[fanfic] The Good-Bye Kiss - One-shot
Title: The Good-bye Kiss
Part: One-Shot
Characters: Philippines, Vietnam, Taiwan, assorted 'Family', 'Friends', and European Nations
Rating: Teen
Warning: NETHERLANDS/PIRI, Humor, Family, (slight) Romance, OC warning, questionable/suggestive language, unbetaed mind dribble
Summary:
A sort of post-“Wanderlust” what if Netherlands/Piri. In drunken frustration, Denmark recalls, out loud, what he saw between Netherlands and the Philippines in Amsterdam…and all the wrong parties overhear it.
Preview:
“She touched him!” Daniel yelled, practically pasting himself to the window.
“What!?” Alejandro grabbed on to Daniel’s shoulder and ripped him from the window. He peered out into the garden. Maria was nodding and patted Jan on the shoulder.
“That’s a friendly touch, right?” Alfred asked, hoping someone with confirm that it was. “Right!?”
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The Good-bye Kiss
One-Shot
By DamageCtrl
*All Standard Disclaimers Apply: I do not own anything other than the plot and OCs. Even then, they're not that creative.
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“Everyone got kisses,” a drunken Dane complained as music sounded all around them and various nations wandered around their reluctant host’s house on the outskirts of the Eternal City. He was slumped over on the table in the kitchen surrounded by four other Nordics. “Everyone. Except me.”
Across from him Norway took a sip of his beer. “They’re just kisses on the cheek. Don’t be such a child,” he stated.
Denmark sat up straight and narrowed his reddened eyes at Norway. “A kiss is still a kiss!” he insisted loudly. Sweden shifted uncomfortably in his chair. “Everyone in this house got one from at least one of the sisters except me!”
“That’s not true,” Finland attempted to pacify him. “Not everyone got a kiss.”
Soren narrowed his eyes and lifted one arm, waving it vaguely around behind him, as if motioning to the busy crowd loitering around, ignoring them. “Name one,” he demanded. The other four went quiet. “See!”
“Well, you were slapped a few times,” Erik reminded him smoothly. “That has to count as some sort of physical interaction.”
Berwald stifled a smirk and Soren glared at them. “You got one,” he pointed to Norway. “And you…and you…and you…,” he pointed to every other person around the table systematically. “The Germans got one, the Italians got one, even the damn Americans and Australia got one!” he cried out. “Everyone, but me!”
“Wait,” Iceland said as he caught sight of a petite blonde nation dragging her tall brother through the throngs of people on the way to the patio, where some food was being prepared. “What about Netherlands? He’s not interested in anyone…you know…older.”
“That’s right!” Tino agreed. “And I doubt Maria or Anh Linh would’ve allowed him to get anywhere near Mei.”
A snort came from the Dane. He gave them a sneer and narrowed his eyes. “He got one, too.”
“From who?” Norway frowned. Surely, Netherlands didn’t come on to Taiwan….
“Who do you think?” Soren snapped. Sweden opened his mouth and Denmark quickly shook his head. “No, not Taiwan.”
“Then which one…?” Iceland frowned.
“Who is watching the meat!?” a voice shouted as a dark-haired nation swept past them on her way out. “I can smell it burning from the parlor!”
“It’s not burning, we just need more marinade!” Spain insisted as his daughter joined him.
“Mei! Ana! Got into the kitchen and get some more marinade for Papa!” Maria shouted, tiredly, from the patio, where the grilling of steaks was taking place. “There should be some in the fridge!”
“I got it, Ria!” a Latin accented voice assured her.
“No, I got it, Jie-jie!” Mei’s high pitched voice countered in earnest.
“I don’t care who gets it, just get it quickly!” Maria yelled.
Denmark’s lips pulled into a tight line, ignoring the two younger sisters racing into Romano’s already crowded kitchen, making a beeline for the fridge.
“That one,” Soren stated deadpan.
Tino’s eyes went wide as the others gave him curious looks. “The Philippines?” he asked. Denmark nodded. “Are you sure?”
“You doubt me!?” Soren demanded. “I know what I saw! They were wrapped each others’ arms,” he said as he put his beer down and held out his arms, as if there was an imaginary person in them. “And were slobbering all over each other like this! Mmmahh..mahhh!!!”
Norway rolled his eyes as Denmark opened his mouth and pretended to open-mouth kiss the air, making a point to wiggle his tongue and make slobbering noises.
“Denmark,” Sweden frowned. “That’s enough.”
“And he was all…,” Soren continued to air-kiss the imaginary person in his arms.
“Denmark!” Berwald said, firmer. He narrowed his eyes behind his glasses. “That’s enough!” He insisted, his eyes flickering from Soren to a space behind him.
Soren paused, giving Berwald a confused look, before looking over his shoulder. Two young females were standing behind him, each holding the side of a ceramic bowl covered with plastic wrap. Two sets of brown eyes were staring at him with dumbstruck looks on their faces.
“Jie…jie-jie kissed…,” Taiwan whispered breathlessly. She looked faint.
Puerto Rico’s own eyes were huge as she turned to Taiwan. “I thought you said you kept him away!”
“I thought I did!” Mei countered, looking on the verge of tears.
“Then why were they kissing!?” Ana demanded.
“I don’t know!” Mei choked. Ana let out a frustrated growl. She took the bowl from Mei’s hands and shoved it into Tino’s.
“Here! Give this to our Papa! Mei, we have to talk!” Ana said as she grasped the other island’s hand and dragged her into the hall.
“Look what you did,” Sweden frowned disapprovingly. “You’ve upset the girls.”
Denmark let out a snort. “They’d find out anyway,” he continued to drink his beer as Tino from his seat and headed outside to hand the marinade to Spain. “I don’t see what the big deal is,” he continued as Prussia walked into the kitchen. “If Mari-ppines wants to see Netherlands, then that’s her business…,” he pouted. Gilbert froze in mid step. “But it wouldn’t have killed her to give me a kiss, too!”
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There was a knock on the bedroom that Mei and Ana were sharing with Maria and the two looked up from where they were sitting and standing respectively.
“I’ll get it,” Ana said as she headed towards the door. Mei nodded and waited as the island territory reached the barrier and pulled it open. Her eyes widened with surprise. “Prussia?”
“Bad news,” Gilbert stated immediately. “The Philippines is cavorting with the Netherlands.”
“Then it’s true!?” Mei cried from within the room. Ana stuck her head outside the door and looked from one end of the hall to the other. When she deemed that no one else was there, she allowed Gilbert inside and quickly closed the door behind him.
“This is our worst case scenario,” Gilbert frowned as he began to pace the room. “I never thought Jan was a threat to the cause.”
“I knew something was wrong when Jie-jie keep hanging around him and giving him weird looks,” Mei sniffled. “But I didn’t think they were actually involved!”
“It’s not your fault, Mei,” Ana assured her. “This was out of our hands. I can’t believe Denmark saw them kissing.”
“But it’s just kissing, isn’t it?” Mei said. “Jie-jie kisses a lot of people! Maybe…maybe it was a onetime thing!” she added hopefully.
“Oh, Mei…,” Gilbert sighed as he looked at her pityingly. “So naive….”
“No, maybe she’s right,” Ana added. “Maybe it was just a one-time thing. I mean…both of them have been here for a few hours already and I haven’t seen them near each other since Jan arrived.”
“That’s true…,” Gilbert nodded. “Alright…let’s say it’s a onetime thing. How do we know for sure?”
“We’ll have to watch them,” Ana asserted, determined. “To see if there is anything odd about their interactions. If there is, we’ll intervene.”
“Alright, then,” Prussia nodded. “That sounds awesome enough.”
Mei nodded in agreement. “Then who is watching them now?” A moment of silence passed between the trio.
“Damn!” Gilbert shouted as he and Ana shot to the door.
“Wait for me!” Mei yelled as she ran out after them. The conspiring trio ran down the stairs, nearly colliding with Mexico as he turned the corner.
“Oy!” he shouted disapprovingly. “Ana, Mei, what’s-”
“You’ll thank us later!” Ana shouted as she continued racing down the hall. Alejandro raised an eyebrow and shook his head. He continued climbing the stairs and headed to the bedroom he was sharing with his brothers and Australia.
