~Germany's View~
I woke up that morning feeling groggy. I knew I shouldn't have stayed up late at night watching Italian horror movies with Italy. I began to sit up when I felt a pair of arms around my waist. Of course. I forgot Italy slept in my bed last night. I placed my hand on his shoulder and gently shook him. ¨Italy. We need to get up." He looked up and his chocolate brown eyes met my ice blue eyes. I felt my cheeks heat up as I thought about how cute he is.
¨Ve~! Morning Germany~!¨ I smiled at him as he sat up stretching his arms. ¨Guten Tag. Would you like some eggs?¨ At the mere mention of food, he nodded excitedly. I put on my uniform pants and my black tank top. Italy clothed himself in his usual. He wore his blue dress pants his black button up shirt and his blue tie. I climbed down the stairs one step at a time. Inside the kitchen I found Japan pouring himself some green tea. I greeted him good morning and he replied with a greeting through a yawn. He wore a crisp white kimono with a light grey obi on his waist. I knelt down and pulled out a non-stick pan. Time to begin making food.
I was beating the eggs to make scrambled eggs when I heard the phone ring. Japan called out saying that he´ll get the phone. I started pouring the beaten eggs into the pan when Japan appeared at my right with the phone in his hand. ¨Germany-san, it's England-san. He wants to talk to you.¨ I took the phone from Japan and put it against my ear. ¨Ja?¨ England´s voice came on the other line. ¨Yes hello Germany. We have a bit of a problem.¨ I took notice that the Englishman´s voice was heavy with sleep but I ignored that. ¨Oh? What's the problem?¨ I heard England sigh on the other line and I knew instantly it wasn't good. ¨We got reports on a person that illegally crossed territories. We can´t see who the chap is but we know the person is 5¨2´.¨
I nodded keeping an eye on the eggs. ¨Ja so...where do I come in?¨ The Englishman sounded happy to hear me asking to help him. ¨I want you to find the chap and arrest him. Bring the fellow to the World Conference so we can have...a lovely chat with him.¨ Usually when England uses that kind of word he practically means shouting and threatening the person. I pulled the eggs off the stove and used my shoulder to hold the phone to my ear while I served the eggs. ¨Where was the person last seen?¨
On the other line, I heard the sound of papers being moved around. ¨He was last seen leaving France and coming to your country.¨ I nodded and pulled out some silverware with my left hand. ¨Alright I'll keep an eye out for the person.¨ After getting a thank you from the Englishman I hung up and sat down with Italy and Japan to eat breakfast. That person is a world of surprise.
~?´s view~
~Earlier that night…~
I hunkered down hoping to stay hidden. It's late at night about 1:00 in the night and I´ve been running for the past few hours hoping that they wouldn't catch me. I heard the sounds of cars pulling up to my hiding spot and park there. They're here… I held my breath waiting for them to catch me. I heard footsteps against wet grass getting closer. ¨He came this way.¨ I held in a whimper as I caught sight of a pistol´s shadow. The rough voice that spoke got closer to me. I stayed still hearing my heart pound and my lungs begging for release. I watched as another man´s shadow got closer.
¨Leave him. He's less useful to the government than to us." The second man's shadow was tall and bulky. If I hadn't been around boxers half my life, I´d know that this guy is a retired boxer. But then again not all people who are boxers are usually tall and bulky. But it's a good guess. He pulled out a pistol and aimed at the tree above my head. I stifled a yelp as he fired six times on the tree. I heard the men get into their cars and drive off. I glanced up at the tree. The man made a T using the bullets. Oh no...I made him mad…
I got up brushing the splinters of me. Sizing ahold of my bag I braced myself for the long walk to Germany in the blizzarding cold rain. I managed to reach Berlin before 5:30. As much as I wanted to awe and be amazed by Berlin, I had no time for sightseeing. I needed to find a place to sleep for the night. But sadly I had no money to pay for a room. I found a nice alley to sleep in and I bunked in there for the night. As I leaned against the cold hard brick wall I couldn't help but wonder whatever did I do for my life to turn tragically.
