Quick note: I apologize that this chapter is extremely lengthy. I tried to cut parts out and find spots where I could divide the chapter in half but couldn't find a good spot. If you have any suggestions, please let me know. Reviews and critiques are welcomed!

"Oh how can people wear these things? It's so weird and just…" Gilbert mumbled as he buttoned his shirt. There was no way Liz was going to this ball willingly; she hated wearing those frilly dresses, twirling around and around the ballroom dancing. She hated all of those things, and yet, she seemed to be so excited telling him that she was going to this evening's ball with Roderich. It was so unlike her.

Gilbert heard heavy footsteps behind him and twisted around to see his younger, blonde brother standing in the doorway. "What are you doing?" Ludwig asked. If there was anyone who was emotionless, it was Gilbert's little brother. Ludwig always had such a stern, serious expression, unbreakable like a stone. Ludwig didn't know how to have fun; it was always business with him. "I said, what are you doing?" Ludwig repeated, his voice harsher this time. Gilbert straightened his tie and smirked, like always and patted his little brother's head.

"None of your business, you little brat." he answered, finally. "It's grown up stuff, boring stuff." Ludwig grimaced and crossed his arms against his small chest.

"If it's boring, then why are you doing it?" Ludwig pestered, refusing to move out of the way.

"Because…Liz asked me to go to this and so I am!" Gilbert lied, pushing his brother aside.

"Liz asked you?" Ludwig didn't budge as his older brother pushed hard as he could. The blonde narrowed his eyes, scrutinizing Gilbert's smoothed down hair, formal attire and shook his head. "Are you going to that formal dance today? I thought you had to have some sort of invitation to get in and I know that you didn't get one. Besides, I heard Liz is going with Roderich."

"I know that!" Gilbert hissed, finally pushing his way through. "Which is stupid, because once she sees me there, she's going to want to dance with the Awesome Me." Ludwig rolled his eyes, following his older brother to the front door.

"You're going to get caught and kicked out." Gilbert stopped in his tracks and clenched his fists. He loved his brother dearly, honestly, but there were times Ludwig knew he was right and wouldn't stop until Gilbert gave up. He's the only one in this family who was born with brains. Gilbert thought to himself, opening the front door and taking a step out into the cold night. "You're going to get caught and they'll just throw you out! And Liz will be angry with you and never talk to you again because you made a fool of yourself. And she'll become friends with Roderich and marry him and…"

"Shut up, you loser!" Gilbert had had it with this kid; for someone who was always so serious, he was acting his age, for once. "I'm not going to get caught because I am awesome! I have an awesome plan and it's going to work and nothing is going to happen. That stupid pussy Roderich can go suck it." The frozen ground crunched and cracked a little with each step to the barn, Gilbert opened the door and pulled one of the horses out. The younger blonde had followed him out there, still nagging him and trying to convince Gilbert he was right. Somewhere in his arrogant mind, he knew it wasn't going to work. The plan was bound to fail, he would get thrown out. But he couldn't lose Liz to some piano playing, stuck up "gentleman"; she was too awesome for that.

"It's not going to work! It's not going to work!" Ludwig chanted, like the pre-teen he was. "It's not going to work!" As Gilbert led the horse to the gates of the house, Ludwig still chased him, refusing to drop the subject. "Why are you doing this anyway? Is it because you like Liz?" Not bothering to admit the truth out loud, Gilbert climbed onto the horse and nodded to his younger brother.

"Tell Grandpa that I went out and I'll be back later tonight." he ordered, grabbing the reigns to the horse. Ludwig's expression froze back to his typical stoic face as he nodded.

"We need milk." he mumbled. Gilbert sighed and took mental note.

"I'll try to remember, but I doubt the market will be open by the time I leave." Gilbert smirked and chuckled. "See you later, loser. Be nice to Grandpa, okay?" Ludwig only replied with a small little smile and watched his brother ride off into the night, calling after him:

"Don't forget to kiss Liz!"

Roderich certainly was handsome, Liz would give him that. He was a kind person too, a true gentleman, but there was something Liz missed about him. He was way too serious, all he talked about was music and he had more feminine qualities than Liz herself. If Liz had a choice, she wouldn't be with him; he was a little boring for her tastes. But Roderich was the man her family wanted her to be with, and the longer they stayed together, the more they would push for them to marry. She didn't want to get married, but she was a lady; she had no choice in the matter.

"Liebling," Roderich said softly as he offered his hand to help her out of the carriage. Liz gently placed her hand on top of his, grasping it as she carefully tried not to rip her dress by climbing out of the carriage. One she was safely out, Roderich gave a nod to the driver as they headed into the ballroom. The two were linked in arm and arm, slowly walking side by side; Roderich had to adjust his larger stride to Liz's more cautious steps and keep her balanced in her shoes. "You're very wobbly." he stated, catching her in his arms for the tenth time. "Would you like to sit for awhile?"