“Hey, Jandro,” Alfred greeted as the door opened. “Is dinner ready?”
“No, not yet,” the Mexican replied. He paused for a moment, lingering by the door as it closed behind him. “Gringo, has Maria done anything…out of the ordinary since you met up with her on this trip?”
“Out of the ordinary?” Alfred asked. He frowned slightly and shook his head. From his own bed across the room, Daniel, who had been organizing his laundry, looked equally concerned. “Why?”
“I was in the kitchen,” he began. “Helping with dinner and I overheard something from Denmark.” He hesitated and furrowed his brows. “Is Maria involved with the Netherlands?”
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Life was good. Everyone was there, smiling and happy, no longer hiding his daughter from him, but actually partaking in a good old-fashioned gathering. Lovino was too preoccupied with cooking to yell at him, Maria had taken over his spot at the grill because she claimed he was burning everything, and even Belgium had come to have dinner with him.
She had brought the Netherlands, but that wasn’t too bad. The tall, scarf wearing male was currently talking football with Germany and generally staying out the way. To Spain, it was a good day.
“Do you see her?” he heard Gilbert’s voice ask from the house. Antonio looked over his shoulder from where he was seated, reclined on a bench not far from the grill.
“I think she’s alone!” he heard his other daughter say, relieved.
“What about the other one?” Maria’s other sister asked. Spain smiled slightly. I was nice to see Maria’s two sister’s getting along when they weren’t vying for Maria’s attention.
“Oh, good,” Gibert let out a pleased sigh. “He’s over there, with West!”
Antonio followed their intense gazes, further out into the garden. He wondered what they ere talking about. He raised a brow and turned back to the trio who were lingering by the door. While he didn’t mind Gilbert hanging around any of his children, he did find it somewhat weird, if not suspicious, that he was crouched by the door with Puerto Rico and Taiwan and looking intensely at the Philippines. Perhaps they were playing some sort of game?
Spain chuckled. “What are you three doing?” he called out curiously.
Mei’s eyes went wide. “We’ve been sighted!” she piped.
“Retreat!” Gilbert added before suddenly pulling the other two back into the house with him. The Spaniard’s eyebrows furrowed, confused.
“Papa,” Maria said as she closed the cover of the grill. “Can you watch this for a moment?”
“Si, mija,” he nodded as he rose from his seat. He took a set of tongs from her and stood diligently over the grill as Maria rounded him and headed down a path around the house.
“She’s on the move!” a low voice hissed from behind one of the windows of a second floor bedroom. A blond lowered his brother’s telephoto lens camera and frowned. “She’s going around the house!”
“To where?” another two voices asked with some panic.
“Oh, shit, oh, shit! She’s going towards him!” Alfred lifted the camera back and zoomed in. “Damn it! No, Maria! Don’t! Oh, God! They’re talking! They’re talking, Jandro!”
“Maybe she is talking to Ludwig,” Alejandro tried to reason, though unable to keep the anxiousness out of his voice. “The two are standing together-”
“She touched him!” Daniel yelled, practically pasting himself to the window.
“What!?” Alejandro grabbed on to Daniel’s shoulder and ripped him from the window. He peered out into the garden. Maria was nodding and patted Jan on the shoulder.
“That’s a friendly touch, right?” Alfred asked, hoping someone with confirm that it was. “Right!?”
“Nevermind! This is ridiculous!” Alejandro insisted as he turned towards the door. “I’m just going to go talk to her and ask.”
“No!” Alfred yelled as he shoved the camera into Daniel’s hands and ran after his southern neighbor. “You can’t just go ask her!”
“Why not, Gringo?” Alejandro frowned, his hand settled on the door knob.
“It’ll be weird!” America insisted. Mexico only gave him a blank look.
“She’s my Querida, she’ll tell me if I ask,” he stated confidently. He pulled the door open and stepped outside.
“Jandro!”
“Al!” Daniel called from the window where they had been perched spying on the island nation. “Netherlands put his hand on her shoulder!”
“What? No!” America cried out. He ran out the door after Alejandro. “We can’t let them be alone!”
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“That’s where I last saw her put the chocolate,” Netherlands told her as he put his hands on her shoulders and turned her towards the table on the patio. “I think your sisters may have already eaten them all.”
“The box is empty…,” Maria grumbled. “I knew I should’ve taken some before they got to it.”
“My brother had something to do it with it, as well,” Ludwig admitted.
“Ah, speaking of him. Ludwig, have you seen Gilbert?” Maria asked as she turned back to the two tall Europeans. Germany cocked his head at her as Netherland’s met her with a normal, blank expression on his face. “I let him borrow my camera, but don’t know where he went with it.” She frowned slightly and rubbed her chin. “I’m kind of worried about what he’ll do with it.”
Ludwig let out a rightly tired sigh and lifted his hand up to rub the bridge of his nose. “Now that you mention it, I did see him waving a camera around earlier. I believe he went into the kitchen.”
“Oh, maybe he’s taking pictures of the food being prepared,” Maria mused. She gave him a nod of thanks. “Okay, well, the food will be ready soon. I’ll see if I can find him. Thanks!”
She turned around and began to head back up the path she had gone. “I still find it very surprising that she and my brother get along so well,” Germany voiced out loud as he turned back to his conversation with the Netherlands. “They’re nothing alike sometimes.”
Jan merely shrugged his shoulders, his dull expression never leaving his face. “Opposites attract,” he pointed out. “You know that.”
Before Ludwig could answer, Italy’s voice seemed to cut through the silence. The brunette appeared, running towards him. “Germany! Germany! Come with me, ve~! I want you to taste my sausage and tell me what you think!”
He didn’t have a chance to reject the offer. Within moments, Ludwig was dragged away, leaving Jan standing alone.
“Alright,” Romano said from the parlor doors not far from the garden. He stood at the doorway beside another tanned, Spanish-speaking brunette. “I got Feliciano to get him alone. Are you sure you want to do this? It’s just a rumor…and from Denmark, no less.”
“I can’t curb Papa’s reaction if I don’t know what to expect,” Mexico stated as he narrowed his eyes. “Make sure he doesn’t come near us.”
Romano just snorted, but conceded. He watched as Mexico walked out into the garden and lifted a hand to greet the Netherlands, ready to engagement him in some football related conversation.
“I thought he was going to ask Maria, yea?” Australia’s voice asked from the back of the parlor.
“She’s too close to where Spain is,” Romano stated. “He could overhear.”
“Where is she now?” America asked, not wanting to take his eyes off of her for a second.
“Looking for Prussia, who has her camera.”
“No, no, no,” a female voice said from the other side of the hall. Alfred and Daniel looked out, past the foyer, into another room, where Belgium was seated on a couch beside Hungary. Both were looking up at two younger females. “You’re worried about nothing. My brother never has any attraction to older girls.”
“I’m sure it was all just in Denmark’s beer deluded head,” Hungary assured Puerto Rico and Taiwan.
“He sounded pretty damn confident of what he saw,” a surprising male voice added. From their angle, the Anglophone brothers couldn’t see that Prussia was also in the room. “Bel, are you sure that Jan doesn’t have the hots for Ria?”
“Not since she was a colony,” Belgium admitted. “Even then, I think it was more curiosity than anything else.”
“You’re over thinking it,” Hungary repeated. “Mei, honey, don’t cry. Your sister isn’t seeing Jan.”
“I…don’t like…sniff…Nederpines pairing…,” a smaller voice sniffled.
A heavy sigh was released. “Ana, why don’t you take Mei upstairs and get some rest. We’ll keep an eye on Maria and see if we notice anything suspicious.”
“Alright,” Puerto Rico agreed reluctantly. “C’mon, Mei. Let’s go upstairs and get ready for dinner.”
The group seemed to watch the two head back up the stairs. As soon as they were out of ear shot, an irritated voice sounded.
“When exactly did she start seeing the Netherlands?” Austria sounded displeased with the thought.
“She’s not seeing the Netherlands,” Elizabeta snapped. “Weren’t you listening? Denmark said that he saw them kissing.”
“It was probably all in that drunk’s head,” Belgium added as she lifted her coffee cup to her lips.
“No, they were really into it,” Vietnam corrected. Belgium immediately spit out her coffee on Prussia, but neither seemed to care. They were too busy gawking in horror.