~Germany's View~
~Late Afternoon…~
I was walking in the streets of Berlin that afternoon hoping to visit the Border Control here in Germany. Apparently, I needed to walk farther past Berlin. I reached the office of Border Control and I talked to a few officers that had shifts the late night. They told me that they saw three black sedans drive into Germany. 30 minutes later they heard gunfire 30 feet away. Then the sedans drove up to the windows saying that they wanted to leave. The officers said that they looked to see what was shot but nothing was harmed. Only a tree with a T shot into it.
I asked the men if they did research on the symbol but both men prevailed. With barely any clue on who the person was or even what the symbol was, I left the office to get groceries for dinner for the night. On my way to the store, I heard the sounds of a scuffle. I peered into an alley to see what seems to be a boy run out. He was tall with black curly hair as well as a slight mullet. He wore a black hoodie with dark grey denim jeans with black converse shoes. His face was covered in dirt stains, scratches, cuts and bruises. His left eye was swollen and purple maybe due to the scuffle I was hearing. Right as I was about to ask him if he needed help, he swiveled on his heel facing the alley.
Three thugs stepped out of the alley each of them wielding a baseball bat. The middle thug´s nose was bleeding like he just got punched in the face. One of the third thugs had a dark grey backpack in his hand shaking out the contents of the bag. Out fell two grey tank tops and one black tank top, a pair of blue jeans, a dark blue bandana, a pair of socks, food wrappers and a moldy plastic water bottle. I looked at the boy guessing it's his since the theme for him was black today. I cleared my throat making my presence noticeable for the thugs and the boy. ¨Do you need help beating up these thugs?¨ He glanced at me and I noticed his eyes were steel grey-blue. He glanced back at the crooks, a smirk crossing his face as his eyes rested on the main thug. He cracked his knuckles flashing me a toothy smirk. ¨Nah. I got this.¨
The beefiest thug lunged right at him. He jumped aside using a karate tactic to regain his balance. While the thug laid on the ground cowering in pain, the chunkiest of the thugs took a swing at him. The boy then blocked the impact of the bat with his forearm then took a swing at his face. The thug fell over with a stomach-turning thud. The leader of the thugs swung for the boy's head. He then ducked and punched the leader in the gut. The leader stumbled back then regained his balance taking a kick at the boy's chest. The boy fell back and landed on his back with another stomach-turning thud. The leader rose his bat for a final swing. At that point, I just gave up in watching. I lunged forward and socked the leader out cold.
After I watched the leader for a while making sure he stays down instead of getting up, I went to check on the boy. He had just got to his feet wiping some blood out of his eye due to a bloody nose. He saw me coming and smirked holding out his bruised bloody hand a gesture I came to know as thank you for the support. I took his hand and we shook on it. ¨Thanks for the support. I guess I didn't have it in me.¨ I smiled at him and rubbed my throbbing sore hand. ¨It's alright. Not everybody has what it takes to finish a fight.¨ He chuckled at me as he started to pack his bag. ¨Well I didn't technically start it, they did. I caught them trying to steal from me and I punched their boss in the nose.¨ I stopped myself from laughing but then I became curious as to why he was sleeping in the alley.
¨Pardon me for asking but...¨ The boy looked at me pulling his hood up. ¨...what are you doing sleeping in the alley?¨ He cast his eyes to the ground. ¨I'm running away.¨ It shocked me. Why he was running away I didn't pressure him to tell me. I frowned wondering how long he was out on the streets. He looked like he was really hungry and he was in need of a shower. I walked over and took his bag from his shoulder hoping to be a bit of help. ¨How about I treat you to a nice hot shower, a warm meal, and a good night's rest in a warm, soft, bed?¨ He liked that idea because his face lit up and he never before looked any cuter. I took him to the grocery store and I let him pick out what kind of sweets he wanted while I grabbed the supplies for food. On the conveyor belt, I noticed that he had put three boxes of small cakes and three small cans of sodas on the belt. I was tempted to tell to put them back but then I felt bad because he was so hungry. While we walked back to my house I thought over how much our lives would change with him in it. With that a smile stretched across my lips. Maybe Japan and Italy would care for another roommate.
