Hetalia One-Shots

PruAus : Bal Masqué

  For a prince it is customary to attend to many ceremonies and balls. The presence of a royal person is always a pleasure for the hosts. Roderich Edelweiss was the heir to his father's kingdom. With his stature, he was obligated to attend to those kind of balls. He was to meet with all the ladies of the land and offer them a memorable dance. With his talents as a musician, he performed wonderfully at each soirée, enchanting many with his melodies.

  Receiving an invitation from a wealthy family who were friends with Roderich's father, the prince was asked to attend the masked-themed party. The brunet gladly accepted hearing they had a son of his age. He hoped he would finally make a friend who was neither a servant nor a woman searching for his affection and power.

  The night of the event, Roderich went accompanied by his best female friend who was the only who appreciated him without wanting anything from him more than his friendship. The platonic couple stepped up the large house's stairs, beautiful laced masks covering the upper half of their faces. They entered the grand ballroom and were welcomed kindly.

  Elizabeta quickly found her way towards some of her friends and left the prince search for the son of their host. The brunet snaked in between the dancing guests while keeping his head down. Thanks to the mask, no one had noticed he was royalty and left him in peace. Roderich finally gave up and glumly leaned against the wall, twirling his champagne glass around his fingers.

  A tap on his shoulder surprised the nobleman and he jolted, barely catching his glass before it spilled. A man with a mask covering his entire face stood with his hand facing upwards stretched to Roderich. The brunet stared at the hand and at the man's hidden face. Silver hair settled over the black and gold mask, swaying as the stranger tilted his head.

  "Wait... You couldn't possibly," began Roderich with a nervous chuckle, "want to dance..?"

  The silver haired man nodded once, still holding his right hand forward as his left was resting on his back. The prince frowned although it wasn't perceptible from under his violet mask.

  "But... I'm a man," added Roderich making sure the silent man understood. Without a word, the man remained serene, waiting for the brunet to accept his dance. After pondering on the thought shortly, the prince reluctantly placed his hand on top of his partner's.

  The man led him to the dance floor and grabbed both his hands, bringing them to his covered face, as if kissing them. Roderich tensed and shot wary glances around. They stood in the dancing position, hands clasped together and around one another's chest. The prince was confused as to who was supposed to lead. Usually the man steers the lady, but in their case, who was to lead?

  With a step forward, Roderich was pushed backwards. And so he was following. The man led him along the marble floor, almost sweeping him off his feet. As a prince, he had learned both variants of the dance so it wasn't a problem and didn't hinder their steps. Both men glided past the other twirling couples, their movements sharp and rapid. Their tempo was slightly faster than the one the others had but their dance still shone of beauty.

  There is no better way to bond with someone than to dance with them. That way you learn about their tendencies, to be quick or slow, caring or selfish. You can feel the grip they have on your body, the poundings of their heart through their hands. The feeling of gliding off to another world can be transmitted by the mood. Their fondness can be read in their eyes and be seen on their face. All those things indicate many things about your partner.

  As he was dancing, Roderich truly felt connected with the quiet man. His rapid steps were slowed down thanks to the prince's slow ones. Their amusement was felt as they swiftly drifted across the white tiles. Their grasp on each other wasn't to tight, not to hurt one another, nor too loose, afraid to lose themselves.

  At the end of their waltz, both were panting, fingers still curled in the other's shirt. Roderich slowly let go and stepped back. Their heavy breaths turned into soft chuckles. It was the first sound the prince heard coming from the silent stranger. The man lifted his mask up and shook his head to make his silver hair move out of his face. With a sweet smile he held his hand out.

  "I'm Gilbert Beilschmidt, son of Sir Beilschmidt, host of this ball," he introduced himself shaking Roderich's hand. The brunet stared, confused. Then Gilbert bowed down and kissed his fingers. "It was a great pleasure dancing with his highness Roderich Edelweiss."

  The prince stiffened and reddened. He retrieved his hand and held it close to his chest, coughing awkwardly. Gilbert stood and continued to smile. He placed a hand on Roderich's back and gently pushed him forward.

  "How about we step out in the gardens? I would love to learn more about the prince," invited the silver-haired man. Roderich blinked several times as he was being lead to a quieter place of the ballroom, eventually leading to the yard. The brunet straightened his thoughts and accepted, skipping to follow Gilbert's rhythm.

  "Although I believe all was said earlier," he commented, stepping out of the door Gilbert held open for him. He untied his mask and glanced to the noble man raising an eyebrow. The man chuckled and tilted his head with a smirk.

  "I guess so... But there's always more to know," he replied tauntingly. He held his mask behind his back and let the wooden door slowly drag along the floor, languidly cutting off any connection with the noisy party and the peaceful garden. The gap closed, leaving both men alone bathing in the bright moonlight, leaving them in a completely new world for just the two of them.