“Then it’s true!?” Hungary asked, her eyes wide. “You’re joking, right?”
“No, I was there,” Vietnam said. “And I was sober,” she added coolly. “I was watching from Berwald’s boat and Maria seemed to be apologizing to him for treating him like a pedophile the entire time we were visiting. Then, she suddenly grabbed him shirt, brought him down, and kissed him.”
Several pairs of eyes, including Daniel and Alfred’s, were staring at the eldest Asian sister. Hungary’s green eyes were sparkling with interest. “So she initiated it!?”
“Yes,” Anh Linh nodded. “Then after she let him go, she turned around to leave and he grabbed her, pinned her against a sign board, and proceeded to kiss her to the point where afterwards, Denmark had to carry her on to the boat.”
“Oh. My. God,” Belgium stated dumbly. “He…and Maria…Oh. My. God.”
The sound of a plates being moved sounded and a moment later, Prussia snorted. “Where are you going?” he asked as a brown-haired, purple-eyed musician shoved past him.
“To kiss the Philippines,” Austria stated, earning him an excited look from the three women in the room. “I highly doubt that the Netherlands kisses better than I do.”
America narrowed his eyes. Beside him, Australia could feel the tension and protectiveness oozing from his older brother and swallowed the nervous lump in his throat. “Now…Al…,” he began carefully.
Before Roderich could make it past of the foyer, Alfred intercepted him. A glowering look was on his face as he met Austria with cold blue eyes. “I don’t think so.”
“Get out of my way, America,” Austria frowned.
“And let you lip rape my girl? That’s not happening.”
“Hey,” Prussia frowned. “I thought it was clear that she isn’t your girl,” he told the blond.
“Ooh…are they going to fight?” Belgium whispered to the other two women.
“God, I hope so,” Hungary replied. “Make sure to rip off his shirt!” she encouraged. “Don’t be afraid to grab. Grabbing is okay!”
Anh Linh rose from her seat and stepped out into the foyer. She wedged herself in between the two men. “If either of you try, I’m sure her Papa, not to mention her Nueva, will rain hell on you both for doing so in their presence,” she reminded them. They only seemed to back down a little. She narrowed her eyes. “And if you force yourselves upon her, you will have to deal with me.”
America grit his teeth. His hands were fisted at his sides and he stepped back. “Fine,” he agreed. “But no one else better be thinking of it!”
“I’ll make sure my sister’s decency is kept intact,” Anh Linh replied with a roll of her eyes. She looked at Austria. “Step down…or our session with Hungary is canceled tonight.”
The corner of Roderich’s eye twitched. “Very well,” he conceded.
“What is going on here?” a Spanish voice asked from the hall. Several heads turned and saw Spain approaching him, a confused smile on his face as he came from the kitchen. “It’s time to eat! Not to argue!”
“We’ll be right there,” Anh Linh said amiably.
“Ana! Mei!” Antonio called up the stairs. “Vamos a comer!”
“Si, Papa!” two voices chorused. Antonio beamed as the others gave him a concerned look.
“Mei wants to have a Papa, too,” he pointed out happily before practically skipping back to the kitchen.
“I reckon this is going to be a very uncomfortable dinner…,” Daniel mumbled. Alfred merely nodded.
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The largest able in the house was barely enough to accommodate all the guests. Spain was at the head of the table, with Romano beside him. Maria at across from Romano, with Mei and Ana on either side of her. Unknown to their older sister, the two occasionally glanced down the table, to where the Netherlands was sitting between Ludwig and Alejandro.
While in most cases, they would’ve preferred Mexico to sit next to the Philippines to fulfill their fangirl dreams, they were at least assured that Jan was not next to the Philippines. He was engrossed in a conversation about football and speed skating. However, to begin with, the Philippines and Netherlands didn’t even seem to want to sit next to each other.
Both Jan and Maria had been in the dining room, helping set the table with Lovino, Feliciano, and Ludwig when the others arrived. Rather than sitting together, Maria had automatically moved to get a seat closer to her father and Jan had gone to sit at the other end of the table.
The Philippines’ two younger sisters began to relax. Everyone was telling them that it was nothing and that it was probably all in Denmark’s head. The two glanced at each other and beamed. They would be leaving the next day and in a crowded house, there was no way for the Netherlands to spend any alone time with the Philippines at all.
The rumor was just a drunken delusion after all.
“And so after that, I knew what I wanted to write,” Maria was telling the women who were seemingly concentrated closest to them. “What do you think?”
“I think,” Romano frowned as he stabbed at his meal, a slightly disgusted look on his face. “That I didn’t need to hear about your story of my grandfather having a sordid, underground affair with Germania.”
“She wasn’t talking to you, Romano,” Belgium brushed off. “I like it,” she told the other country approvingly. “I like the thought that after so many years, they’re still together.”
“I also like it,” Hungary said as she kept her fingers pinched over her nose to stop the bleeding. “You…you really captured their descriptions…I can’t wait to read it.”
“With Germania, though, mija?” Antonio’s browns were furrowed. He leaned back against his chair, taking a sip of wine as he thought about his daughter’s story plot. “I don’t see it as exciting. They are possibly too different,” he pointed out. “And Germania isn’t interesting enough.”
“What do you suggest, Papa?” Ana asked. She looked at the others, who looked skeptical of Spain’s ideas. “No, really. Papa’s very good with ideas. He really knows his passion and chemistry.”
Spain chuckled approvingly. “Well…if it were up to me, I wouldn’t keep Germania as a main character,” he turned to Maria. “Hispania,” he beamed proudly. “Now, there was someone worth noting.”
“Oh…,” several women all nodded in agreement.
“I like that one,” Ukraine nodded beside Canada, who was desperately trying to ignore the conversation and focus on the one on sports happening to his other side. “Historical, of course.”
“Of course,” Hungary said, pressing a napkin to her nose. “I thought my Austria-Prussia had promise, but Rome-Hispania-”
“Hispania-Rome,” Spain corrected proudly. “That should be the order.” He turned back to Maria. “What do you think, mija?”
Her eyes were glazed over as she stared out into space, her mouth slightly agape. She could see it now…their rippling sun-kissed muscles twisting in the setting sun, sweat dripping from their bodies after days of fighting. A sensual relationship in the midst of a bloody war: two men who comrades on the battle field, but something much more at night.
Maria knew it was meant to be. “Yes.”
“Jie-jie,” Mei piped beside her. “Your nose is bleeding….”
“I…I have to go!” Maria shot up from her chair, covering her nose and running out. Ana raised an eyebrow and took a sip of her beer.
“I hope she writes down whatever she’s thinking of,” she chuckled. She looked down at her empty plate and smiled. “The food was very good, Papa! The pasta, too, Romano.”
“Of course,” the smaller brunette retorted proudly. “Pasta in Italy is the best!”
“I’m just pleased that this dinner went smoothly,” Anh Linh sighed. “It’s a good way to end our trip.”
Mei nodded. “Thank you all for being so hospitable!”
“Aww…,” Belgium cooed. “It was our pleasure, Mei. We hope you enjoyed your time here.”
Mei nodded and looked around the table. Everyone seemed to be having a good time. “Oh, I am-” She sucked in a sharp breath. Her eyes had moved over the table, taking in the sight of all their guests. The empty seat in between Mexico and Germany, however, slammed into her with all its implications. Her hand shot out and grabbed Puerto Rico’s arm. “Where’s Netherlands!?”
The island territory sat up straight in her chair. She snapped her head in the direction of where the scarf-wearing lolicon had been sitting. Her eyes went wide. She looked around. “I didn’t see him get up! Where did he go?”
“Who?” Spain asked his daughter.
“The Netherlands!”
“Oh?” Bel looked over to where her brother was seated. She let out a chuckle. The other males that were on that side of the table didn’t seem to even notice that he had left. She grinned and elbowed Hungary knowingly. “Maybe he ran off with the Philippines for another ‘good-bye kiss’,” she grinned. “If you know what I mean.”
Anh Linh winced. Their side of the table suddenly went quiet after the blonde spoke out loud. Even Hungary paled as she turned her head to look at the one male who probably had the largest problem with the idea.
Spain sat frozen in his seat. His smile unmoving.