~Japan´s View~
~Later…~
I was sitting on the floor in the living room of Germany's house watching Sunday Cartoons when Germany came home. He brought a boy who looked like he was in a fight home as well as supplies for dinner. I stood up and bowed at the boy. ¨Huro. I am Japan. Who might you be?¨ Germany tossed a bag presumingly the boy´s on the couch and nodded. ¨Ja. I forgot to ask.¨ The boy smiled a bit as he bowed back. ¨Im Damien. Damien Kuro. My Mom was Japanese from her side of the family. ¨ I nodded approving the last name.
¨Damien how about you run upstairs and use the shower? It's the first door on your left.¨ He nodded and ran upstairs. I took a moment or two to notice some feminine features in him. He had a small waist and wide hips. I turned to Germany hoping to get some answers. Germany beckoned me into the kitchen so we could talk while he cooked. ¨I met Damien out on the streets. He was getting robbed from by some thugs so he decided to fight them. I gave him a bit of a hand.¨ He showed me his bruised hand proving his point. ¨So I told him I'd give him a hot meal a warm shower and a good night's sleep.¨ I nodded approving Germany´s point to bring Damien into our house. The sound of water running from upstairs interrupted our thought trains.
Germany pulled two packages of kielbasa out of the bag and began to open them. ¨So...¨ I turned to face Germany. ¨How would you feel if Damien was our roommate?¨ Germany turned his attention back to making dinner while I let my thoughts process. Another roommate sounded nice, but will he be like Italy? Lazy? Loud? Annoying? But then again Italy doesn't usually come home covered in bruises or a bleeding nose. And someone like Damien who knows the streets...maybe another roommate sounds great. I faced Germany who was watching me while he was cutting the kielbasa. I nodded my response. ¨Well...all we need is Italy's vote and Damien´s saying.¨
~Damien´s View~
I stepped out the shower feeling refreshed and anew. I haven't had a shower in a month and it never felt so good. I dried off the water and caught my reflection in a mirror. Instead of tangles and twigs, my hair was detangled and clean. My face was scrubbed clean and my bruises and cuts hurt less. I felt really good. I walked to the toilet where I found a pair of blue jeans and a forest green tank top waiting for me. I placed them on finding them surprisingly fitting and suitable for my taste in style. I noticed my hair was in need of a cut since I haven't been able to pay for a haircut for a while. I found a pair of scissors in the bathroom mirror so I used the scissors to trim it. I gave it a quick brush with a hairbrush and I pulled it into a low small ponytail. Calling that good I put some bandages on my cuts and I walked out ready to enjoy a hot meal.
The smell of kielbasa and rice filled the air of the living room. The blonde guy that brought me to his house was cutting sweet peppers and Japan was sitting on the floor watching some kind of cartoon. I walked into the kitchen maybe to talk a little bit. When the man turned to look at me I was instantly surprised at how beautiful his eyes are. ¨Hey. I….uh...didn't get your name.¨ He frowned in a way that made me think I did something wrong. He turned to me and held out his hand to shake. ¨Germany. I'm sorry. I got distracted I forgot to tell you.¨ I shook his hand smiling. ¨Nice to meet you Germany.¨ I heard the front door open and a voice ringing through the air. Well...there's more roommates…
I walked to the front door to greet the third roommate. He was taller than me brunette with a large smile and a curl at the side of his head. He wore a blue jacket over a black button-up shirt and a blue tie with blue matching pants and brown dress shoes. Apparently blue is famous for him. ¨Hiya. I'm Damien. I'll be staying the night.¨ He looked up at me puzzled then walked over and raised my left arm up. Right as I was going to ask him what he was doing I felt his finger outlining something. I looked and saw he was outlining my birthmark. It's star-shaped as well as a deep shade of brown against my almond colored skin. I don't really like it. I gritted my teeth and yanked my arm away. ¨Hey...you have a star-shaped birthmark.¨ I noted the Italian in his voice but I ignored that. He touched me without my permission. ¨You don't just touch someone without their permission!¨ I felt my cheeks heat like they usually do when I'm mad. So I decided to step outside before I say something I regret.
