Day 55-Flags
More awesome Nordics! Some implied GerIta. Some sexy activity at the end.
It was an overcast, chilly Berlin morning that fit Lili's mood perfectly. Vash had gotten up early and left for the World Meeting without her; apparently his new best buddy Feliks had invited him to breakfast. She shivered, remembering last night's dinner. It had been long and unnerving, as Feliks and Vash huddled at one end of the table and she and Roderich at another. Hungary had played both ends, whispering and laughing with Poland and Switzerland, then turning to Austria and Liechtenstein to discuss impersonal topics like the meeting or vacation plans. Whenever Lili thought she could talk quietly with Roderich about her relationship with Gilbert, Elizabeta would be there, asking Roderich's opinon about which wine to order or what he thought of the food or which new perfume he would like her to try. Lili had felt very young and very alone that night.
As she approached the plaza of the meeting hall, she saw the flags clinging to their poles, as cold and tired as she felt. Other nations stood outside in pairs or groups, talking to each other. Thanks to some anonymous comment on Gilbert's blog -Lili knew who it was; really, you'd think Elizabeta would have learned something from her about IP addresses—she and Prussia were public knowledge now.
She scanned the plaza for Gilbert's silver-blonde hair or a fluttering Gilbird. She didn't see him, which was strange because he usually hung out with Francis and Antonio before the meetings started. Those two were there, and Antonio smiled warmly at her, while France winked. She went up to them.
"Honhonhon, have you worn Gilbert out?" France chuckled. Lili decided to ignore him. "Have you seen Gilbert, Spain?" she asked. The better-mannered nation shook his head. "No," he said. "He went out drinking with Denmark and the United States last night." Lili nodded; she knew that. "The Nordics are over there, so maybe Matthias knows." He nodded his head towards the cluster of nations knitting away. She thanked him and left.
As Lili approached the Nordics, she caught Denmark's eye. "Hej, angry jam kitten!" He called. Lili was confused, especially when she saw the normally stoic Iceland crack a small smile. Matthias waved her over, and to her surprise, Sweden handed her a mug of coffee and a cinnamon roll. "Danke,' she said politely and bit into it; it was fresh, warm and delicious. She sat down with them.
"So," Lili said, wondering why all the Nordics were studyng her with a mixture of kindness and curiosity, "How was your drinking party with Gilbert and the United States? I haven't heard anything from Gilbert since yesterday." And why did you call me 'angry jam kitten'? She thought.
"The United States showed up late and drunk, and he and Gilbert fought over you." Iceland said tersely. "Matthias and I rescued him and brought him back to our suite. Your man has no tolerance for akvavit, by the way. So instead of going dancing like we were supposed to," Iceland glared at the oblivious Denmark, who worked on Prussia's black sweater,"we took care of Gilbert, and Sweden and Denmark brought him over to Germany's house this morning."
"That was very kind of you," Lili said. She got out her phone and called Gilbert's cell. No answer. He must be very hungover, she realized. She sipped at her coffee, studying the Nordics' various projects. Norway was working on very long circular needles, engrossed in a pattern that looked like the type of embroidery Ukraine and her sister Belarus did. "That's very pretty," she said cautiously. "Is that for someone in particular?"
"No one you need to know," Lukas replied without looking up. Lili was taken aback at his rudeness, but Denmark just shook his head. "He's not one to talk much, unlike your boyfriend, lidt syltet violet.1" He looked at Lili with good-natured mischief. "Now, go check on your man and make sure he's all right, ja?"
"Ja." Lili finished her coffee and returned the mug to Sweden. "I love Amnesia, by the way," she said. For a moment, Berwalk looked pleasantly surprised; then his pale blue eyes returned to their usual stoic gaze. "Tack," he said. "A sequel is coming out soon."
"I look forward to it." Lili dipped a little curtsey to them. "And again, thank you for making sure Gilbert got back home safely." She watched the other nations start to enter the meeting hall; once again, there would be more discussion of austerity, the Euro, and debt. None of these applied to her nation, she realized; she had other responsibilities. Lili walked past the limp flags and entered the nearest metro station.
Gilbert groaned under a massive headache and a treacherous stomach. He sprawled on his bed, staring at the two Prussian flags as if they would cure him. They didn't, of course; if anything the stark black-and-white material seemed to reprimand him for his weakness. But the akvavit was so good, he moaned inwardly, and I needed to relax after that crazy fight, and Denmark was happy to hear me talk about Lili. The Prussian eagles glared down, ready to tear into him with their sharp claws and beaks.