“Qué?” he asked, his voice disturbingly pleasant. “Can…Can you repeat that, Belgium?”
“Ah…um…,” Bel suddenly realized what her words had meant. “I…uh….”
“Belgium….”
“Ba…bastard,” Lovino tried to defend. “What she is saying is-”
His cup was slammed into the wooden table as he shot up. “Pendejo! Where the hell is he!?” he shouted, silencing the entire room. Everyone in the dining room turned to him. Some were confused, but it would not last. “Belgium! Where is your brother!? And what is he doing to my daughter!?”
“Uh-oh…,” Finland winced. Sweden frowned and Norway had to resist the urge to get up, walk to the room where they had dumped Denmark’s drunken body, and kick him.
“Shit!” America yelled. “Jandro, what the hell! You were supposed to keep an eye on him!”
“I didn’t even know he had left!” Mexico countered.
“He was right next to you!” Australia waved his hand at the vacant seat. “How can you not notice!?”
“Never mind that!” Prussia yelled as he rose from his seat. “Where are they now!?”
“I’ll check the bedroom!” Puerto Rico shouted. Spain paled. The bedroom? There was only one thing they would be doing and his mind refused to think about it.
“I’ll check my brother’s!” Belgium added.
“No! Jie-jie!” Mei began to cry in her chair. “Why did it have to be him!?”
“Eh?” Francis looked from across the table, confused. “What is going on? Is there a problem?” he asked as several parties rose from their seats and spread out into the house.
“This is Denmark’s fault,” Norway told him. “He opened his big mouth and told everyone that the Netherlands was kissing the Philippines before they left Amsterdam.”
“So that is what happened!” Spain boomed, suddenly appearing beside them. A dark look was on his face.
“Antonio,” Francis sighed. “She is a grown woman. She can-”
“Ah!” A scream echoed in the hall. Spain visibly paled. Several countries swept past him and after shaking himself from his stupor, he managed to run after them.
“Oh, my God!” Alfred yelled. “What the hell is this!?”
“What’s going on!? Let me through!” Spain demanded as he squeezed through the crowd that had stopped in the middle of the hall. He skidded to a stop in front of the group and felt as if he had been punched in the stomach at the sight.
“Papa!” Maria said from where she was on her knees.
“I can explain!” an English voice pleaded as he stood in front of her, unable to move.
“Mon Dieu…,” Francis mumbled. The two were in the hall with Maria on her knees in front of Arthur. Her hands were on his belt. Arthur looked terrified.
“His belt got caught in his shirt!” Maria shouted. “I was just trying to help him!”
“Yes! Yes! That was it!” Arthur nodded in agreement. “Don’t get the wrong ideas! This was purely innocent!”
“England…,” America said in a low voice. “I thought we were allies….”
“What? Alfred, it’s just a belt-”
“Inglaterra,” Spain’s dangerous voice filled the room. “I am Maria’s father. You disgraced my daughter,” he accused. He walked to the side of the hall and grabbed the handle of a sword that had been hanging as a displace piece. Romano let out a yell as he ripped it out of its display, destroying part of it. Green eyes narrowed. “Prepare to die!”
“Papa!” Maria shouted. Arthur let out a horrified yell as he Antonio lunged forward.
“You, stand back!” Gilbert said as he grabbed Maria and pulled to the side. “There’s no stopping this!”
“Antonio!” Francis yelled, chasing after them. “Calm yourself!”
“I’ll kill you!” Spain yelled as he ran after the blond.
“Run, Arthur!” Canada shouted. “He’s fast!”
“I didn’t do a damn thing!” England was yelling as he ran out of the house with Spain on his heels. Several countries ran after them, either to watch or to stop them. Mainly to watch.
“I think Spain is going to win,” Norway piped.
“I’m going to bet on England,” Iceland mused.
“Fifty Euro says it’s a draw and they’ll knock themselves out first,” Vietnam added.
Maria found herself standing behind the group in the hall. Outside, she could hear her father and Arthur yelling and shook her head. No amount of explaining the situation to her father would help at that point. It was better that she let him wear himself out.
Sighing tiredly, she turned around and headed back to the kitchen. The only person left was a confused looking Netherlands.
“Where did everyone go?” he asked. They were nearly the end of dinner when he spilled something on his scarf and needed to get it out before it set. He had just gone to the bathroom for a minute or two to wash out his scarf.
Maria sighed as she walked around him. “Watching Papa chase Arthur around with a rusty old sword,” she replied. “I don’t know how long that’s going to last.”
He let out a small, agreeing sound and remained in his seat. He listened to her footsteps approach and just as she passed the back of his chair. His hand shot out and grabbed her fleeting on. She turned around and gave him a confused look.
It didn’t last long.
From the doorway, Vietnam smirked and leaned back against wall, making sure to keep anyone else from entering the dining room as the Netherlands and her sister wrapped their arms around each other and seal their lips over the others.
“You’re a horrible person, you know that?” Prussia said as he looked across the hall at her. Vietnam shrugged.
“What are you talking about?’ she asked as she glanced back into the dining room. Maria pulled away from Jan’s lips and lifted her hand to caress the side of his face. A gentle smile graced his face as his arms were fixed securely around her slim waist, keeping her close to him. He lowered his head to kiss her once more. Anh Linh chuckled. “I’m the best sister in the world.”
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Epilogue
“Bye, Papa,” Mei beamed as she hugged the bruised Spaniard. “I hope you get better soon.”
“Not to worry, Mei-ja,” Antonio said as he gave her a warm squeeze. “I will be healed soon. I can’t say the same for Inglaterra,” he smirked to himself.
“Papa,” Maria frowned, sending him a disapproving glare as she released Arthur from her good-bye hug.
“I’m kidding!” he laughed. He looked at him and shook his head. “I’m not,” he whispered. Mei giggled.
“I get the last hug!” Ana said as she rammed into Maria and squeezed her tightly, burying her face into her sister’s cleavage. “’mana, I’ll miss you,” she sighed.
“I’ll see you soon, Ana,” Maria assured her lovingly as she stroked Ana’s thick, brown locks back. America and Australia stood to the side, looking on with jealousy as they wished they, too, could’ve gotten a boob-hug.
“Maria, we have to go,” Anh Linh called from the other side of security. “Let’s go!”
“I’m coming!” She gave one final wave to the group and headed through security. They watched as the three sisters gathered together. They began to hug as well; as Mei and Anh Linh were taking a separate flight while Maria was flying into Manila rather than Taipei.
She waved her sisters good-bye and turned in the opposite direction. Spain watched sadly as she left.
“Umm…I have a question,” Ana said as she watched her sister. Odd how the airlines that would’ve taken her to the Philippines should’ve been in the same area as that of the others going to Asia and yet Maria was walking elsewhere. “What airlines is KLM?”
“Royal Dutch Airlines, mija. Por que?” Antonio asked.
Ana frowned. She knew something was wrong when she saw the different planes on the itinerary that morning. The feeling of dread in her stomach spread. “Because that’s the airlines she’s taking.” Her eyes narrowed as her sister walked towards another country, who they hadn’t even noticed was standing there, waiting for her. “And not alone.”
Several men froze. “Maria!”
“They’re very loud,” a tall man said as he reached down to take her bag and pull it for her.
“Just ignore them,” Maria said as she carefully tucked her airline tickets into her purse. She craned her neck upwards and gave a small kiss on the cheek to the country escorting her. “They’ll get over it.”
“Get away from my daughter!” they vaguely heard someone yell.
“Papa! Stop! You’re going to get arrested!” Ana yelled. “Jandro! Help!”
“Let me go, Alejandro!”
“Gringo, hold down his arms!”
Maria sighed and felt Jan take her hand. “Until then…I’d avoid my father.”
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A.N. - Thank you for reading! This was a rather sporadic, not really heavily romantic story, but the requestor, annayla, wanted something that kind of tortured Maria’s extended family in a post-“Wanderlust” setting. This is what I came up with. She specifically wanted Alejandro and Ana there, as well.
I’m going to try to update with two more chapters in the next two weeks, but I’m just so stressed right now and my seemingly stress-related strained fingers haven’t exactly healed 100% yet. Questions, comments concerns? Let me know!