~Italy's View~
I watched as Damien stormed past me and outside. The door closed behind him leaving me wondering what I did wrong and leaving Germany and Japan shocked. I looked over at Germany his face twisted into worry. Whatever I did, I really did make him angry. ¨Ve…What did I do wrong?¨ Japan stood up turning off the TV. ¨Well Italy-san. There are some people that don't like being touched me for example. Maybe what you were doing offended him.¨ I looked towards the door deep in thought. So I took off my jacket wrapped it around my arm and stepped outside with my cat Plooky.
I found Damien a few steps away from the door leaning against the wall earbuds in his ears listening to music. He wore no coat though it was early December his muscles bandages and scars showing proudly. All but his birthmark. He had his arms crossed over his chest his right hand covering the birthmark. Something tells me he's embarrassed by it. I walked over and leaned against the wall waiting for him to say something. Plooky then lept out of my arms and into Damien´s. He caught Plooky before he dropped to the ground and held Plooky close. That's when he noticed I was there.
¨Oh. Sorry, didn't see you there." He looked away almost as if he's ashamed. I decided to reassure him it's okay. ¨Nope! It's okay!¨ He looked back at me a faint smile on his face. I turned my attention to the setting sun in the distance. ¨Ve~! It's a nice night, eh?¨ Damien then cast his eyes to the sky absentmindedly scratching Plooky´s head. ¨Yeah. It's actually a lot prettier here then it is where I was earlier today.¨ I glanced over at him puzzled at what he meant. Damien caught my confused look and gave me a small smile. ¨I'm a runaway. A runaway is someone who runs away from home. Earlier I was in an alley getting beaten up and to be robbed from by these meatheads when I met your pal Germany.¨ I found that an efficient answer so I nodded okay. Damien then faced me guilt in his eyes. ¨Hey...sorry for yelling at you. I don't like being touched." I smiled brightly at him glad that I am now on his good side. I held out my hand so that we can shake on it. ¨Its okay! I'm Italy~! Welcome to our house! We call ourselves the Axis!¨ Damien smiled almost like he liked the name Axis. He put out his hand into mine and shook it. ¨It's great to meet you Italy. I hope we can be friends.¨
~?´s View~
16 hours. That's how long that boy has been gone. And that's how long this man is getting agitated. His name is Terrance Tamone. He sat at his big desk tapping his fingers against it waiting for his men to return with their reports on where they had last seen the boy. The boy owes him and his organization tons of money. The man gave it to the boy for his health issues as the white lies that were being spooned to him said. The man caught the boy trying to steal one of this weapons. Instead of hurting him he took the boy under his wing, hoping to make him the CEO of his organization. But boy was he wrong.
The man cast his eyes up to the door as he heard the sounds of his men walking in. He leaned up and faced his men with seriousness. ¨Report.¨ The tallest of the two stepped forward clearing his throat. ¨The boy was last seen entering Germany and we lost him after that.¨ The man stood up and walked to his window staring down at the machine that makes what he sells on the black market. This man is a Mafia crime boss. He sells illegal weapons to the people on the Black Market. Not only is he selling illegal weapons he also buys weapons to rob from banks. He crossed his arms over his muscular chest in thought. The timid one of the two spoke up. ¨Wh-What are your orders sir?¨ He turned to face them. ¨Monitor the stores' security tapes and credit cards readers. We´ll find him.¨ He faced the window once more in thought. ¨I 'm not called Big T for anything.¨
~Germany's View~
~That night…~
Italy elbowed me again in the head for the sixth time this night. It's getting tiring. I rolled him over so he was laying on his arms instead of them being loose and floppy. After making sure he wouldn't elbow me I laid down next to him with a sigh. Right as I was falling asleep Italy began moving around then he got up and walked out of the room. Probably going to use the restroom. I pulled the sheets up over my head in hopes of falling asleep before Italy comes back. I heard my bedroom door creak open and I thought that it was my dogs, not Italy. I sat up to greet them but instead I greeted a frightened Damien. ¨Damien? What are you doing out of bed?¨ He looked down almost as if ashamed to be awake. ¨I...I can´t sleep...¨ I scooched over making some room for him and beckoned him to come in. He sped walked over and snuggled up against me behind my back.
