Gilbert Beilschmidt sat in the hospital next to a bed. His cousin, Roderich Edelstein, lay dying in it just a few feet away. He was a piano prodigy, a perfect gentleman, and he had leukemia. It had disappeared when he was a child, but recently, it had come back stronger than ever. He was going to die soon, he was fading fast.

Roderich was generally liked. He had a girlfriend named Elizabeta Hedervary that adored him. She was a beautiful girl that had long, soft, light brown hair and a pair of shining grassy green eyes. She was bold, strong, and funny, along with being unbelievably lovable. Guys all over fell for the girl, but she had fallen for Roderich. Just as the sick boy had for her. Gilbert didn't think that his frail, boring, and nagging cousin deserved her, but that was because every time he saw them together, jealousy bit at his heart.

Gilbert had loved her for ages, since they were very small. They had grown up together, playing and enjoying themselves. They used to play knights in the fields outside of town. Then Roderich moved to town, and she had left her friend for a new one. One who had talent, looks, and was so kind and straightforward. Instead of romping around with Gilbert, she sat politely by Roderich's piano bench.

Now his competition was dying. An annoying piece of himself was happy, but he had to push that away as his cousin breathed slower and slower. He was upset. He didn't have very much family left, really it was only his younger brother and him left. It wouldn't be easy to drag Elizabeta out of her misery anyway, she would probably hate him if he tried to make a move.

Suddenly, Roderich's voice whispered weakly to him. "Gilbert..." Said boy nodded and moved closer. "Promise me...," Roderich coughed. "Promise me...that you won't...pursue her..."

Gilbert stared at him, shocked and nervous, "E-Elizabeta?"

Roderich nodded slowly, "Please...promise..."

He was silent, then nodded. "I promise you, I will not pursue Elizabeta Hedervary..." He couldn't defy his cousin's dying wish, so he put aside his feelings for her.

The heart monitor's slow, steady beeping stopped. Instead, a long, high tone was audible in the room. Nurses came in and pulled a sheet over his head, then carted the boy from the room. Gilbert was left standing in a nearly empty room. It felt cold. He sighed, he wouldn't break his promise.

A few days later, there was the funeral. Instead of going, Gilbert and Ludwig stayed home. Gilbert didn't go because he was trying to avoid Elizabeta, and Ludwig didn't want to go without his brother. A knock came from the door, so Gilbert went to get it. It was the girl he had wanted since he first laid eyes on her. She was wearing a black dress, and holding a folded up umbrella as they stood on the porch together.

"Gil," she said, recognizing that he was there.

"Liz."

"Why weren't you at his funeral? Everyone else in the class was there, even some of the teachers! Yet you, his cousin, weren't!"

He was silent, as he didn't know how to respond.

"Gil, I needed you. I still need you. I love you, and I want us to be together...Please..." She wiped tears from her eyes, then leaned towards him as if to kiss him, but he moved away.

"I can't do this. I just can't."

"I love you! I-I thought that you felt the same..."

Gilbert hung his head, not willing to look at the person he wanted most. She spun on her heel, feeling scorned, and walked back to her car on the other side of the street. She stopped without warning in the middle of the empty road and turned back to me, "He made you promise, didn't he? To stay away from me."

He turned away from her and walked back inside. Ludwig sat at the dinner table sipping a drink, he looked up at his brother as he came in the room and sat across the table from him quietly. Ludwig was quiet for a few moments, then set his drink down and sighed.

"Gilbert, you really do love her, right?"

He nodded slowly, staring down at the table.

"Then you should forget your promise. He can't do anything about it now anyway, and she confessed to you," Ludwig said reasonably.

"But it was his last wish," Gilbert replied.

"A selfish wish. One that completely ignores Elizabeta's and your own happiness."

His brother sighed and muttered. "I'm not good enough for her anyway."

"Gilbert, you've been trying to impress her for ages. I think you're good enough is she decides she loves you back."

The other nodded and got up from the table, "I'm going to bed early tonight, okay?" He tromped on up the stairs, away from his brother.

The next day, he woke up late. Three hours late to be exact. So, he dressed quickly and ran out the door when he woke, grabbing a pop tart as he left the house and eating it without warming it up. Gilbert grabbed his skate board and rode to school quickly, running into his second class late.

His teacher turned to him and scowled, "That's the fifth time this month, Gilbert."

"I promise I won't be late again," he said and walked back to his seat, which was right behind Elizabeta's. She was staring down at her desk sadly as he passed, not daring to look up or else betray herself.

"You shouldn't make promises that you can't keep," the teacher said, then turned back to the dry-erase board.

Gilbert leaned toward Elizabeta's ear and whispered, "But those are the best kind."

((THAT was based on the ending of The Amazing Spiderman, but tweaked. Thanks for reading, please review it!))