"All available staffs, please report to HR immediately. And that includes you, Doctor Beilschmidt."

A groan echoed throughout the empty unit, saved for the man with a tuff of platinum blond hair. He was busy with his Mario Kart, too distracted to care. But one more plunder would mean the termination of his contract, his consciousness gently knocked him awake. Thus, he reluctantly exited the game and headed for the Human Resources department. He dragged his feet in protest and mumbling to himself all the way there. He swears, someone was going to be killed today.

Nothing could prepare him the moment he stepped into the HR department. The other doctors were gossiping about (or discussing the well-being of their patients, either way, he would not care), but his mind was occupied with his unfinished game. He kept gritting his teeth and scratching his head, something that he always does when he is irritated. Then, all the chatters stopped when their higher-ups entered the room. But the VIPs were not the ones that silenced them, no. It was the woman clad in a pure white coat, a flower clip in her hair, and eyes that were eager to save anyone that ailed.

It was someone that Gilbert Beilschmidt knew from long, long ago.

"Nice to meet you. My name is Elizabeta Héderváry, and I'll be starting my work here as the new obstetrician today. Call me Eliza." The heavily accented doctor greeted the people before her and met their eyes. "I used to live and work in Edinburgh before transferring here, so pardon my accent."

Gilbert's jaw dropped and he wanted to say something. But his mind was a jumble of mess, and nothing comprehensible came out from his mouth. In a desperate attempt to catch her attention, he shrieked as loud as he could.

"OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOHHHHHHHH!"

Of course, it caught her attention and everyone else around him. He would not care about making a fool out of himself, because this person was someone he had longed to see ever since she moved out from her house 28 years ago. Someone he had loved ever since he was little, and could not love anyone else because of how strong he felt towards her.

Elizabeta tilted her head in curiosity. The peculiar manner of the man before her baffled her. But once her bulb lit, she too let out the same shriek as he did as she ran towards him. She hugged him tight, and let a tear of happiness escaped her.

"Gilbert, that's you, right?! It's been a while! But I remembered you were much… colourful then." Eliza broke out of the hug and inspected his hair and eyes, which draw such flaccid reaction from the usually enthusiastic albino.

"German, Eliza. You know how to speak German." Gilbert swatted her prying hands away, which prompted her to stop what she was doing.

Eliza could only chuckle sheepishly. "Got pretty bad at it, living in Scotland and speaking Scottish English and all."

Gilbert shrugged and grinned at her response. Oh well, whether they were speaking German or English, as long as they can be understood, he was all right with it. He was about to add more until he was interrupted by his higher-ups that were still present at the site. Sensing that they should know their place, Eliza and Gilbert immediately retracted from each other and returned to their places, while awkwardly holding a smile.

"Now," the boss began, "as you all know, Miss Héderváry will be working with us today. All the related departments, please give her your full support."

The brief meeting ended with the dismissal of the doctors. They went to their respective departments and continued their work, save for those two long, lost friends and few others. Gilbert wanted nothing more but to catch up with her and asked her everything that he had missed, but Eliza's unit was waiting for her, so they could only exchange phone numbers. After Eliza left for a tour of the hospital, Gilbert grinned happily, which caught the attention of another doctor.

Antonio crept up behind him and pried over his shoulder. "I see that you're smitten, Gil. Was she that special?"

Gilbert jumped forward and concealed his phone, not wanting the cheeky Spaniard to see the number he acquired. "No! She's just my friend." He tried to deny it, but the blush that sneaked upon his cheeks gave it away.

"Come on!" Antonio scoffed. "She's the one you've been telling us over and over again, right? The one you called 'the only girl I'd ever love'?"

The retelling of the things he had told to his friends sent him in a frenzy. It was so embarrassing to hear the sappy things that he had to tell them, and it was even more embarrassing if Eliza was around to hear that. Antonio could only laugh at his comedic, borderline violent reactions until he was stopped by the passing chaplain. Antonio told him everything that had transpired, and it earned him some sneaky smirks from the mischievous pair.

"Oh? Our little Gilly has found his long, lost love? This calls for a celebration, mon ami! The wine's on me tonight." The merry Frenchman hugged both Antonio and Gilbert, rejoicing at the moment.

Gilbert, on the other hand, was not pleased to know that his best friends finally see Eliza in person. Sure he was happy, no, beyond elated to see her again, but he was sure to be the subject of ridicule every time Eliza will be around. He was not looking forward to that at all. The emotions that he had bottled up was supposed to remain a secret, but upon seeing her again, it felt as if the feelings were going to burst out of him at any given moment.

####

"So you moved out to Scotland because your dad got a job there, and never even once sent me a letter? Some dick friend you are." Gilbert huffed and crossed his arms, feeling chaffed at the thought of being forgotten by his dear Eliza.

Eliza chuckled awkwardly at Gilbert for scolding her. It offended Gilbert somewhat, as he thought Eliza was not being serious when he is. He patted her cheeks and squeezed them, hoping to get his points across. All it did was hurting Eliza, who groaned in pain and pulled his hands away. In turn, he pushed further into her, which eventually turned into a showdown between the crass albino and the tomboy lady. They battled it out on the soft, green grass of the park near the hospital, which earned them few curious glances from the visitors nearby.

The battle of dominance ended with a fit of laughter from the pair. It was refreshing to be like he had always done with Eliza. Nothing had changed between them, not even when they had been separated for so long. Gilbert caught a glimpse of Eliza's burgeoning flesh. She certainly had turned into such a beautiful lady, with ample curves enough to woo men and women alike. Eventually, perverted thoughts clouded his mind. He had to slap himself awake until his cheeks became red, indistinguishable that from his indecent imagination and the pain.

"Are you an idiot?" Eliza specifically enquired about his strange behaviour.

"Yeah, but I'm your idiot." Gilbert smiled slyly at the flustered Eliza, which earned him a punch on the right arm. "Ow! That hurt." He retorted.

"Served you right, bastard." Eliza got up and held out her hand. Gilbert took it and hoisted himself up, then the couple dusted themselves clean. They walked side by side, talking and catching up to each other. For instance, Gilbert finally knew Eliza entered competitive swimming when she was in high school and university because her friend coaxed her into it. She also spent a lot of time running through the forests of Scotland, so much so that she practically knew the place like the back of her hand. That explained her toned body and her ridiculous strength that he could feel when they brawled just now. Eliza was always the stronger between the two of them, since Gilbert was usually sick, frail, and bruise easily. But listening to her stories made Gilbert perceived Eliza as the alpha of all the females in the hospital.

Before they part ways, Gilbert popped a question.

"Dinner tonight? My treat."