"Yes, please." Liz answered, simply, pulling him over to the tables aside from the dance floor. Her feet were killing her, each step caused her pain; she could've sworn her feet were beginning to bleed from wearing these dress shoes. Roderich kindly pulled out a chair for her and waited for her to take a seat. As he moved around the table to sit across from her, Liz caught a glimpse of her parents sitting on the other side of the room. They must be beside themselves right now. She thought, smiling to Roderich.

"I'm afraid I've been extremely rude tonight; I've been only talking about myself, I haven't heard a word from you." he apologized.

"Oh, it's fine." Liz replied, shrugging. She was used to listening since Gilbert only talked about himself as well. "I'm used to listening to others."

"But I shouldn't be talking the entire night. Please, tell me about yourself, Fräulein." She fidgeted in her seat, trying to get comfortable in her dress, but failed. "Elizabeta? Are you alright?"

"Sorry! It's just…this dress is so uncomfortable." she mumbled, laughing nervously. As she scooted her chair around, Liz thought about what she could tell Roderich about herself that wouldn't have him running for the hills. I mustn't screw this up. She reminded herself, looking towards her companion. "Well…I…uh…" Liz stumbled, hesitant. "I'm not like the other girls you'd meet. I-I'm not very lady-like." Roderich smiled.

"It's nice to know that not all girls are the same." he said. His smile was soft and bright, almost comforting. Liz smiled back, relieved that he didn't seem at all bothered that she wasn't like the typical girls. "It's good to be different; I'm not like most men."

"Yes, you're very gentle. Unlike some other men I know." The thought of this afternoon with Gilbert crossed her Elizabeta's mind, and she urged herself to push it away. Her friendship with him needed to end, that chapter of her life was coming to a close and she was prepared to start a new one. It was the only way to make her family finally proud of her; they had gone too long worrying about her and her choices.

Music began to play and Roderich's smile grew brighter. "Ah, Haydn." he muttered to himself, swaying a little. "He's a lovely composer, yes?" Liz didn't have any knowledge about music at all; she and Gilbert often made fun of music like this. All she could picture was Gilbert mockingly prancing around, pulling her close to him and they would clumsily dance together, laughing. It would be nice to actually learn to dance properly, instead of stepping on each other's toes and tripping over her own feet.

"There's a pretty melody; it's almost as if it's floating around us." Liz finally commented. Roderich nodded in agreement.

"Haydn's music is very light and gentle, like a soft breeze." he added, standing up. He bowed and offered his hand to her. "Elizabeta, may I have this dance?"

Verdammt! There's no way to sneak in! Gilbert thought, angrily shoving his hands in his pockets. The windows were just a few inches too high for him to climb into and waltzing through the front doors wasn't an option. Think, Gilbert, denke! He crept around the building, looking for any secret entrances to crawl or climb through.

Ahead of him, there was a man walking towards a back door, twirling a key around his finger. Gilbert followed close to him, and patiently waited for him to unlock the door. This must be the kitchen. I bet I can sneak in there and find the ballroom and sweep Liz away from that prissy musician… The door was unlocked and the man stepped in, not hearing Gilbert clumsily and loudly leaping for the door handle. He waited until the coast was clear to step in and take in his surroundings. Thinking he knew the way from there, an older man shouted at him, yanking on his jacket.

"Hey! You! You're supposed to be handing out hors d'oeuvres to those fancy people! What do you think you're doing?" the man scolded, shaking Gilbert back and forth.

"I'm not…" Gilbert stopped himself before he said something he would regret. Being a waiter wouldn't be so bad; he would just take a tray and slip out of the kitchen. Then, he would find Liz that way. "Sorry, sir, I thought…it was time for the…dessert." The old man scowled at him, scrutinizing him and wagging his arthritic finger in Gilbert's face.

"Everyone knows desserts are the last thing that is served! Where's your head, boy?" he shouted. "Just get out there, and don't let me catch you slacking off or you're fired! Understood?" Gilbert nodded, shoving the man away and snatching a plate off the counter and rushing through the doors. The musicians had already started to play and the guests were dancing around the dance floor. It was like the room was filled with a rainbow; the dresses were of all assorted colours, with ruffles and frills and bows. Gilbert didn't take note to them, he only began circling the room looking for his friend.

The only friend that mattered to him in the world.

