this is my gift for maskedinark (on tumblr) for the Prumano Secret Valentine Event! One of their prompts was masquerade ball, so that's exactly what i went with! hope you'll enjoy it despite it being on the shorter side :D
Champagne flowed freely from crystal flutes, glittering lights reflected over and over in the ornate mirrors decorating the walls, drunken people stumbled and sometimes danced on the polished floor to the orchestra playing illustrious melodies.
Gilbert's face was flushed from exertion, and a little more from the alcohol, but his grin had yet to slip, too excited to pay his sore feet any attention.
Never had he danced as much as he had that night. Then again, never had he found a partner quite like this man with the intricate golden mask.
They were taking a short break now, standing next to the open terrace doors, cooling down in the gentle evening breeze.
The man, for it wasn't unusual to stay anonymous during a masquerade (what else were masks for?), was absently playing with Gilbert's suit jacket, running his fingers along the fancy stitching on the lapels. His deep voice curled around words, warm and pleasant and perhaps more intoxicating than the alcohol was.
"Don't you think?" he ended his monologue, looking up at Gilbert thoughtfully.
Gilbert hadn't been, for the better part of the evening really, but his brain did a valiant attempt to dredge up what exactly had been said.
"Mm." Gilbert drew a blank. "Do I?"
The man laughed softly. "I suppose I should leave the existential questions for an earlier time in the evening."
The sound shot through Gilbert, a warm feeling spreading in his chest. There was something precious about it, a little rough around the edges as if he didn't laugh often enough.
Gilbert smiled sheepishly, ignoring the way his ears burned. "I suppose not." He took a moment to puzzle through the amused expression the other was wearing. "There will be… future earlier times in the evening… with you?"
Fingers trailed up to tickle Gilbert's jaw, resting underneath his mask, and he leaned into them, sighing softly. Vaguely, it registered with him just how drunk he must be to be that responsive to a stranger, but considering they'd been dancing and chattering all night, he did feel a bond with this man despite not knowing his name.
"I'd like for there to be," the man said softly.
"I'd like that too."
The man smiled and slid his hand down Gilbert's neck, straightened his lapels for him once more, then took his hand and dragged him back toward the dance floor with a teasing wink.
Gilbert followed eagerly, not at all bothered by the dense crowd, eyes only on the man he had spent the better part of the night with.
As he was twirled around the floor, stumbling after the other's smooth movements despite knowing that the man had had about as much to drink as him, he wanted to never stop dancing with this man. He wanted to be forever entranced by his golden eyes, his silver tongue and his bronze body.
Gilbert was intoxicated enough to feel he could justify leaning down and pressing a kiss to the man's cheek.
He was rewarded with a chaste kiss on the lips and a name whispered to him at the end of the night.
And even though Gilbert woke the next morning nauseous and incredibly hungover, Lovino's name had stuck with him together with the soft feeling of his lips.
i just love gil being head-over-heels in love with lovi
Originally posted on the 14th of February 2020 on AO3.