Part: One-Shot
Characters: Philippines, Vietnam, Taiwan, assorted 'Family', 'Friends', and European Nations
Rating: Teen
Warning: NETHERLANDS/PIRI, Humor, Family, (slight) Romance, OC warning, questionable/suggestive language, unbetaed mind dribble
Summary:
A sort of post-“Wanderlust” what if Netherlands/Piri. In drunken frustration, Denmark recalls, out loud, what he saw between Netherlands and the Philippines in Amsterdam…and all the wrong parties overhear it.
Preview:
“She touched him!” Daniel yelled, practically pasting himself to the window.
“What!?” Alejandro grabbed on to Daniel’s shoulder and ripped him from the window. He peered out into the garden. Maria was nodding and patted Jan on the shoulder.
“That’s a friendly touch, right?” Alfred asked, hoping someone with confirm that it was. “Right!?”
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The Good-bye Kiss
One-Shot
By DamageCtrl
*All Standard Disclaimers Apply: I do not own anything other than the plot and OCs. Even then, they're not that creative.
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“Everyone got kisses,” a drunken Dane complained as music sounded all around them and various nations wandered around their reluctant host’s house on the outskirts of the Eternal City. He was slumped over on the table in the kitchen surrounded by four other Nordics. “Everyone. Except me.”
Across from him Norway took a sip of his beer. “They’re just kisses on the cheek. Don’t be such a child,” he stated.
Denmark sat up straight and narrowed his reddened eyes at Norway. “A kiss is still a kiss!” he insisted loudly. Sweden shifted uncomfortably in his chair. “Everyone in this house got one from at least one of the sisters except me!”
“That’s not true,” Finland attempted to pacify him. “Not everyone got a kiss.”
Soren narrowed his eyes and lifted one arm, waving it vaguely around behind him, as if motioning to the busy crowd loitering around, ignoring them. “Name one,” he demanded. The other four went quiet. “See!”
“Well, you were slapped a few times,” Erik reminded him smoothly. “That has to count as some sort of physical interaction.”
Berwald stifled a smirk and Soren glared at them. “You got one,” he pointed to Norway. “And you…and you…and you…,” he pointed to every other person around the table systematically. “The Germans got one, the Italians got one, even the damn Americans and Australia got one!” he cried out. “Everyone, but me!”
“Wait,” Iceland said as he caught sight of a petite blonde nation dragging her tall brother through the throngs of people on the way to the patio, where some food was being prepared. “What about Netherlands? He’s not interested in anyone…you know…older.”
“That’s right!” Tino agreed. “And I doubt Maria or Anh Linh would’ve allowed him to get anywhere near Mei.”
A snort came from the Dane. He gave them a sneer and narrowed his eyes. “He got one, too.”
“From who?” Norway frowned. Surely, Netherlands didn’t come on to Taiwan….
“Who do you think?” Soren snapped. Sweden opened his mouth and Denmark quickly shook his head. “No, not Taiwan.”
“Then which one…?” Iceland frowned.
“Who is watching the meat!?” a voice shouted as a dark-haired nation swept past them on her way out. “I can smell it burning from the parlor!”
“It’s not burning, we just need more marinade!” Spain insisted as his daughter joined him.
“Mei! Ana! Got into the kitchen and get some more marinade for Papa!” Maria shouted, tiredly, from the patio, where the grilling of steaks was taking place. “There should be some in the fridge!”
“I got it, Ria!” a Latin accented voice assured her.
“No, I got it, Jie-jie!” Mei’s high pitched voice countered in earnest.
“I don’t care who gets it, just get it quickly!” Maria yelled.
Denmark’s lips pulled into a tight line, ignoring the two younger sisters racing into Romano’s already crowded kitchen, making a beeline for the fridge.
“That one,” Soren stated deadpan.
Tino’s eyes went wide as the others gave him curious looks. “The Philippines?” he asked. Denmark nodded. “Are you sure?”
“You doubt me!?” Soren demanded. “I know what I saw! They were wrapped each others’ arms,” he said as he put his beer down and held out his arms, as if there was an imaginary person in them. “And were slobbering all over each other like this! Mmmahh..mahhh!!!”
Norway rolled his eyes as Denmark opened his mouth and pretended to open-mouth kiss the air, making a point to wiggle his tongue and make slobbering noises.
“Denmark,” Sweden frowned. “That’s enough.”
“And he was all…,” Soren continued to air-kiss the imaginary person in his arms.
“Denmark!” Berwald said, firmer. He narrowed his eyes behind his glasses. “That’s enough!” He insisted, his eyes flickering from Soren to a space behind him.
Soren paused, giving Berwald a confused look, before looking over his shoulder. Two young females were standing behind him, each holding the side of a ceramic bowl covered with plastic wrap. Two sets of brown eyes were staring at him with dumbstruck looks on their faces.
“Jie…jie-jie kissed…,” Taiwan whispered breathlessly. She looked faint.
Puerto Rico’s own eyes were huge as she turned to Taiwan. “I thought you said you kept him away!”
“I thought I did!” Mei countered, looking on the verge of tears.
“Then why were they kissing!?” Ana demanded.
“I don’t know!” Mei choked. Ana let out a frustrated growl. She took the bowl from Mei’s hands and shoved it into Tino’s.
“Here! Give this to our Papa! Mei, we have to talk!” Ana said as she grasped the other island’s hand and dragged her into the hall.
“Look what you did,” Sweden frowned disapprovingly. “You’ve upset the girls.”
Denmark let out a snort. “They’d find out anyway,” he continued to drink his beer as Tino from his seat and headed outside to hand the marinade to Spain. “I don’t see what the big deal is,” he continued as Prussia walked into the kitchen. “If Mari-ppines wants to see Netherlands, then that’s her business…,” he pouted. Gilbert froze in mid step. “But it wouldn’t have killed her to give me a kiss, too!”
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There was a knock on the bedroom that Mei and Ana were sharing with Maria and the two looked up from where they were sitting and standing respectively.
“I’ll get it,” Ana said as she headed towards the door. Mei nodded and waited as the island territory reached the barrier and pulled it open. Her eyes widened with surprise. “Prussia?”
“Bad news,” Gilbert stated immediately. “The Philippines is cavorting with the Netherlands.”
“Then it’s true!?” Mei cried from within the room. Ana stuck her head outside the door and looked from one end of the hall to the other. When she deemed that no one else was there, she allowed Gilbert inside and quickly closed the door behind him.
“This is our worst case scenario,” Gilbert frowned as he began to pace the room. “I never thought Jan was a threat to the cause.”
“I knew something was wrong when Jie-jie keep hanging around him and giving him weird looks,” Mei sniffled. “But I didn’t think they were actually involved!”
“It’s not your fault, Mei,” Ana assured her. “This was out of our hands. I can’t believe Denmark saw them kissing.”
“But it’s just kissing, isn’t it?” Mei said. “Jie-jie kisses a lot of people! Maybe…maybe it was a onetime thing!” she added hopefully.
“Oh, Mei…,” Gilbert sighed as he looked at her pityingly. “So naive….”
“No, maybe she’s right,” Ana added. “Maybe it was just a one-time thing. I mean…both of them have been here for a few hours already and I haven’t seen them near each other since Jan arrived.”
“That’s true…,” Gilbert nodded. “Alright…let’s say it’s a onetime thing. How do we know for sure?”
“We’ll have to watch them,” Ana asserted, determined. “To see if there is anything odd about their interactions. If there is, we’ll intervene.”
“Alright, then,” Prussia nodded. “That sounds awesome enough.”
Mei nodded in agreement. “Then who is watching them now?” A moment of silence passed between the trio.
“Damn!” Gilbert shouted as he and Ana shot to the door.
“Wait for me!” Mei yelled as she ran out after them. The conspiring trio ran down the stairs, nearly colliding with Mexico as he turned the corner.
“Oy!” he shouted disapprovingly. “Ana, Mei, what’s-”
“You’ll thank us later!” Ana shouted as she continued racing down the hall. Alejandro raised an eyebrow and shook his head. He continued climbing the stairs and headed to the bedroom he was sharing with his brothers and Australia.
“Hey, Jandro,” Alfred greeted as the door opened. “Is dinner ready?”
