Chapter One: Confession

Gilbert roamed worriedly through the halls of the Rainsworth mansion. News that his master's younger sister was in her room had spread to him by none other than Xerxes Break. The only problem was the brunette couldn't quite remember which room belonged to the emerald eyed blonde.

"Lady Ada!" Gilbert turned another corner in the beige hallways, his worry only increasing with each passing second he couldn't locate the blonde, "Lady Ada, Where are you?!"

From inside her bedroom, she heard the older brunette and jumped at the sound of his voice. Was he really already back? She had only gotten here an hour ago. Xerxes had said he wouldn't be back until late tonight; not that she would put it past the silverette to exaggerate.

She stood up from her small sitting table, and crossed over to the door. She turned the glass knob and opened the door just wide enough for her to half-step into the hallway and catch Gilbert from behind, "G-Gilbert?"

He turned in surprise at the sound of her voice, "Lady Ada!" He moved towards her in a cross between a walk and a run. She smiled up at him as he approached, "Why are you here?"

Her smile began to fade lightly, "Would you like to come inside?"

"Um…" He let his golden eyes flicker into the room for a moment, "I suppose."

She opened the door wider to let him in before shutting it behind him, "Would you like some tea, Gilbert?"

He smiled, "That would be lovely."

Ada smiled at him and crossed back over to her table, where her small, old, porcelain tea set was ready for the steaming tea to be poured, "You're still wearing your hat, I see," she said as she poured the tea with a smile on her face.

A light blush crossed Gilbert's face as his hand instinctively brushed the hat's rim, "Of course."

Ada continued to smile as she plucked the hat from Gilbert's unruly brunette hair and set it on her own head as she poured the tea into the two matching teacups.

"So, why are you here?" he asked as she pressed the small cup into his hands.

"Oh," she pulled his hat from her head and set it off to the side before sitting at the table with her own cup of tea, "Well…I…" She looked down into her cup of lotus tea, "I came to see you, Gilbert."

Had he not swallowed his tea just moments before, he may have choked, "M-Me?"

Ada nodded.

"But I thought you came to see Master Oz," Gilbert sat his cup down, "Lady Ada, you know how dangerous it is to come here."

She clasped her hands in her lap, "We're on break for school right now. I just thought that maybe I could come and see you."

The brunette only sighed, "Just, who brought you here?"

"Uncle Oscar," Ada looked up, "But he's already gone home."

Gilbert only sighed again, "Look, Lady Ada, I'll take you home myself."

"But I just got here!" She said more loudly than she meant to, "And besides, it's nearly dark anyways. And the roads are more dangerous at night."

"Lady Ada…" Now Gilbert's cup was on the table as well.

"Please let me stay a while longer," the younger blonde pleaded, "And then I'll let you take me home."

He thought about it for a moment, "Lady Ada-"

"Just until the morning," She pleaded even harder, "Please, Gilbert."

His eyes met hers, "I'll ask Master Oz, but you have to stay at my side, Lady Ada."

"I won't leave your side, but," she looked down, "Please don't tell my brother that I'm here."

That sparked his curiosity, "But why not?" He asked as he picked up his cup of tea.

She looped her slim fingers around the handle of her cup and held it in her hands, "I didn't come to see him; I came to see you."

Gilbert nearly choked on his tea. They sat in silence, sipping from their cups without locking eyes. Whenever she'd look up at him he'd be looking down. Whenever he'd want to meet her eyes, she'd have them closed ever so slightly.

Finally, she felt as if the thin layer of ice that was forming between them had to be broken, "Gilbert?"

"Yes, Lady Ada?" he asked as he sat down his nearly empty cup.

"Can I tell you something?" She sat her cup down as well.

"Anything."

"First of all," She smiled at him, "It's just Ada. Secondly," She stood and crossed over to him. He stood at almost the same time she did. As she got closer to him, she felt a small pang of nervousness roll through her stomach, but she couldn't back out; not now.

Once she was close enough to do so, she reached out and sat her hands on his chest. Gently griping his coat, she pulled herself up on tiptoe and pressed her lips to his. Gilbert's eyes widened in surprise at the contact of Ada's mouth on his; he was pretty sure she had never kissed anyone before, and he knew that he hadn't. The sensation brewing under his skin was something foreign to him.

When she pulled away, his eyes were still open. She backed away from him, so that they were no longer touching, "I-I…"

Both of their faces had gone into a matching blush, but their eyes avoiding one another, "I-I'm sorry…I-I shouldn't have…" She couldn't figure out just what to say.

Gilbert turned his head to the side with his eyes closed as his blush further inflamed his face, "I-It's fine, Ada. You just kind of caught me off guard."

She backed away even further, finally turning her back so that she was facing the door with tears of frustration welling up at the corners of her eyes. She couldn't look at him. She had known this was a bad idea, but she never thought that it could have gone so wrong. God, she had been so stupid. Then the tears slipped down her cheeks.

"Ada?"

