Hole in the day
The hand over his mouth woke Hogan before the shaking could begin in earnest. Hogan recognized Kinchloe about the time Kinch saw Hogan's eyes were open. Kinch moved away even as he whispered to Hogan.
"Sorry, Colonel. I got up for a cigarette, and was looking out the window." Kinch's skilled hands were silently setting up the coffee pot as Hogan moved that way. "Saw a Gestapo major send the guard for Klink before going into the Kommandanture."
"Why so late? Why at all for that matter? Everyone else bought the story I feed Klink." Hogan's musings were interrupted by Klink's sycophantic voice.
"Always happy to speak to a member of the Gestapo!"
"You will not be happy to speak to me when I start work tomorrow. I am Major Faust, and I have come to determine what is happening here."
"In town, Sir?"
"Here, Klink! Stalag 13."
"Sir, we've had some strange occurrences, but never an escape." Worry was creeping into Klink's tone as he brought the conversation around to his record.
"Your escape record is the only thing keeping me from killing you right now! Those occurrences of yours, coupled with an escape or two, would give me the authority to execute you. I have reports on all the strange things that happen here, and we will go over each and every one of them until I am completely satisfied. Tomorrow." The major's voice abruptly went from anger to reasonable, setting off warning bells in Hogan's mind. "I was pulled off an assignment and drove straight here. For tonight, I will need your quarters and a woman."
"My secretary lives outside of camp, Major, but she will be here in the morning to type whatever you need." Hogan shook his head at Klink's clueless words. This wasn't Klink dissembling, he really didn't know what the Major meant!
"Type? I want a woman! You must have at least one you keep around for you and your men to use." Silence followed Faust's words and Hogan could almost see Klink's eyes widen as he started to understand.
"Most of my men are married, and for the others town is not far away."
"As a full colonel and Kommondant, you chase the barmaids and war widows?" The Major was trying for a tone of camaraderie, but Hogan heard the edge to his questions. Klink didn't, and blundered right into answering.
"Sir, I very much enjoy chasing the frauleins and look forward to the occasions when I catch one!"
"Klink, according to your file, you're almost fifty and have never been married. But what I find most telling is that it didn't even occur to you to provide a woman for the relief of your camp full of men." The friendly voice was gone, and the declaration concluded with a tone of pure contempt. "You are one of those, aren't you?"
"I'm sorry, one of what, Major Faust?" Hogan knew Klink well enough to hear the fear. Klink knew what Faust was talking about but had decided to play ignorant, something he rarely got to do.
"It's fine actually, I'm so crazed right now that you'll do."
"Sir? I can take dictation but have very little skill for typing." Klink's confusion should have sounded real to a stranger, but this man was trained by the Gestapo to detect lies. There was a long silence in which Faust must have been studying Klink's face. Klink would only have withered under such scrutiny. Faust's voice was a slow purr when he started speaking again.
"For three months I've been tracking an underground unit. Finally, I have member of this unit in my hands and I know she dates their leader. I flip a switch and her body arches off the table. I cut the electricity and still her naked body twitches and dances under my influence. Her young body was willing to do anything to make it stop, forcing names out of her mouth. Once I had emptied her brain, I was ready to fill her body and put her to use for the master race." Hogan could hear the blatant arousal in Faust's voice as he described this torture. Kinch traded glances with Hogan in the gloom, both of them wanted to make this man hurt. "And that was when I was ordered to investigate you without any delay, letting others benefit from my hard work."
Suddenly, Klink's chair creaked like it did when Shultz sat in it, which made Hogan wonder if the Major was leaning in on the seated Klink. The commanding voice Faust turned on Klink now was accustomed to a being responded to. "So Klink, you owe me more than a little fun. If you refuse, I will tell Berlin what you are. The rumor of homosexuality will have you a prisoner in a place much worse than this."
"Major, I assure you I have never found a girl willing to marry a career soldier! Let me up and I will go to town for you! I know a place, where the men go on leave and I can get you whatever you want!"
Kinch cut across Klink's increasingly hysterical words to whisper at Hogan. "Faust's not…"
"He is." Hogan replied with a hard edge to his tone, a sign that he was angry and planning. Hogan stood and pulled his pants and jacket over his pajamas as he spoke. Kinch unplugged the bug and was at the door before Hogan finished speaking. "Distract the guard, then bring Newkirk up the tunnel into Klink's quarters."