"At least, you're not mad at me," he mumbled to Gilbird, but the little yellow fluffball studied him with black button eyes. He hopped about on the rumpled sheets in front of Gilbert's face, making him feel even more nauseous. "Scheiße, I gotta feed you," he grumbled. He sat up, held his head between his legs to steady himself, slowly pulled himself upright, leaned against the wall to steady himself again, and slowly shuffled to the stairs. He slumped against the stairwell and dragged himself up and into the kitchen. Gilbird chirped merrily and perched on the stainless steel breadbox.
"Oof." Gilbert sank into a kitchen chair. "Wait, you little rascal." Mein Gott, he had not been so hung over since the Wall came down. Nein, he corrected himself, he had been happily drunk and tired the next day, but not as miserable-feeling as he was now. This kind of sick, heavy fog was similar to the Soviet-era hangovers, especially that time with Ivan, his vicious sister Belarus—
Gilbert's stomach recoiled and he dry-heaved foul-tasting strands of bile and saliva onto Ludwig's floor. He shook his head in growing frustration. Great, now he had to find the energy to get to the breadbox, get some crumbs for Gilbird, clean up this mess…
Someone was knocking at the door. "Go away,"he grumbled. Using the table to steady himself, he trudged over to the counter with the breadbox. Bang, bang, bang. Now Ludwig's verdammt dogs were barking and scrabbling in their crates. "Arschloch," he snapped, as he grabbed the loaf of bread Ludwig had baked yesterday. He clawed some crumbs onto the counter for the impatient Gilbird. Now, onto cleaning up his puke. He found a kitchen towel.
Dingdong! The doorbell hammered at his head. The dogs' hellish chorus grew louder. "Mein Gott, are you trying to kill me?" Gilbert yelled. Awa, that hurt his aching head even more. He muttered curses as he shuffled to the front door. He geared himself up for a barrage of insults; he wouldn't be the only one feeling miserable in a few minutes.
"Wat?" He snapped as he opened the door, and he wanted to apologize immediately. Lili stood there, looking shocked and worried.
"Mein Gott, Liebling, you are a mess!" Lili noted the deathly green tinge to Gilbert's pale skin, and the swollen lip and bruises from his fight with the United States. "Let me in and I'll take care of you!"
"Nein, Lili, you have a meeting. I'll be fine." He was embarrassed that she was seeing him in this shape. He also really wanted to lie down.
"It's about debt, and I have no debt, remember?" Lili smiled sweetly and stood on tiptoes to feel his clammy forehead. He closed his eyes and leaned into her hand, breathing deeply to steady himself. "I'm going to take care of you." Her voice was firm and low, sending his tired mind into submissive mode. She took his hand and led him into Ludwig's modern style entertainment room and made him comfortable on the leather couch. Gilbert smirked as he saw her little hands stroke the soft leather; if he were feeling better, he thought, the two of them could have a lot of fun here.
Lili went to the kitchen, quieted the dogs, and returned with a tray of toast and water.
"Ja, I've been bad." Gilbert tried to make a joke.
"You need to rehydrate after all that alcohol," Lili said calmly. "and the toast will give your stomach something to process and steady it." Gilbert's stomach churned in rebellion, but she held a piece before him. "Take a bite," she said, "and drink some water. You don't have to eat quickly." She watched him chew slowly on the bread and offered him a glass. "Good boy," she said softly. "This will quiet your stomach, or at least it will give it something to throw back up." Gilbert winced at the memory of the mess he had left in the kitchen. He alternated bites of dry toast and sips of water, Lili smiling and praising him as he finished one slice.
Lili looked at Ludwig's impressive home entertainment system. "Do you want to watch TV?" She asked. Gilbert shook his head emphatically. "Music?" Again, he shook his head. She went to the guest bathroom and returned with some aspirin and a damp washcloth. He took the medicine and she blotted his face; it felt so good, he thought, to get a little cleaned up. More toast and water, and then Lili came back with a toothbrush and another glass of water. She watched Gilbert brush and rinse his teeth. "That always makes me feel better," she said, and he nodded.
"Now rest," she said. Gilbert closed his eyes, relaxing under her hand as she smoothed his hair. His head still hurt, he still felt weak and tired, but at least his stomach wasn't chewing itself up. Best of all, he felt cared for. When Lili's hand left his head, he mumbled a protest and she laughed gently as she resumed stroking him.
"Does that feel good, mein Ritter?"2 She asked and he nodded. He drifted into a deep, healing sleep under her hands.
By the time, Northern Italy let himself into the house, juggling bags of groceries, Gilbert had woken up and was feeling much better. He and Lili had let the dogs out of their crates and walked them and now they were playing a war game.
