gilbert didn't respond to this as politely as he could have.
"Watch where you're going!" Gilbert snapped, immediately regretting doing so when he downcast his gaze. "Oh…uhhhh…"
Elizaveta, the representative of Hungary, stared up at the Prussian through her swan-like mask, mint green eyes lit with unmistakable embarrassment. Gilbert frantically fumbled to form a proper apology to her and leaned over, holding his hand out to assist the Hungarian to her feet. He was fully aware of Elizaveta's hot temper and vicious strength that correlated with it, having many times been a victim of it and her famous skillet. Nervously, Gilbert silently hoped that he wouldn't be getting personal with that frying pan in the next few seconds. His hopes were answered when hesitantly she accepted his offered hand and allowed him to lift her off the ground. Briefly, Elizaveta let her hand linger in his before pulling it away.
"Uhhhh…I really am sorry, Miss," Gilbert mumbled, turning red in the face at his own rudeness. "I didn't realize that I was speaking to a lady."
"It's fine. Accidents do happen," she responded, shifting her sheepish expression elsewhere to avoid having to look at him.
Silence hung in the air between the two nations. Gilbert, finding nothing appropriate to say, took Elizaveta's deliberate moment of distraction to his advantage and admired the female nation. The Hungarian's long, curly brunette hair was softly pinned back into an elegant style, the ringlets cascading down her back and across her bare shoulders; wispy tendrils delicately framed her face and a white rose clip fastened her bangs out of the way. Gilbert, against his better judgment, lowered his gaze slightly and flushed darkly. The bust of her white dress was of a corset fashion, fitting snugly around her torso and accentuating her already noticeable enough curves and breasts. The albino shifted uncomfortably and much to his own misfortune found that he could not tear his gaze away, being the debaucher that he was. To make the situation worse for him, as if she felt his eyes on her, Elizaveta protectively crossed her arms over her chest. However, this innocent gesture only succeeded in further accenting her chest and making Gilbert more bothered than he already was. Somehow he tore his stare away from what had him so mesmerized and continued on with his observation, noting how the dress continued on to hug at her hips until it finally feathered out the rest of the way. Slowly, Gilbert ran his gaze back up to the Hungarian's turned face, furrowing his eyebrows slightly. It was strange seeing her like this. The Prussian was so used to seeing her in her military uniforms or briefly in the maid's outfit she used to sport while married to her Austrian ex-husband. He wasn't accustomed to seeing Elizaveta so…beautiful. Of course he thought she was beautiful on every day of the year, though he wouldn't openly admit it to her. This beauty before him was different however, more intentional. He could see the effort she put into fixing her hair and even in finding a dress to perfectly suit her body type. It was as if she was trying to impress someone.
Gilbert came to the conclusion that he was no longer content with just looking at Elizaveta. He had to touch her, talk to her, do something besides just stand there and stare pathetically. The opportunity revealed itself when the last fast-paced song came to an end, beginning the first slow dance song of the night.
"Miss," Gilbert started, offering his hand out to the brunette, "may I awesomely have this dance?"
Elizaveta looked at him, expression full of surprise and a hint of joy at his question. Smiling, she nodded and placed her hand in his, allowing him to confidently lead her to the dance floor. Gilbert stopped them in the middle of all of the other couples getting ready to dance. The two got in the traditional slow dance position, the Prussian's right hand resting on his partner's upper back and his shoulder on the same side supporting the Hungarian's left arm; their free hands were gently intertwined and held up about shoulder height. Because the two nations were not romantically involved, Gilbert begrudgingly kept the distance between them casual, though in all honesty it was the last thing he wanted to do. He'd much rather have had her closer, but the albino supposed that he should just take what he could get and smoothly led her across the dance floor.
"You're beautiful, Elizaveta," Gilbert blurted before he could stop himself, breaking the code of ignoring identities set for the night. He mentally kicked himself for not thinking before he spoke and flushed with embarrassment; butterflies fluttered around wildly in his stomach as his dance partner gazed up at him, her lips parted slightly in astonishment at the unexpected compliment. Elizaveta stared on in wonder, jade orbs glittering with emotion. She didn't seem to understand how cute the expression really was, and this was driving Gilbert crazy. He needed some way to convey what he was feeling to her without coming off as rude or a straight up pig. With the reputation he had, this was easier said than done. If he acted as he normally did, there would be no way he'd ever have a chance with the one he admired so much. The Prussian knew he had to go about this properly.