She wrapped her arms around herself across her chest; trying not to cry, even though she had already started to. Her small frame trembled, "Y-Yes?"

"What's wrong?"

She turned to look at him, tears still sparkling in the corners of her eyes, but she couldn't find any words to say.

"Ada," His hand went to wipe away her tears, "Please don't cry."

"Gilbert, I-I…" she had begun to relax at the feeling of his hand on her jaw, brushing her tears away with his gloved thumb, "Th-There's something I need to tell you."

His eyes suddenly became worried. Was there something truly wrong? Was she hurt? Did something happen?

"G-Gilbert…" She met his eyes, "I-I love you."

His eyes widened for only half a second before a scarlet blush spread from the tips of his ears to the sides of his neck, "I-I-I…" He was doing it again, she could tell. Whenever Gilbert couldn't figure out how to word things, he went into a mental block, "I-I-I l-l-lo-love…"

A hopeful glint lit up in Ada's emerald eyes, "Y-Yes?"

"I-I Love you, Ada…"

Her tears nearly spilled back down in happiness, "Y-You do?"

He nodded.

"Oh, Gilbert!" She threw her arms around him in sheer joy, pulling her body close to his. She had kept her feelings to herself for so long. Knowing that he had felt the same made her heart skip beats. She only felt happier when she felt his arms wrap around her as well. He meant those words about loving her. He meant them, and she knew it.

After a few moments the two pulled out of their tight embrace and looked into each other's eyes; gold looking into emerald. Then Gilbert leaned down and pressed his lips gently to hers. She kissed him back. The feeling of his lips pressing on hers was better than she'd ever imagined it would be. He was gentle with her, but firm at the same time. Her arms came up to wrap around his neck, pulling her even tighter against his tightly muscled body. A light blush came across Gilbert's face at the sensation of her being so close to him. After a few moments, he pulled away, looking to the side.

"What's wrong?" Ada asked, looking up into his soft golden eyes.

"A-Ada, this isn't proper," His gaze dropped to the floor as he spoke, "Master Oz or Uncle Oscar would kill me…especially if I were to treat you in an ungentlemanly way…"

"O-Oh…" She blushed, "I wasn't trying to go there; honest!"

"And you're still only sixteen…and I'm twenty-five…We should, at the very least, wait until your older."

"I understand," She nodded and smiled, "I just enjoy being with you."

Eventually they wound up on the couch; they were just sitting and talking and smiling. Ada rested her head on Gilbert's shoulder as he spoke. She loved the way he smelled like cigarettes with a soft sweep of cologne. She had never taken him as the type to wear cologne; perhaps it was the scent of his skin instead. It was a soft, musty smell. It made her feel warm and safe all at the same time.

"Hey, Gil?" She asked, causing him to look at her.

"Yes, Ada?"

"Do you remember the time that we played checkers together when we were little?"

Gilbert smiled and nodded, "I do. But I don't remember who won."

"Does it really matter who won?" She asked, leaning her head back on his shoulder, "It's just nice to have a memory of us playing together."

He smiled, "Even if it still hasn't helped us figure out just what we want to do."

She smiled back and nodded, "Yes. Oh! I've got it!"

"Hm?"

"How does hide and seek sound?"

"Hide and seek?" He couldn't help but chuckle, "Isn't that a game for children? And would there even be enough places to hide?"

"There are plenty of places to hide, Gilbert," She stood and stretched out her arms, "But first things first, I have to change into my nightclothes."

"Oh," a blush went across the brunette man's face as he started to stand, "I'll just step out then."

"No!" Ada practically screamed before pushing him lightly back onto the pale pink sofa. He looked at her and blinked, appearing to be rather confused -especially due to their talk earlier, "It's just," She blushed and looked at her feet, "If you step out into the hallway, someone may steal you away from me, or ask what you're doing outside my room…and heaven forbid that Oz might…" She trailed off biting her lip. She was pretty sure she didn't want Oz to know about this yet.

"O-Okay, Ada," Gilbert seated himself more comfortably on the couch, "I-I'll stay then."

"Just," Ada put her fingers lightly over his eyes, "No peeking, okay?"

He closed his eyes beneath her fingers, "No peeking, I promise."

She moved her hand away, "Alright." She walked over to the chestnut wardrobe that sat cattycornered in the far side of the room and tugged it open, "Gilbert, your favorite color is still blue, right?"

"Yes…Why?"

She smiled as she pulled out a nice, light blue, long sleeved, high collared, ankle length nightdress, "No reason in particular."

She undid the buttons of her dress and slipped it off her shoulders and let it fall to a sea foam green pool around her ankles. Her dress was shortly followed by her now unlaced corset and her thin, white chemise. She pulled a fresh pair of bloomers and a loose, faded cream chemise and pulled them on before she slipped into her baby blue nightdress and a pair of silk, matching cream house slippers.

"Okay, Gilbert," She kicked her dress and things in and unladylike manor to the corner of the room out of sight, "I'm all changed."