"Vee, Gilbert, get the dogs!"Feliciano cried, hopping about as the happy pack surrounded him. Lili ended up calling them back to sit and be still.
"Grazie!" Feliciano walked into the entertainment room and almost dropped his parcels. "Liechtenstein! "Congratulazioni!" He ran over to her and kissed her on both cheeks. "You will make Gilbert here, happy, vee?" She nodded and glanced over at Gilbert, who was smiling as he studied them.
"Can we help you with cooking, Feli?" she asked and the Northern Italian nodded happily. Lili turned to Gilbert, whose normal color had returned. "Why don't you get a change of clothes and take a shower? It'll really help you feel better." She said. He nodded, leaned down and kissed her—Feliciano cheered—and went down to his bedroom to pick out some clothes. Lili helped Feliciano put up his purchases and start prepping.
Since Lili didn't know what they were fixing, and Northern Italy's recipes were all in Italian and in his head, she found she could only clean up after him. By the time, Gilbert came out, freshly showered and dressed, Feliciano had made a mess of one half of the kitchen counter and Lili was frantically following with a sponge. Gilbert ended up prepping vegetables and meats since his knife skills were better than Lili's, so she continued wiping down counters and washing cutting boards and bowls. Northern Italy managed to communicate his needs to them with a lot of handwaving, pointing, and cries of "Sí," "No" or "Vee!"
By the time an exhausted, frustrated Ludwig came home, the kitchen was somewhat clean, and a delicious Italian meal was ready. It always amused Gilbert to see his brother talk about the varieties of German and Italian wines, when he knew he was secretly more content with beer; but Feliciano insisted on wine with the meal and he was the cook. He had to admit it was nice to see his brother roll up his shirtsleeves and relax. Feliciano was silly, cowardly and sometimes drove Ludwig mad, but at times like these, he brought out his good humor and helped him relax, and Germany certainly needed that at home.
Then Gilbert turned and saw Lili happily eating and conversing with the others. It was such a pleasure to sit next to her, he realized, and freely talk about how they helped Northern Italy with the meal. He didn't have to hide his smile when she spoke, or keep his hands to himself when he wanted to put his arm around her. He liked how well she got along with his brother and Feliciano, how much this felt like a family.
Later, after the dishes were in the dishwasher and Ludwig and Feliciano went upstairs, Gilbert drew Lili close to him. "Stay with me, tonight, Bitte," he whispered. She seemed hesitant; she was paying for a hotel room. But Gilbert wanted her body next to his. "You can do anything you want to me," he whispered.
Maybe it was all the wine or the good food, but Lili' eyes glowed with interest. "Let's go to your room," she said softly. They ended up in his bed under the Prussian flags. Lili lay on top of Gilbert, nipping at his neck and tracing her sharp nails down his chest and sides. They were playing a game; the moment Gilbert put his hands on Lili's head, she would stop whatever she was doing.
He gripped the sides of the mattress, sighing as her mouth traveled downward. Lili loved watching him, seeing the energy ripple up from his pelvis to his chest. She planted soft kisses on his thighs and lower stomach and shaft, amused at how he came to attention under her mouth and hands. He was watching her, breathing deeply. Very gently she kissed and nibbled at his tip, watching him lick his lips and his eyes shine like garnets.
She paused, stroking him, one long lick and swirl that sent a shiver and groan through him. "Remember the rules," she whispered. Gilbert nodded frantically, his fingers digging into the mattress. She took him into her mouth, green eyes riveted on his, watching him for any sign of disobedience. He watched her, transfixed, arching to meet her lips, gasping when she lightly scraped him with her nails. His hands ran up and down the mattress's edges; he was trying so hard to be good, she was excited and touched by his obedience.
When Lili felt him just about to climax, she pulled away from him. "Ohhh," he moaned in frustration, but then she sank onto him and his eyes lit up. She rode him, feeling her own power rise in herself, demanding his body pay tribute to hers. Ja, she liked that, that sense that he came in adoration of her, that she could render him her subject with the oldest power in the world, that he…
"Nrrrgh!" She cried out as she orgasmed, gripping him as he came into her. "Mein Gott, du bist sehr gut!" He gasped out.3 "Nein," Lili managed to say she bent down to kiss him. "Du bist sehr gut. You followed the rules." She smiled and kissed his eyes, lips and neck. Finally they slept, safe under the watchful gaze of eagles.
1 Danish: little candied violet
2 German: my knight. See also PruLiech 100 Day Challenge: Maiden and Unicorn, Chapt. 40, "Why Should I Be Responsible?"
3 German: you are so good!