Carefully, without breaking step, Gilbert guided Elizaveta nearer, all the while watching her expression for any sign of protest. Surprise was the prime emotion present in her now blushing face, much to his relief. So far so good. He hadn't been beaten to a pulp as of yet, so he had to be doing something right. Smiling, Gilbert happily led her through the rest of the dance gracefully, keeping in time with the beat of the music. When the first song had ended both nations remained where they were, neither making a move to break apart. Exchanging a brief glance, Gilbert and Elizaveta wordlessly agreed to share another dance.
The next song began and, much to the pale man's surprise, it was German. Gilbert quickly recognized the familiar song and blushed softly as he swayed quietly with his now somewhat confused dance partner. It was a rather fitting song from his perspective, save for a few of the lyrics. It couldn't be just a coincidence that such a soft, German love song was played. This had to be a setup of some sort.
"Do you know this song?" Elizaveta questioned, her curious eyes fixed on the Prussian.
Forcing his previous thoughts away, Gilbert decided that it didn't matter if this was deliberately set up or not and focused his full attention back on the Hungarian. "Ja, I do. 'Das Beste' by Silbermond. It's awesome."
A moment of silence passed between them as the brunette prepared her next question. "I'm not all that familiar with the German language." Elizaveta paused, a timid look flitting across her features. "So…would you mind translating for me…?"
Gilbert drew in a sharp breath, heart thundering against his chest at what the small request would mean for him. It wouldn't be just a simple act of translating for Elizaveta; he would end up spilling his heart to her through the lyrics. He wasn't entirely sure if he was ready for that, but he figured he'd have to be a real idiot not to take such a bold chance. He'd already screwed up one chance at love. There was no way he would allow himself to do it again. With a determined nod to himself, Gilbert waited a beat to recall an appropriate English translation to the beautiful song. He wished that he could have the music begin again, considering that it was already close to the middle of the song. But hey, beggars can't be choosers. Opening his mouth, he breathed in deep and sang:
I am addicted to your laughter,
It almost sounds as if it wasn't from this earth.
And if being close to you is poisoning
I would stay with you until I die.
If you ever had to leave it would destroy earths,
But I don't want to think about that.
It's the most beautiful thing
When we give each other our love.
Gilbert's voice was tender and full of unspoken emotion. His eyes never strayed from Elizaveta's face as he sang the words and danced with her, even if he was mildly embarrassed. The albino was not going to mess this up. He was too awesome. Gilbert gave her a quick twirl to match the beat.
Give me power,
You take the doubts away from my eyes.
Tell me a thousand lies
And I will believe them all.
There's one single doubt that stays,
The doubt that I deserve someone like you.
You are the best thing that ever happened to me,
It feels so good, to be loved the way you love me.
I forget everything else,
When you're with me.
The endearing tone the Prussian had taken on was unmistakable. Crimson eyes had softened by this point, radiating with the fondness he felt for the woman. He enjoyed being like this with her, their bodies and faces in close proximity of one another. Tilting his head slightly, he leaned in close to her ear and faintly sang.
You are the best thing that ever happened to me,
It feels so good, to be loved the way you love me.
I don't tell you often enough:
It's lovely that you are here.
When my life goes up and down
You're my shelter and my last hope,
Because you give me everything,
And this feels good.
When I'm restless,
You're my endless journey.
That's why I lay my small big world
Into your protecting hands.
Their corresponding movements increased in speed with the music. The Prussian by this point was feeling a number of mixed emotions. Gilbert was flooded with the held back admiration that he felt for Elizaveta as well as fear, among other feelings. There were a million different ways this could end. He could be viciously attacked by the Hungarian, a scenario he didn't want to play out. His actions could possibly scare her away, something else he didn't want to happen. There were a lot of negative things that could come from belting out his raging emotions like this, but there was always the one in a million chances that the positive would happen. Elizaveta could possibly, maybe return his feelings. That's the outcome Gilbert was rooting for.
You are the best thing that ever happened to me,
It feels so good, to be loved the way you love me.
Forget the rest of the world,
When you're with me.
You are the best thing that ever happened to me,
It feels so good, to be loved the way you love me.
I don't tell you often enough:
It's lovely that you are here.
I don't tell you often enough:
It's lovely that you are here.