After giving up for a few minutes, Gilbert tried to look as poised as he could, studying each dancer's face hoping that he would see Liz. "She can't be too hard to find. She's as butch as ever!" he muttered to himself, laughing. But too his surprise, he noticed Roderich first, who was elegantly leading a beautiful woman in a forest green dress around the floor. "Maybe Liz told him she can't dance to save his life and he picked a different girl. Ha!" Roderich spun on his heel, leading the woman with him and there was a loud clash of a metal tray landing on the floor. The tray had slipped out of Gilbert's hand, which left food flying everyone and girls screaming, as he realized who the beautiful woman was. Mein Gott! That girl is…is Liz! He thought. Gilbert found himself pushing through the other dancers to get to her, but each time he grew nearer, someone would push him further back. "Liz!" he called, cupping his hands over his mouth. Dammit, the music is too loud. "I'm not losing her this easily."

"Sir!" someone called after him. He turned to see that a there was a girl standing behind him, her hands on her hips, angry at him. "You owe me a new dress!" Sure enough, there was food splattered all over the skirt, which made Gilbert laugh.

"Tough luck." he replied. "If you didn't want it to get dirty, then why did you wear it?" His comment resulted in a slap across the face, but Gilbert didn't even flinch. Liz had smacked him harder, hell, he had even taken a beatings from a skillet. The girl marched off, probably off to find the old man from earlier, as the music decrescendoed to an end. Everyone dispersed to their seats, Gilbert keeping his eyes on Liz as she chased after her. "Liz!" he called, cheerfully. Liz spun around, releasing Roderich's hand, and gave Gilbert a horrified look.

"What are you doing here?"

She could've sworn she kept hearing someone yelling out her name, she could've sworn she heard Gilbert's voice. Liz convinced herself that it was all in her mind, that there was certainly no way Gilbert could be here.

It wasn't until the dance was over and she turned around to find him behind her, with that all too familiar smug grin on his face, that she knew she hadn't made it all up.

"Gilbert! What are you…how did you…?" she stammered. Roderich looked at her, confused, then to Gilbert.

"You know him?" he asked, surprised. Gilbert's smirk hadn't faded away, he waved his hand in the air, dismissing their questions.

"Yeah, I know, I'm so awesome that I can even sneak into a ballroom whenever I want." he said, snickering.

"Gilbert, you're not supposed to be here." Liz snapped, pulling away hand out of Roderich's grasp. She stood as close as she could to her childhood friend, her face centimeters away from his, and glared. "You're going to ruin every—" Before she could finish, Gilbert grabbed her arm and dragged her with him.

"We have to talk." Liz gave Roderich a reassuring glance before she was pulled around the corner to where she and Gilbert could converse in peace. Once Gilbert stopped, Liz pulled her arm away from him and slapped him across the face as hard as she could.

"You idiot! What on earth do you think you're doing?" she demanded, slapping him again. "I can't believe this! Everything was going so well and you…" Lost for words, she raised her hand, ready to smack him again, but Gilbert held onto her wrists.

"I thought you wouldn't mind a little rescuing from this boring party. We both know you hate these things, and being with that wimp makes things worse." he joked, laughing. Liz snarled and tried to free her wrists.

"That's not why you're here! You never think like that!" she hissed.

"Well, I know you didn't come to this thing willingly, either. Why couldn't I have been your escort to this thing, huh?" Gilbert's hint of sarcasm was gone as he waited. Liz blinked at him, befuddled and speechless. "Your family is making you go with him, aren't they?"

"Gilbert, are you actually bothered that I…"

"Yes, I mean no…I mean…you don't understand."

"This is so unlike you! I mean, you hate these things! You hate dancing, you hate dressing like this you hate…" Gilbert gently put his mouth over hers.

"I would've done it if it would've made you happy…if it was what you wanted." The two stood in silence for what seemed an eternity until Liz took a step back. She bowed her head, nervously twisting her fingers around each other, and closed her eyes.

"My family wouldn't have allowed it, and you know that." she whispered. "They want me…they want me to be friends with Roderich and…"

"You don't love him. You can't love him." Gilbert blurted. Liz's emerald eyes met his crimson eyes as she made a small noise of confusion.

"What? Love? Gilbert…what are you talking abou—"

"You can't love him because he's…I…you can't marry him!"

"I never said I am!"

"Yes you did! You said your family wants you to marry him! All because he wears fancy pants and can play the piano and dance and shit." Gilbert swayed his hips a little, mocking the dances that had occurred previously. "I could do all that crap if I wanted to, but since I'm so awesome, I choose not to. But i-if you wanted me to, I would."

"Gilbert, you're not making any sense." Liz interrupted. "What is this all about?" Gilbert pressed his lips together and broke their eye contact. His cheeks turned bright red, which didn't take much because of his pale skin, and he shifted awkwardly to straighten his back. "Gil, just spit it out, will you? Roderich's waiting for me."

"I…I…uh…" he began, scratching the back of his neck. "I…um…ich…liebe…oh jeez…" Liz crossed her arms against her chest, sighing with frustration.

