Day 14 Kidnapped!

Bad Touch Trio! Foul-mouthed Lovino! I get carried away with dialog, so I apologize for the length. It should read quickly, though.

Lili was returning to her home in Vaduz in the afternoon, when two pairs of strong arms grabbed her. Before she could say a word, a woman's hand clapped over her mouth. "Tu viens avec nous!"1A familiar voice said. The two figures carried the half-struggling, half-giggling nation into a waiting car with Austrian plates. Lili recognized her captors as Hungary and Belgium, and saw South Italy, and the Netherlands and a miserable-looking Austria in the front seat.

"What's this?"She asked, as Netherlands pulled out a map and started giving Austria directions.

"This is a kidnapping! We're taking you to Innsbruck for Soundcity!"2 Elizabeta waved the tickets in Lili's face.

"Mein Gott! This is wonderful! " Lili squealed. Bella took a shopping bag from Lovino and handed it to her. "When we stop for gas and snacks, change into these." The Belgian nation smiled.

Lili peeped into the bag and was delighted by what she saw. "What cute clothes! You didn't have to buy these for me!"

"È un dono,"3Lovino said, gesturing towards himself and Bella. "From us."

"Grazie! Merci!" Lili hugged both of them. Lovino blushed and then started scowling and cursing at the nations in the front seat. "Porco mondo, alloco, you drive like a nonna!"4

"Halt die goschen, du Nussbaum."5Roderich breathed deeply and clutched the steering wheel. "How do we get out of here?" Anders kept repeating the same directions over and over, but the Austrian kept missing the street or ending up on the wrong ones. Lovino kept up a running patter of Italian insults under his breath.

"Az istenért"!6 Elizabeta finally exploded. "Pull over and let me drive!" Roderich did so, and ended up squished in the back between the car door and Lili. She felt a little sorry for him; it was clear that he didn't look forward to dancing away the night to techno and house music among crowds of drunken young mortals.

Just over the Austrian border, the car stopped for gas, bathroom breaks, and snacks. Lili changed out of her girlish dress and into a pair of black cropped skinny jeans, a striped boatneck sweater that revealed she had curves, and strappy heels. She was relieved they weren't too high, so she could dance and walk without being in pain. She was also glad she had painted her toe nails a bright red. She took the bow out of her hair and shook her blonde bob to give it a tousled look.

When she rejoined her "captors," Bella and Elizabeta jumped up and down with delight. "You look so cute!" Lovino kissed his fingertips, Anders raised his eyebrows approvingly ("Don't get any ideas!" Bella warned him) and even Roderick nodded in approval. "Elegant yet attractive," he said as they stuffed themselves back into the car and headed towards Innsbruck.

Parking was a struggle, but when Roderich had a few words with the police ("I know the mayor," he explained), they found a spot not too far from the main train station and took the bus to Franziskanerplatz, where masses of young mortals were already dancing and drinking to the warmup DJ. Lili was excited; the setting sun reflecting off the Alps, the thumping bass, and the chattering of her friends made her happy that they had whisked her away. She set her phone to "buzz" so if Vash tried to reach her, she could check but not be annoyed throughout the evening. What would Vash say if he called her and she told him what had happened? Not much he could do about it, was there? As the group of nations walked amongst the oblivious dancers, she found herself laughing. She felt loose and free, and she hadn't even had a drink yet!

After some discussion about where to go and which acts to see, the group ended up in a club dancing to house music. Spotlights swirled over the crowd and random script pulsed on screens. Lili was sipping on a beer and dancing with Elizabeta, Bella and Lovino, while Anders did shady business in the corner and Roderich sat at the bar. Lovino seemed to be having a good time, swaying with the beautiful young women, until his gaze wandered and his sexy eyes hardened. "Goddamnit!" He swore."Those bastards are here to wreck my fun and steal my girl!"

Lili turned to see what he was looking at. A trio of young men swaggered into the club, the sea of mortals parting before them. In the swing of the searchlight, she could make them out. Francis Bonnefoy, slender in an expensive suit, flicked his blond hair out of his eyes and stared at the longing women. Antonio Fernandez Carriedo smiled lazily as his hips already started to move to the drum machines' rhythm. And the one who drew her attention, the pale-skinned, pale-haired man in a black dress shirt and jeans, bobbed his head to the beat, dark maroon eyes scanning the crowd. When he saw her, his eyes widened and he walked into a table, scattering beer and angry Austrian college boys.

Mein Gott, Lili thought, trying to hide her laughter. She was embarrassed for him and hoped he wouldn't hate her for ruining his awesome entrance. He said something to the angry Austrians that sent them into a stunned silence and came over to her group, his snickering friends trailing behind.

"The awesome me is here! Commence dancing and partying!" Gilbert Bielschmidt said as he busted into the middle of the group. Francis and Antonio sidled up to Bella, as she tried to grab a bristly Lovino's hand. Elizabeta tightened her mouth and slid her hand into her purse.

"Ma bonne amie, tell me who this petite gamine is," Francis murmured to Bella, his eyes sliding over Lili's body.7 She felt flattered, then angry; he couldn't recognize her face just because she was wearing different clothes?

"Vaffanculo, pervert!"8 Lovino snarled. Antonio put a hand on his shoulder, which barely seemed to comfort him. "Easy, hermano, he just wants to know her name."

"It's Lili Zwingli, idiots." Gilbert said. He smiled at her. "So how did you fly the coop, Lili?"

"We sprang her, Gilbert," Elizabeta said. Lili felt her friend's hand clutch her shoulder. She was getting tired of people talking about her and answering for her.

"They kidnapped me, Gilbert," she said. "I was kidnapped by the Fun Squad!"