The song ended along with Gilbert's singing. He took a small step back and lifted one of Elizaveta's smooth hands to his lips, placing a gentle, polite kiss upon it. Elizaveta, already flushed scarlet, became darker at the gentlemanly actions and smiled, flattered. Gilbert stared through half-lidded eyes, transfixed by just how stunning she looked, and without consulting his brain at all, tugged Elizaveta close and stole a swift kiss from her lips.
Sheepishly, Gilbert grinned at her and steadily reddened in the face, matching the color of his eyes. "…Was that unawesomely cheesy or what?" He nervously chuckled under his breath while his mind besieged him with curses. The cat was out of the bag now. There was no hiding or covering up what he'd done.
"Nem," Elizaveta whispered in her own language, fingers lightly touching her lips. "Actually…it was really cute."
Gilbert brightened at Elizaveta's approval, overcome with relief. "Right, because I'm so awesome it couldn't be anything else!"
Elizaveta gave him a small shove and laughed, a sound he had grown to love and cherish. He realized that he would give anything to hear it. "Idiot, don't kill the moment like that."
"Whaaaa? I didn't kill it," Gilbert chuckled and wound one of the loose tendrils of brown hair around his finger. "I just made it more awesome, ja?"
A roll of the eyes informed him that this was not the case. Releasing one of his infamous 'kesesese' laughs, he lightly grasped her hand and led her off the dance floor, spirits high from the acceptance of his feelings. She hadn't outright rejected him or called upon her skillet to beat him with, and that spoke volumes to him. Gilbert had noted how she seemed to carry herself with more happiness and how Elizaveta kept close to him, a deep blush on her face. Joy soared within him. It appeared to him that rarest outcome of his previous actions was coming to be. He felt like screaming out cheerfully, enlightening everyone to the awesome exchange between he and Elizaveta. This of course would probably embarrass her and get him kicked out of the ballroom, so he reluctantly refrained from giving in to the tempting urge.
"Did you set that up?"
"Nein!" Gilbert replied. "That would've been lame. West probably did it." He shifted his maroon eyes to his German brother, who he caught smirking at them. "Ja, it was definitely West."
"Hm," Elizaveta followed the Prussian's gaze to Ludwig just as he was turning his head away, as though he hadn't just been watching the two. "Igen, he looks guilty enough. It's not necessarily a bad thing though."
Gilbert shrugged, secretly grateful to his younger brother. If Ludwig hadn't meddled, it was very entirely possible that Gilbert would've held back his feelings or screwed something up the way he's prone to doing. Glancing back at Elizaveta, he intended to give her anther discreet look-over, but was caught by surprise when their eyes met. Reddening considerably, Gilbert flashed her a brilliant smile, which she promptly returned. Butterflies stirred restlessly in his belly and his heart skipped a beat at the gorgeous upturn of her lips. She really was something spectacular to look at. He could easily spend an eternity doing nothing but admiring her. It was so painfully simple to get lost in those sparkling green eyes; the everlasting life and hope in them were so captivating. It had Gilbert at a loss for words. He reached out and traced her delicate jawline, feeling the softness of her skin. Elizaveta flushed at his careful touch, becoming a bit self-conscious, but made no movement to escape the caress. Noticing this, Gilbert smiled tenderly and brushed his fingers across her pink cheek; his hand moved under her chin and tilted her face upwards slightly. He leaned in and paused mere centimeters from her lips, unsure now if he should finish the act.
"Gilbert?"
He hummed softly in response, his thumb caressing her lower lip as he waited for her to go on.
"You…you love me…don't you?" Elizaveta asked in a voice no louder than a whisper.
"Ja," Gilbert said without hesitation. "I do love you, Elizaveta."
Relief shone in the emerald eyes behind the swan mask at the sincere remark. "I-I love you too."
"Ja, I know. How could you not? I'm awesome,"
Elizaveta sighed heavily as Gilbert once again managed to ruin the mood. "There you go again…"
"Uhhh, sorry. I can't help it," the albino started, feeling more and more awkward by the second. "Ya know, I'm awesome and sometimes my awesomeness just gets out of hand and-"
Though she found his flustered babbling to be rather adorable, Elizaveta thought it best to shut him up for the time being and closed the small distance between them. Gilbert immediately reacted and lost himself in the passionate kiss. All the while he couldn't help but think: she really was the best thing that ever happened to him.