Italy came back and snuggled up against Damien. I rolled over so I could talk to the two. ¨Italy? Damien? Are you two awake?¨ Italy popped his head up telling me he's awake. Damien rolled over slightly and looked at me letting me know he's awake as well. I slowly sighed hoping this wouldn´t be weird. ¨I was thinking. Damien?¨ He nodded in response to hearing his name. ¨Would you be okay with living here? With us?¨ I saw Damien´s mouth fall open in shock. Italy smiled brightly with a loud Ve. ¨Ve~! I totally think he should stay with us forever!¨ I waited patiently for Damien´s response. Before I could ask again I felt strong arms wrap around my neck. I felt small drops of water spilling and hitting my sheets. I soon realize that Damien was crying not out of fear or sadness but out of joy. ¨Thank you! Thank you so much! I'm so happy!¨ I'm glad that I meet someone like Damien.
~That Morning…~
The next morning I awoke to the sound of snickers and a camera flash. I started to stretch until I heard the sound of footsteps retreating. I sat up yawning and was starting to pull my left hand up until I felt weight on it. I looked down to see Italy´s hand clasped in my hand. I felt my cheeks heat up as I watched his fingers twitch. I looked to see Italy laying in between me and Damien. Damien´s hand held Italy´s hand in his sleep as he rolled over slightly to his back. I chuckled thinking this is cute. I then realized that we needed to get up.
I gently nudged Italy who responded by rolling over to his back. I gave him another nudge and he woke up this time. ¨Mhm….Ve~! Morning Germany!¨ I smiled in response as he let go of my hand. I wiggled my fingers around getting feeling into my hand. Without a hand like Italy´s to hold it felt oddly...cold. Damien woke up next yawning and stretching. I swung my feet over the side of the bed and stretched again. Damien turned to me allowing me to notice his bruised eye is healing up and his cut lip healing up. ¨Would you guys like some waffles?¨ The idea of waffles sounded good.
We walked downstairs to see my brother Prussia and Japan snickering at something on Japan´s camera. When Japan saw me he nudged Prussia with his leg and hid the camera behind his back. ¨Okay you two. What's so funny?¨ Japan had a straight face but he was shaking with laughter. ¨Nothing. Nothing is funny Germany-san¨ Prussia shrugged while snickering. Damien came up behind the two and snatched the camera away from Japan. He tossed it to me before Japan could take it back. I tapped the screen and the first thing that popped up on the screen was a picture of me, Italy and Damien holding hands in our sleep.
I felt my cheeks heat up as I punched Prussia in the face and slapped Japan across the head. I guess I'm a little soft on Japan. I tried to delete the picture but Italy snatched the phone out of my hands. I tried to chase after him but Damien swept my feet out from underneath me. I fell face first on the couch while Italy runs up to Damien. As I was getting up on my knees, Damien was red with embarrassment while Italy was doing something to the phone. He handed it to Japan and walked off. I heard my phone buzz with an incoming text. I pulled it out to see who texted me. Apparently, Italy had shared the picture with me, Damien and himself. I felt my cheeks heat up in embarrassment once again.