“No, not yet,” the Mexican replied. He paused for a moment, lingering by the door as it closed behind him. “Gringo, has Maria done anything…out of the ordinary since you met up with her on this trip?”
“Out of the ordinary?” Alfred asked. He frowned slightly and shook his head. From his own bed across the room, Daniel, who had been organizing his laundry, looked equally concerned. “Why?”
“I was in the kitchen,” he began. “Helping with dinner and I overheard something from Denmark.” He hesitated and furrowed his brows. “Is Maria involved with the Netherlands?”
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Life was good. Everyone was there, smiling and happy, no longer hiding his daughter from him, but actually partaking in a good old-fashioned gathering. Lovino was too preoccupied with cooking to yell at him, Maria had taken over his spot at the grill because she claimed he was burning everything, and even Belgium had come to have dinner with him.
She had brought the Netherlands, but that wasn’t too bad. The tall, scarf wearing male was currently talking football with Germany and generally staying out the way. To Spain, it was a good day.
“Do you see her?” he heard Gilbert’s voice ask from the house. Antonio looked over his shoulder from where he was seated, reclined on a bench not far from the grill.
“I think she’s alone!” he heard his other daughter say, relieved.
“What about the other one?” Maria’s other sister asked. Spain smiled slightly. I was nice to see Maria’s two sister’s getting along when they weren’t vying for Maria’s attention.
“Oh, good,” Gibert let out a pleased sigh. “He’s over there, with West!”
Antonio followed their intense gazes, further out into the garden. He wondered what they ere talking about. He raised a brow and turned back to the trio who were lingering by the door. While he didn’t mind Gilbert hanging around any of his children, he did find it somewhat weird, if not suspicious, that he was crouched by the door with Puerto Rico and Taiwan and looking intensely at the Philippines. Perhaps they were playing some sort of game?
Spain chuckled. “What are you three doing?” he called out curiously.
Mei’s eyes went wide. “We’ve been sighted!” she piped.
“Retreat!” Gilbert added before suddenly pulling the other two back into the house with him. The Spaniard’s eyebrows furrowed, confused.
“Papa,” Maria said as she closed the cover of the grill. “Can you watch this for a moment?”
“Si, mija,” he nodded as he rose from his seat. He took a set of tongs from her and stood diligently over the grill as Maria rounded him and headed down a path around the house.
“She’s on the move!” a low voice hissed from behind one of the windows of a second floor bedroom. A blond lowered his brother’s telephoto lens camera and frowned. “She’s going around the house!”
“To where?” another two voices asked with some panic.
“Oh, shit, oh, shit! She’s going towards him!” Alfred lifted the camera back and zoomed in. “Damn it! No, Maria! Don’t! Oh, God! They’re talking! They’re talking, Jandro!”
“Maybe she is talking to Ludwig,” Alejandro tried to reason, though unable to keep the anxiousness out of his voice. “The two are standing together-”
“She touched him!” Daniel yelled, practically pasting himself to the window.
“What!?” Alejandro grabbed on to Daniel’s shoulder and ripped him from the window. He peered out into the garden. Maria was nodding and patted Jan on the shoulder.
“That’s a friendly touch, right?” Alfred asked, hoping someone with confirm that it was. “Right!?”
“Nevermind! This is ridiculous!” Alejandro insisted as he turned towards the door. “I’m just going to go talk to her and ask.”
“No!” Alfred yelled as he shoved the camera into Daniel’s hands and ran after his southern neighbor. “You can’t just go ask her!”
“Why not, Gringo?” Alejandro frowned, his hand settled on the door knob.
“It’ll be weird!” America insisted. Mexico only gave him a blank look.
“She’s my Querida, she’ll tell me if I ask,” he stated confidently. He pulled the door open and stepped outside.
“Jandro!”
“Al!” Daniel called from the window where they had been perched spying on the island nation. “Netherlands put his hand on her shoulder!”
“What? No!” America cried out. He ran out the door after Alejandro. “We can’t let them be alone!”
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“That’s where I last saw her put the chocolate,” Netherlands told her as he put his hands on her shoulders and turned her towards the table on the patio. “I think your sisters may have already eaten them all.”
“The box is empty…,” Maria grumbled. “I knew I should’ve taken some before they got to it.”
“My brother had something to do it with it, as well,” Ludwig admitted.
“Ah, speaking of him. Ludwig, have you seen Gilbert?” Maria asked as she turned back to the two tall Europeans. Germany cocked his head at her as Netherland’s met her with a normal, blank expression on his face. “I let him borrow my camera, but don’t know where he went with it.” She frowned slightly and rubbed her chin. “I’m kind of worried about what he’ll do with it.”
Ludwig let out a rightly tired sigh and lifted his hand up to rub the bridge of his nose. “Now that you mention it, I did see him waving a camera around earlier. I believe he went into the kitchen.”
“Oh, maybe he’s taking pictures of the food being prepared,” Maria mused. She gave him a nod of thanks. “Okay, well, the food will be ready soon. I’ll see if I can find him. Thanks!”
She turned around and began to head back up the path she had gone. “I still find it very surprising that she and my brother get along so well,” Germany voiced out loud as he turned back to his conversation with the Netherlands. “They’re nothing alike sometimes.”
Jan merely shrugged his shoulders, his dull expression never leaving his face. “Opposites attract,” he pointed out. “You know that.”
Before Ludwig could answer, Italy’s voice seemed to cut through the silence. The brunette appeared, running towards him. “Germany! Germany! Come with me, ve~! I want you to taste my sausage and tell me what you think!”
He didn’t have a chance to reject the offer. Within moments, Ludwig was dragged away, leaving Jan standing alone.
“Alright,” Romano said from the parlor doors not far from the garden. He stood at the doorway beside another tanned, Spanish-speaking brunette. “I got Feliciano to get him alone. Are you sure you want to do this? It’s just a rumor…and from Denmark, no less.”
“I can’t curb Papa’s reaction if I don’t know what to expect,” Mexico stated as he narrowed his eyes. “Make sure he doesn’t come near us.”
Romano just snorted, but conceded. He watched as Mexico walked out into the garden and lifted a hand to greet the Netherlands, ready to engagement him in some football related conversation.
“I thought he was going to ask Maria, yea?” Australia’s voice asked from the back of the parlor.
“She’s too close to where Spain is,” Romano stated. “He could overhear.”
“Where is she now?” America asked, not wanting to take his eyes off of her for a second.
“Looking for Prussia, who has her camera.”
“No, no, no,” a female voice said from the other side of the hall. Alfred and Daniel looked out, past the foyer, into another room, where Belgium was seated on a couch beside Hungary. Both were looking up at two younger females. “You’re worried about nothing. My brother never has any attraction to older girls.”
“I’m sure it was all just in Denmark’s beer deluded head,” Hungary assured Puerto Rico and Taiwan.
“He sounded pretty damn confident of what he saw,” a surprising male voice added. From their angle, the Anglophone brothers couldn’t see that Prussia was also in the room. “Bel, are you sure that Jan doesn’t have the hots for Ria?”
“Not since she was a colony,” Belgium admitted. “Even then, I think it was more curiosity than anything else.”
“You’re over thinking it,” Hungary repeated. “Mei, honey, don’t cry. Your sister isn’t seeing Jan.”
“I…don’t like…sniff…Nederpines pairing…,” a smaller voice sniffled.
A heavy sigh was released. “Ana, why don’t you take Mei upstairs and get some rest. We’ll keep an eye on Maria and see if we notice anything suspicious.”
“Alright,” Puerto Rico agreed reluctantly. “C’mon, Mei. Let’s go upstairs and get ready for dinner.”
The group seemed to watch the two head back up the stairs. As soon as they were out of ear shot, an irritated voice sounded.
“When exactly did she start seeing the Netherlands?” Austria sounded displeased with the thought.
“She’s not seeing the Netherlands,” Elizabeta snapped. “Weren’t you listening? Denmark said that he saw them kissing.”
“It was probably all in that drunk’s head,” Belgium added as she lifted her coffee cup to her lips.
“No, they were really into it,” Vietnam corrected. Belgium immediately spit out her coffee on Prussia, but neither seemed to care. They were too busy gawking in horror.
“Then it’s true!?” Hungary asked, her eyes wide. “You’re joking, right?”