"I'm going to eat my dinner while you try to gather your thoughts." she said, turning away. Right as she was about to turn the corner, Gilbert shouted:

"You're awesome!" Elizabeta froze, looking over her shoulder as she saw Gilbert's face was as red as a tomato.

"Sorry?" she asked.

"You're awesome! The both of us are awesome! We are the only two people that exist in this world that are awesome!" he repeated. He stood there, body tensed up and fists clenched, waiting for her answer. He heard her footsteps coming closer to him and she rested her hand on his shoulder.

"Gilbert," she said, soothingly. "I, surprisingly enough, understand now. But, I have to do this." She stepped back, gesturing to her formal attire and sighed. "I have to be a lady, otherwise, my family will never forgive me. They'll make me marry Roderich because they know what's best for me." Gilbert shook his head in disbelief. "I'm sorry, Gilbert."

"No." he whispered, biting his lower lip. "I can change, Liz! For you! Please!"

"It wouldn't work, Gilbert." she muttered.

"But…you don't love him! You love me…don't deny it!"

"I'll learn to love him, just like I learned to love you." Liz moved away, heading back to where Roderich and the rest of her family was waiting for her. "I'm sorry, Gilbert. I really am." As she turned the corner, reaching for Roderich's hand, she closed her eyes and winced when she heard a cry from her old friend.

"Elizabeta, ich liebe dich!"

He was shaking, Gott, his whole body was shaking. "This can't be happening." he whimpered. The music continued to play, a light and feathery melody taunting him for his stupidity. "This can't be happening. I love her. She loves me." He shuffled to observe his friend sit down at the table and pretend to be someone she wasn't. Feeling his lip tremble, Gilbert quickly turned around and bolted for the front doors, knocking over anyone who was in his way. Soon, his legs gave way and he tripped, falling onto the dirt road and soiling the neat outfit he had worked so hard to put on this afternoon. His body was still shaking like crazy and it wouldn't stop.

He was an idiot. Ludwig had been right; he made a fool of himself and now she wouldn't talk to him ever again. What had he been thinking?

Gilbert forced himself to stand back up and walk himself home. He wrapped his arms around himself to keep warm, but he shivered violently in the cold. There was a pain in his chest, as if his heart was crumbling into tiny pieces as he took each step. A rock was stuck in his throat and tears that were on the brink of spilling over. "A man does not cry." He heard his grandfather's words echo in his mind. "Crying is for the weak, crying is a woman's job. A true man does not and will not cry." Gilbert opened the door, seeing his grandfather sitting on the couch, sleeping and Ludwig quietly reading a book. He bit his lip hard, trying to keep the tears from falling down his cheeks as he closed the door.

"You forgot the milk." Ludwig mumbled, not even looking up from his book. Gilbert knew all too well that it was his younger brothers attempt to put his mind on something else, but the heartbreak was too much to bear. "Did you kiss her?" Finally, Ludwig glanced up at his older sibling, frowning. "Are you crying?"

"No." Gilbert snapped, walking towards his room. "I ate some bad…fish." He could feel his brother's stare follow him to the stairwell, silently questioning what had happened.

"D-do you want to talk about it?" He heard him ask.

"Tch." Gilbert hissed. "Why would I want to talk to a dumb kid?" He slammed the door to his room and fell on his bed. His body was no longer shaking, but the pain in his chest had grown worse. He grabbed his pillow, buried his face into it and cried until there were no more tears.

"Is everything alright, Fräulein?" Roderich asked, pushing Elizabeta's chair in. The rest of her family decided to join the young couple's table for dinner and was smiling proudly. "I'm not straining any friendships, am I?" Elizabeta simply shook her head, placing her napkin in her lap.

"Elizabeta, I'm so proud of you!" her mother announced, clapping her hands together. "I thought trouble was lurking around when I saw that boy drag you away, but I'm glad that you made the right choice." The young Hungarian girl remained quiet, staring at the plate in front of her. Roderich watched her carefully, occasionally glancing over at her parents, and observed. Once the meal was over and the elder couple walked off to dance, he placed his hand over Elizabeta's hand for comfort.

"You're upset, liebling." he said, gently. "What was it that Gilbert said to you?"

"It was a bunch of nonsense." she answered. "I…told him a while ago that I didn't want to see him anymore and he wouldn't take no for an answer. I only had to reiterate what I had told him earlier." Roderich watched her, sensed that her answer was stiff and choppy. Before he could counter what she had said, Elizabeta leaned forward and kissed him. "I just want you to know that I'm having a wonderful time tonight. I'm glad my parents introduced us." The kiss had taken him by surprise, and it took a few moments for Roderich to respond, but he smiled. "Shall we dance again?" Roderich kissed her forehead and brushed her bangs back.

"Of course, liebling."