After the picture fiasco, we started to cook waffles with each other. Italy wanted to make pasta waffles but we dissed that idea. Japan wanted to make those fancy flavored waffles like they do in Japan but I wasn't in the mood for fancy flavored waffles. Prussia wanted to make messy random flavored waffles but that didn't sound good. That's when Damien pulled out many different kinds of flavoring. He suggested that we make waffles with more than one flavor. We agreed on that. I made the plain waffles while Italy made Cinnamon Waffles. Japan made Pumpkin Spice, Prussia started on a Banana Walnut batch and Damien did this one batch that included honey and cinnamon. Strange combination.
Later after the waffles were cooked we each took a waffle from different batches and tried them. I surprisingly enjoyed Damien´s waffles. ¨Ve~! Damien what kind of waffles did you make?¨ Damien looked up from his plate of waffles and blushed a bit. ¨I made Honey Cinnamon Waffles. Are they good?¨ I nodded for Italy who didn't hear the next question. He looked down blushing a bit. ¨Thanks. I-I never made waffles before...¨ I smirked to myself remembering how I acted like that. He's modest like I was. Damien picked up a piece of plain waffles and tossed it to my dog Blackie. He jumped up and snatched it out of the air. We laughed as he spat it out because it was hot then scarfed it back up before my other two dogs, Asfer and Berlitz, could take it from him.
¨So...¨ Everyone at the table looked up at me wondering what I have to say. ¨...there is a World Conference Meeting today. Italy, Japan and I are going. Would you care to join us Damian?¨ Damian nodded as he popped a piece of Banana Walnut waffles in his mouth. Later we were all fed and getting ready to go. I loaned Damian one of my suits and Italy was kind enough to teach Damian quickly how to tie a tie. He got in one second while I'm able to get it in 5 seconds. After we had brushed out our hair and brushed our teeth we began our ride to the Conference.
A song called Into The Night by Santana came on the radio and Italy had started singing and clapping along to it. He kept mentioning to Damian to join him but Damian kept insisting that he's shy. After some pestering, a little on my behalf, we got Damian to sing the second chorus. Italy had stopped singing and clapping and Japan who had his camera out started recording Damian singing. Soon Italy regained his shock and sang along. As the song started to end, we had reached the Conference. Inside the Nations were waiting for us. I took my seat at the head of the room with Italy on my left, Japan on my right. Poor Damian couldn't find a seat so he stood quietly in a corner close enough for me to see him. ¨Alright then! Let´s began the meeting!¨ As I was about to launch into my ideas for Global Warming, France decided to raise his hand. ¨Ah, oui, Germany? I'm curious. Who is that handsome devil standing shyly in the corner over there?¨
I watched as everyone's eyes turned to see who France is talking about. Damian saw that he had the Conference´s attention, not me and began to beam a bright rosey red. I was able to tell he's not one for attention. England got up out of his seat and went to take a closer look at Damian. I watched as Damian tried his hardest to not be seen but it was too late. ¨Yes who is this gentleman? He seems nice.¨ I watched as Italy sprung up from his seat and ran over to Damian. He hooked an arm around Damian´s shoulders and smiled brightly. ¨Ve~! This is Damian! Germany found in the streets of Berlin!¨ England frowned almost as if a thought had crossed his mind. ¨Germany, did you happen to catch the guy I called you about yesterday morning?¨ I shook my head trying to figure out why he's asking this. America seem to have get the idea. He jumped up out of his seat grabbed Damian by his arm twisting his arm around behind his back pinning him against the wall.
I ran over to assist Italy´s attempts to stop America who was going on about Damian´s rights while cuffing him. France yanked America off of Damian and gripped him in a bear hug. I placed myself between Damian and America hoping that it would stop whatever is going on. ¨America! What are you doing?!¨ China started to assist Damian in taking off the handcuffs but apparently America hid the key somewhere on himself. England stepped forward apparently taking America´s side. ¨This man has illegally crossed into countries!¨ It took me time to realize that Damian is the man that had illegally crossed into the countries. I looked at Damian hoping that it was a lie. But all Damian was doing was casting his eyes to the ground.