“No, I was there,” Vietnam said. “And I was sober,” she added coolly. “I was watching from Berwald’s boat and Maria seemed to be apologizing to him for treating him like a pedophile the entire time we were visiting. Then, she suddenly grabbed him shirt, brought him down, and kissed him.”
Several pairs of eyes, including Daniel and Alfred’s, were staring at the eldest Asian sister. Hungary’s green eyes were sparkling with interest. “So she initiated it!?”
“Yes,” Anh Linh nodded. “Then after she let him go, she turned around to leave and he grabbed her, pinned her against a sign board, and proceeded to kiss her to the point where afterwards, Denmark had to carry her on to the boat.”
“Oh. My. God,” Belgium stated dumbly. “He…and Maria…Oh. My. God.”
The sound of a plates being moved sounded and a moment later, Prussia snorted. “Where are you going?” he asked as a brown-haired, purple-eyed musician shoved past him.
“To kiss the Philippines,” Austria stated, earning him an excited look from the three women in the room. “I highly doubt that the Netherlands kisses better than I do.”
America narrowed his eyes. Beside him, Australia could feel the tension and protectiveness oozing from his older brother and swallowed the nervous lump in his throat. “Now…Al…,” he began carefully.
Before Roderich could make it past of the foyer, Alfred intercepted him. A glowering look was on his face as he met Austria with cold blue eyes. “I don’t think so.”
“Get out of my way, America,” Austria frowned.
“And let you lip rape my girl? That’s not happening.”
“Hey,” Prussia frowned. “I thought it was clear that she isn’t your girl,” he told the blond.
“Ooh…are they going to fight?” Belgium whispered to the other two women.
“God, I hope so,” Hungary replied. “Make sure to rip off his shirt!” she encouraged. “Don’t be afraid to grab. Grabbing is okay!”
Anh Linh rose from her seat and stepped out into the foyer. She wedged herself in between the two men. “If either of you try, I’m sure her Papa, not to mention her Nueva, will rain hell on you both for doing so in their presence,” she reminded them. They only seemed to back down a little. She narrowed her eyes. “And if you force yourselves upon her, you will have to deal with me.”
America grit his teeth. His hands were fisted at his sides and he stepped back. “Fine,” he agreed. “But no one else better be thinking of it!”
“I’ll make sure my sister’s decency is kept intact,” Anh Linh replied with a roll of her eyes. She looked at Austria. “Step down…or our session with Hungary is canceled tonight.”
The corner of Roderich’s eye twitched. “Very well,” he conceded.
“What is going on here?” a Spanish voice asked from the hall. Several heads turned and saw Spain approaching him, a confused smile on his face as he came from the kitchen. “It’s time to eat! Not to argue!”
“We’ll be right there,” Anh Linh said amiably.
“Ana! Mei!” Antonio called up the stairs. “Vamos a comer!”
“Si, Papa!” two voices chorused. Antonio beamed as the others gave him a concerned look.
“Mei wants to have a Papa, too,” he pointed out happily before practically skipping back to the kitchen.
“I reckon this is going to be a very uncomfortable dinner…,” Daniel mumbled. Alfred merely nodded.
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The largest able in the house was barely enough to accommodate all the guests. Spain was at the head of the table, with Romano beside him. Maria at across from Romano, with Mei and Ana on either side of her. Unknown to their older sister, the two occasionally glanced down the table, to where the Netherlands was sitting between Ludwig and Alejandro.
While in most cases, they would’ve preferred Mexico to sit next to the Philippines to fulfill their fangirl dreams, they were at least assured that Jan was not next to the Philippines. He was engrossed in a conversation about football and speed skating. However, to begin with, the Philippines and Netherlands didn’t even seem to want to sit next to each other.
Both Jan and Maria had been in the dining room, helping set the table with Lovino, Feliciano, and Ludwig when the others arrived. Rather than sitting together, Maria had automatically moved to get a seat closer to her father and Jan had gone to sit at the other end of the table.
The Philippines’ two younger sisters began to relax. Everyone was telling them that it was nothing and that it was probably all in Denmark’s head. The two glanced at each other and beamed. They would be leaving the next day and in a crowded house, there was no way for the Netherlands to spend any alone time with the Philippines at all.
The rumor was just a drunken delusion after all.
“And so after that, I knew what I wanted to write,” Maria was telling the women who were seemingly concentrated closest to them. “What do you think?”
“I think,” Romano frowned as he stabbed at his meal, a slightly disgusted look on his face. “That I didn’t need to hear about your story of my grandfather having a sordid, underground affair with Germania.”
“She wasn’t talking to you, Romano,” Belgium brushed off. “I like it,” she told the other country approvingly. “I like the thought that after so many years, they’re still together.”
“I also like it,” Hungary said as she kept her fingers pinched over her nose to stop the bleeding. “You…you really captured their descriptions…I can’t wait to read it.”
“With Germania, though, mija?” Antonio’s browns were furrowed. He leaned back against his chair, taking a sip of wine as he thought about his daughter’s story plot. “I don’t see it as exciting. They are possibly too different,” he pointed out. “And Germania isn’t interesting enough.”
“What do you suggest, Papa?” Ana asked. She looked at the others, who looked skeptical of Spain’s ideas. “No, really. Papa’s very good with ideas. He really knows his passion and chemistry.”
Spain chuckled approvingly. “Well…if it were up to me, I wouldn’t keep Germania as a main character,” he turned to Maria. “Hispania,” he beamed proudly. “Now, there was someone worth noting.”
“Oh…,” several women all nodded in agreement.
“I like that one,” Ukraine nodded beside Canada, who was desperately trying to ignore the conversation and focus on the one on sports happening to his other side. “Historical, of course.”
“Of course,” Hungary said, pressing a napkin to her nose. “I thought my Austria-Prussia had promise, but Rome-Hispania-”
“Hispania-Rome,” Spain corrected proudly. “That should be the order.” He turned back to Maria. “What do you think, mija?”
Her eyes were glazed over as she stared out into space, her mouth slightly agape. She could see it now…their rippling sun-kissed muscles twisting in the setting sun, sweat dripping from their bodies after days of fighting. A sensual relationship in the midst of a bloody war: two men who comrades on the battle field, but something much more at night.
Maria knew it was meant to be. “Yes.”
“Jie-jie,” Mei piped beside her. “Your nose is bleeding….”
“I…I have to go!” Maria shot up from her chair, covering her nose and running out. Ana raised an eyebrow and took a sip of her beer.
“I hope she writes down whatever she’s thinking of,” she chuckled. She looked down at her empty plate and smiled. “The food was very good, Papa! The pasta, too, Romano.”
“Of course,” the smaller brunette retorted proudly. “Pasta in Italy is the best!”
“I’m just pleased that this dinner went smoothly,” Anh Linh sighed. “It’s a good way to end our trip.”
Mei nodded. “Thank you all for being so hospitable!”
“Aww…,” Belgium cooed. “It was our pleasure, Mei. We hope you enjoyed your time here.”
Mei nodded and looked around the table. Everyone seemed to be having a good time. “Oh, I am-” She sucked in a sharp breath. Her eyes had moved over the table, taking in the sight of all their guests. The empty seat in between Mexico and Germany, however, slammed into her with all its implications. Her hand shot out and grabbed Puerto Rico’s arm. “Where’s Netherlands!?”
The island territory sat up straight in her chair. She snapped her head in the direction of where the scarf-wearing lolicon had been sitting. Her eyes went wide. She looked around. “I didn’t see him get up! Where did he go?”
“Who?” Spain asked his daughter.
“The Netherlands!”
“Oh?” Bel looked over to where her brother was seated. She let out a chuckle. The other males that were on that side of the table didn’t seem to even notice that he had left. She grinned and elbowed Hungary knowingly. “Maybe he ran off with the Philippines for another ‘good-bye kiss’,” she grinned. “If you know what I mean.”
Anh Linh winced. Their side of the table suddenly went quiet after the blonde spoke out loud. Even Hungary paled as she turned her head to look at the one male who probably had the largest problem with the idea.
Spain sat frozen in his seat. His smile unmoving.
“Qué?” he asked, his voice disturbingly pleasant. “Can…Can you repeat that, Belgium?”