"Then I'm here to liberate you, " he said. He took her hand, and as Elizabeta gasped, Lili let him lead her to the bar. "Now you are with the Awesome One. Have another drink?" He took her empty beer bottle away and handed her a fresh one. He clinked his beer against hers. "To meeting here. Prost!"

"Prost!" She replied. They drank and then he leaned in to whisper in her ear. "You look amazing, Lili, you really do."

"I'm just wearing jeans and a sweater!" She replied.

"But you wear them well." Gilbert replied. He pulled back and studied her. Who knew Lili Zwingli had such long legs and a tiny waist? As she led him back to the dance floor, he noted the rear view, and decided that Antonio had competition from the female nation division for Dat Ass. The two shimmied and gyrated to the beat, but without the fluid elegance of southern nations. Still, they were having fun, and he could get his hands on her and she didn't seem to mind. At one point, she had her back to him, waving her body to the music and he pressed up to her cute little behind, resting his hands upon her hips. She looked back at him, eyes full of warning mischief. He pulled her in closer, grinding his pelvis against her ass, feeling himself awaken and harden against her firm yet soft flesh. He breathed onto her neck, trailing little kisses along it, longing to bite into her shoulder. Ja, she wanted him, that was clear, he thought as he traced the fingers of one hand up her ribcage, the other digging deeper into her hip-

A hard little elbow stabbed him right under the breastbone, knocking the air from his lungs and bringing nothing but pain. He gasped. "Mein Gott! That hurt!" He looked down and saw Lili glaring at him.

"If and when we do it, Gilbert, it will not be as drunks on a dance floor. Du verstehst mich, ja?"9 Her voice was still sweet, but low and with a steely edge to it that made him pay attention.

"Ja, Ma'am!" He felt chastened and a bit dorky, the way he imagined the United States would.

"Gut. Then let's dance." She faced him and started swaying and shaking to the beat. He tried, but he no longer felt like it. Instead, he took her hand and shouted in her ear over the noise, "We need to talk." She nodded and followed him outside. The street was crowded with fun seekers, but at least the music was not overpowering them. Gilbert led her over to a bench and tapped it. She stood and stared at him, polite and defiant. He sighed, sat down, and then she plunked down next to him.

"Lili," he began. She looked at him, wide green eyes curious. "You've been coming after me, you kissed me, but when I dance with you—"

"Dry hump me in public," she corrected.

"It's dancing!" He was getting impatient with her. "You're wearing jeans, it's not like I can just flip up your skirt and fuck you in a crowd." He wanted to shock her and he saw that he had. Her cheeks flushed and she studied her hands in her lap. Such cute, mouthable little hands, he thought.

"I don't want to end up fucked against the wall, and then laughed about the next day," she finally said. She looked at him and he could see her eyes shining. At first, he thought they were filled with tears, but he recognized the hardness in her gaze. "I know what people call you, Francis, and Antonio. I know how they flatter and use Katyusha at parties and then act like they don't know her name at world meetings."

"That's Francis and Antonio, and that's Katyusha." He could already tell Lili was not going to be like Ukraine. He felt like he was going to say something unawesome, so he studied his boots and her small arched feet with round, red-tipped toes and black leather straps contrasting against the creamy skin. Little feet he wanted to cradle in his hands and kiss. Scheiße, he groaned inwardly, he wanted to fuck her against a wall and spend centuries adoring every inch of her body. "If you're so worried about that, then we should stop meeting like this," he finally said.

"What do you mean?" For the first time, Lili sounded nervous. I've ruined it, she thought to herself, I've ruined it before it started.

"I mean, we shouldn't wait until we're drunk at big parties." Gilbert replied. He took her hand and he could feel it trembling, like a little bird's rapid heartbeat. "I meant it when I spoke to you over the phone and said I wanted to see you again."

Lili's heart started beating as hard and rapidly as the beat coming from the clubs. She wanted to squeal and bound into his lap, but then all the obstacles came into her head. There was Vash, of course; there was the distance between Berlin and Vaduz, there were arrangements to make, so much effort. But she looked at him, and she saw how Gilbert's eyes looked like burgundy wine, how unlike his usual hard ruby smirk, and she knew she could do it. She would do it.

"I want to see you again, too." She finally said and he leaned in to kiss her, gently at first, and then more hungrily. Lili slid into his lap and wrapped her arms around his neck, teasing and exploring his mouth with her tongue. She felt his hand graze her breast and shivered at the touch.

Gilbert groaned suddenly and Lili thought she had done something. Or maybe she was supposed to do something. He pulled his phone out of his back pocket and checked it. "Scheiße," he muttered. "Antonio wants me. Lovino picked a fight with Francis." Lili scrambled out of his lap. "I guess you should catch up with your kidnappers so they don't kill you or anything," he said. They kissed again, but the phone buzzed angily. "I'm serious about making plans to get together, Lili. I'll text you my number." A final quick kiss on the nose. "I'm glad you came."

Lili watched him stride back into the club. She checked her phone and saw several texts from Vash and Elizabeta and Bella. She texted Vash that she was out with friends and she responded to the others to meet her at another venue in ten minutes and began following her map. I'm glad you came, he said. And she was.

1 French: you're coming with us!

2 Soundcity: one day music/dance festival in Innsbruck that features lots of techno, house, and dance music at different venues all over the city. Usually occurs in early May.

3 Italian: it's a gift

4 Italian: Damn it all, idiot, (literally "owl")—He's cursing out Austria and saying he drives like a grandma.

5 Austrian German: Shut up, you nuttree.

6 Hungarian: for God's sake, for goodness sake

7 French: my good friend, little urchin. The best way to describe gamine is to think of a fine-boned petite girl with a boyish air.

8 Italian: Fuck you!

9 German: You understand me, yes?