Gilbert opened his eyes to see Ada standing less than ten feet away in her nightdress. A blush immediately coated his cheeks and his eyes dropped to the floor.

"Do you like it, Gilbert-Kun?" She lifted the sides of her skirt no more than an inch, exposing the lower edge of her ankle, "Is it cute?"

His blushed darkened at the sight of the milk skin of her lower calf, "Y-Yes, Ada…Um…It's very c-cute."

She paused for a moment, noticing his stutter "Is something wrong?"

"N-Not at all, Ada," He smiled the most convincing smile he could manage whilst his embarrassment, "You look lovely."

She smiled before she stood him up and started to tug off his coat, "You shouldn't have to wear this heavy thing inside, Gilbert-Kun. And it may be easier to play our game if you take it off."

He only blushed before slipping it off. He was pretty sure that she was unaware of how improper her actions were. Was it the fact that she trusted him, or that she was naïve? For his sake, he hoped it was both.

She giggled and scanned the room for a hiding place, "Okay, You count first."

He swallowed nervously before nodding, "Okay, fifteen seconds, right?"

"That's too short; it's supposed to be a minute!"

"The most I'll take my eyes off you to count is thirty seconds."

"Forty Five?"

"Thirty."

She sighed in frustration, "Fine…I suppose that'll work," She looked at him before pushing him towards the corner of the room with little prevail, "But you have to stand in the corner over here and promise not to peek."

"Okay! Okay!" He laughed lightly as she tried to push him to the far end of the room, "I won't peek, I promise." And then he began counting.

Ada looked over the room once more; she finally found a hiding place when he reached ten seconds. She silently crossed the room and crawled beneath the bed and pushed the dust ruffle neatly back into place behind her. She covered her mouth and nose with her hand, careful not to sneeze. This seemed like a good enough place to hide from him.

"Twenty Nine…Thirty…" He shifted away from the corner of the room, "Alright, Ada. Hidden or not, I'm coming to find you."

She smiled and curled up tighter as he began to search the room for her. He opened the wardrobe doors then moved the dresses aside. Not here either…Hm…He checked behind the changing screen perched against the back wall. Where could she be hiding? He pushed the sheets back on her bed. She wasn't there either. Was she under the bed perhaps?

He crouched down on the floor and lifted up the dust ruffle, seeing none other than Ada curled beneath the bed with a smile on her peachy face, "Found you," He smiled, "If I'm correct, it's your turn to count."

"Come and get me," She giggled shyly as she looked at him; a slight tone of teasing in her voice.

Gilbert only chuckled and crawled beneath the bed after her. His fingers twined in hers tightly as he lay beside her. She smiled and traced her fingers over his chest. The kiss was gentle, but steadily became more heated as she twined her fingers up into his hair. They were interrupted when the door opened.

"Ada?" Oz's voice made them both stiffen, "Are you in here?"

The two locked eyes. If Oz found them, there was no telling what he'd say. There was no telling what he would do to Gilbert. The lovers stayed hidden in silence as Ada's older brother searched lightly through the room before leaving. As soon as the door closed the two let a heavy sigh of relief.

"That was-"

"Terrifying," Ada concluded for him before looking up into his eyes. After a brief moment, the two crept out from beneath the bed and stood on either side of it. The refusal to look at each other was subconscious, yet the current dominate action.

Ada yawned. Gilbert let his gaze shift over to the door.

"It's getting late," He said, thinking aloud before turning to look out the window at the high risen moon. She came to stand beside him and knotted their hands together.

"It is," her voice was soft as she leaned against him lightly.

"You should get to sleep, Ada," He looked at her, "I'll stay here on the sofa."

She paused for a moment to think before answering, "You shouldn't have to sleep on the sofa; sleep in my bed with me."

A blush crossed the older man's face, "Ada-"

"Please, Gilbert?" she looked up at him with begging eyes, "I want to be close to you while I can. Please sleep beside me tonight. Please?"

He cupped her jaw gently, "Ada, I'm afraid to let myself sleep beside you."

"Why?" She retorted like a small child insistent on a toy.

"Because I don't want to treat you ungentlemanly," his voice was soft, "I don't trust myself not to do anything stupid."

"I trust you, Gilbert."

"Ada, I'm a man," he insisted.

"I know that. You're the man I trust," She pulled him closer to her, "The man I love. Gilbert, Please."

He looked at her pleading face a moment more before pulling her into his arms, "…Alright."

She gave a soft smile before she kissed his cheek, "Thank you."

The two walked over to the bed in silence. Ada crawled in first. Before curling behind her, the brunette blew out the candle, darkening the room completely aside from the moonlight. At first, he tried his best not to get too close to her in an effort to respect distance; they weren't married after all. She noticed.

"Gil," She curled up to him, resting her head on his chest, "I trust you."

He hesitantly nodded before wrapping his arms around her thin, but busty, frame. He couldn't help but watch her sleep the entire night.

A/N: I finally started working on it. Credit to Akiho13 for helping with this chapter. Please Review and let me know your opinion.

Love,

Tsukiko-Chama