“Ah…um…,” Bel suddenly realized what her words had meant. “I…uh….”
“Belgium….”
“Ba…bastard,” Lovino tried to defend. “What she is saying is-”
His cup was slammed into the wooden table as he shot up. “Pendejo! Where the hell is he!?” he shouted, silencing the entire room. Everyone in the dining room turned to him. Some were confused, but it would not last. “Belgium! Where is your brother!? And what is he doing to my daughter!?”
“Uh-oh…,” Finland winced. Sweden frowned and Norway had to resist the urge to get up, walk to the room where they had dumped Denmark’s drunken body, and kick him.
“Shit!” America yelled. “Jandro, what the hell! You were supposed to keep an eye on him!”
“I didn’t even know he had left!” Mexico countered.
“He was right next to you!” Australia waved his hand at the vacant seat. “How can you not notice!?”
“Never mind that!” Prussia yelled as he rose from his seat. “Where are they now!?”
“I’ll check the bedroom!” Puerto Rico shouted. Spain paled. The bedroom? There was only one thing they would be doing and his mind refused to think about it.
“I’ll check my brother’s!” Belgium added.
“No! Jie-jie!” Mei began to cry in her chair. “Why did it have to be him!?”
“Eh?” Francis looked from across the table, confused. “What is going on? Is there a problem?” he asked as several parties rose from their seats and spread out into the house.
“This is Denmark’s fault,” Norway told him. “He opened his big mouth and told everyone that the Netherlands was kissing the Philippines before they left Amsterdam.”
“So that is what happened!” Spain boomed, suddenly appearing beside them. A dark look was on his face.
“Antonio,” Francis sighed. “She is a grown woman. She can-”
“Ah!” A scream echoed in the hall. Spain visibly paled. Several countries swept past him and after shaking himself from his stupor, he managed to run after them.
“Oh, my God!” Alfred yelled. “What the hell is this!?”
“What’s going on!? Let me through!” Spain demanded as he squeezed through the crowd that had stopped in the middle of the hall. He skidded to a stop in front of the group and felt as if he had been punched in the stomach at the sight.
“Papa!” Maria said from where she was on her knees.
“I can explain!” an English voice pleaded as he stood in front of her, unable to move.
“Mon Dieu…,” Francis mumbled. The two were in the hall with Maria on her knees in front of Arthur. Her hands were on his belt. Arthur looked terrified.
“His belt got caught in his shirt!” Maria shouted. “I was just trying to help him!”
“Yes! Yes! That was it!” Arthur nodded in agreement. “Don’t get the wrong ideas! This was purely innocent!”
“England…,” America said in a low voice. “I thought we were allies….”
“What? Alfred, it’s just a belt-”
“Inglaterra,” Spain’s dangerous voice filled the room. “I am Maria’s father. You disgraced my daughter,” he accused. He walked to the side of the hall and grabbed the handle of a sword that had been hanging as a displace piece. Romano let out a yell as he ripped it out of its display, destroying part of it. Green eyes narrowed. “Prepare to die!”
“Papa!” Maria shouted. Arthur let out a horrified yell as he Antonio lunged forward.
“You, stand back!” Gilbert said as he grabbed Maria and pulled to the side. “There’s no stopping this!”
“Antonio!” Francis yelled, chasing after them. “Calm yourself!”
“I’ll kill you!” Spain yelled as he ran after the blond.
“Run, Arthur!” Canada shouted. “He’s fast!”
“I didn’t do a damn thing!” England was yelling as he ran out of the house with Spain on his heels. Several countries ran after them, either to watch or to stop them. Mainly to watch.
“I think Spain is going to win,” Norway piped.
“I’m going to bet on England,” Iceland mused.
“Fifty Euro says it’s a draw and they’ll knock themselves out first,” Vietnam added.
Maria found herself standing behind the group in the hall. Outside, she could hear her father and Arthur yelling and shook her head. No amount of explaining the situation to her father would help at that point. It was better that she let him wear himself out.
Sighing tiredly, she turned around and headed back to the kitchen. The only person left was a confused looking Netherlands.
“Where did everyone go?” he asked. They were nearly the end of dinner when he spilled something on his scarf and needed to get it out before it set. He had just gone to the bathroom for a minute or two to wash out his scarf.
Maria sighed as she walked around him. “Watching Papa chase Arthur around with a rusty old sword,” she replied. “I don’t know how long that’s going to last.”
He let out a small, agreeing sound and remained in his seat. He listened to her footsteps approach and just as she passed the back of his chair. His hand shot out and grabbed her fleeting on. She turned around and gave him a confused look.
It didn’t last long.
From the doorway, Vietnam smirked and leaned back against wall, making sure to keep anyone else from entering the dining room as the Netherlands and her sister wrapped their arms around each other and seal their lips over the others.
“You’re a horrible person, you know that?” Prussia said as he looked across the hall at her. Vietnam shrugged.
“What are you talking about?’ she asked as she glanced back into the dining room. Maria pulled away from Jan’s lips and lifted her hand to caress the side of his face. A gentle smile graced his face as his arms were fixed securely around her slim waist, keeping her close to him. He lowered his head to kiss her once more. Anh Linh chuckled. “I’m the best sister in the world.”
.oOo._____ .oOo. _____ .oOo. _____ .oOo. _____ .oOo. _____ .oOo. _____ .oOo.
Epilogue
“Bye, Papa,” Mei beamed as she hugged the bruised Spaniard. “I hope you get better soon.”
“Not to worry, Mei-ja,” Antonio said as he gave her a warm squeeze. “I will be healed soon. I can’t say the same for Inglaterra,” he smirked to himself.
“Papa,” Maria frowned, sending him a disapproving glare as she released Arthur from her good-bye hug.
“I’m kidding!” he laughed. He looked at him and shook his head. “I’m not,” he whispered. Mei giggled.
“I get the last hug!” Ana said as she rammed into Maria and squeezed her tightly, burying her face into her sister’s cleavage. “’mana, I’ll miss you,” she sighed.
“I’ll see you soon, Ana,” Maria assured her lovingly as she stroked Ana’s thick, brown locks back. America and Australia stood to the side, looking on with jealousy as they wished they, too, could’ve gotten a boob-hug.
“Maria, we have to go,” Anh Linh called from the other side of security. “Let’s go!”
“I’m coming!” She gave one final wave to the group and headed through security. They watched as the three sisters gathered together. They began to hug as well; as Mei and Anh Linh were taking a separate flight while Maria was flying into Manila rather than Taipei.
She waved her sisters good-bye and turned in the opposite direction. Spain watched sadly as she left.
“Umm…I have a question,” Ana said as she watched her sister. Odd how the airlines that would’ve taken her to the Philippines should’ve been in the same area as that of the others going to Asia and yet Maria was walking elsewhere. “What airlines is KLM?”
“Royal Dutch Airlines, mija. Por que?” Antonio asked.
Ana frowned. She knew something was wrong when she saw the different planes on the itinerary that morning. The feeling of dread in her stomach spread. “Because that’s the airlines she’s taking.” Her eyes narrowed as her sister walked towards another country, who they hadn’t even noticed was standing there, waiting for her. “And not alone.”
Several men froze. “Maria!”
“They’re very loud,” a tall man said as he reached down to take her bag and pull it for her.
“Just ignore them,” Maria said as she carefully tucked her airline tickets into her purse. She craned her neck upwards and gave a small kiss on the cheek to the country escorting her. “They’ll get over it.”
“Get away from my daughter!” they vaguely heard someone yell.
“Papa! Stop! You’re going to get arrested!” Ana yelled. “Jandro! Help!”
“Let me go, Alejandro!”
“Gringo, hold down his arms!”
Maria sighed and felt Jan take her hand. “Until then…I’d avoid my father.”
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A.N. - Thank you for reading! This was a rather sporadic, not really heavily romantic story, but the requestor, annayla, wanted something that kind of tortured Maria’s extended family in a post-“Wanderlust” setting. This is what I came up with. She specifically wanted Alejandro and Ana there, as well.
I’m going to try to update with two more chapters in the next two weeks, but I’m just so stressed right now and my seemingly stress-related strained fingers haven’t exactly healed 100% yet. Questions, comments concerns? Let me know!