A few seconds later and Kinch was asking the guard for a cigarette in deliberately broken German. The guard was so busy trying to convince Kinch to go back inside that he missed Hogan slipping out into the compound. Skill and practice got Hogan across the compound without being spotted. Klink's private quarters weren't guarded, so Hogan entered the office thru there. The Major had been busy since Hogan and Kinch had stopped listening in. Faust had cleared the desk so he could bend Klink over it, their backs to the door. Desk items were still settling as Hogan picked up the bit of gold that glittered near his leg. It was solid and heavy in his hand as he snuck up on the major, and made a solid thud as it smacked into the back of that man's head. Faust slid to the floor, allowing Hogan to see Klink.
His robe had been removed, the sash used to tie Klink's hands. Hogan pulled down the long nightshirt Klink slept in and set to work untying the man, setting his weapon on the desk. Klink trembled under his hands but said nothing. Tracing the belt of the robe, Hogan saw that the end not around Klink's hands had been attached to his neck. Klink's struggles would have only made the noose tighter, tensing the rest of his muscles and giving Faust more resistance. Hogan got the belt off and pulled Klink into an upright position. Klink's trembling only increased as he turned to face Hogan. His eyes were dilated and his breathing was short and shallow. Hogan recognized shock when he saw it and tried to distract Klink before the terror got too deep.
"I think I might have dented you pickelhaube." Hogan pulled his weapon into Klink's line of sight and carefully examined it. Klink loved that helmet, which was probably why Hogan enjoyed playing with it so much. "Maybe not, I don't see any damage. Boiled leather might not do much against shrapnel, but it worked for what I needed it to do. The cute little spike makes a nice handle."
"Hogan?" The whisper of his name brought Hogan's attention back to Klink. His wide eyes had managed to focus on Hogan, so Klink got to see a gentle smile. The concerned look was too much and Klink lost control of his body. His legs trembled so violently he had to fall, just like the tears in his eyes. Strong arms caught him and pulled him to a solid body, the helmet rolling on the floor once again.
"Don't worry, Kommondant. Go back to bed and get some sleep." There was a pause in Hogan's words as he saw the worried faces of Kinch and Newkirk looking in from the doorway. "Maybe while you're asleep, somebody will tie Faust up and toss him into a deep, dark hole. When you come back in the morning to a neat and tidy office, this won't have happened."
Klink wrapped his arms around Hogan, to show he didn't have any impetus to do anything more. Hogan shifted and started walking-carrying Klink back to his bed. Newkirk and Kinch entered the room to clean up as Hogan ordered, careful not to be seen by Klink's unblinking eyes. Hogan got Klink to his bed and flipped back the covers with one hand, because Klink wouldn't break the embrace. He was too far gone to reason with, and strong in his desperation, so Hogan changed plans. Grunting and flopping around, Hogan got the both of them lying in bed and the covers over Klink. He would wait until Klink fell asleep and head back to the barracks.
This time, Kinch had to shake Hogan to get him to wake up. Hogan turned sleepy, confused eyes up at Kinch, who kept his hand on Hogan's mouth. Hogan frowned at this but turned to take in the room, his eyes getting comically large when he saw the man in his arms. Kinch removed his hand, and helped Hogan extract himself from the grip of their commandant. Once the tunnel entrance was sealed behind them, Kinch spoke in a low voice.
"We tied Faust up and put him in our holding cell. Gave him some sleeping pills to keep him out until you decide what to do with him. Cleaned up the office as best we could and took the car to the motor pool. We kept all Faust's belongings and paperwork, as well as the flags and insignias from the car. Never know when that kind of thing will come in handy."
"Good work. I planned to help, once Klink was asleep. Sure didn't mean to fall asleep myself."
"Well, when we realized roll call was in an hour, we thought we should look for you."
"Yeah, coming out of Klink's for roll call wouldn't look good." The entrance to the barracks was before them, so Hogan stopped and turned to Kinch. "What'd Newkirk say?"
"Not much, considering. He actually seemed to feel sorry for Klink." Kinch shrugged and Hogan nodded back.
"Male or female, straight or not, that shouldn't happen to anybody." The trapdoor creaked and Hogan went back to his room. Changing into his full uniform, he tried to figure out what to do with the Gestapo major. Once Newkirk 'cleaned' the office, there would be no paperwork to prove the man had ever made it to camp, so it was business as usual. But a man like that, strong and healthy, tossed into an English prison camp would repeat the same actions on his fellow inmates. Hogan would have to think about this, and not let his rage get the better of him.
Klink didn't make roll call, and all Shultz knew was that Klink had said he wasn't feeling well and didn't want to be disturbed. Hogan was torn between the practicality of letting Klink think it was a nightmare and a need to make sure Klink wasn't hurting too much. Practicality won, by suggesting a compromise: if Klink was still off tomorrow, Hogan would fix it. His musings on Faust were interrupted by an urgent message from London and a trip to town. A bombing run that night and collecting downed fliers left him little time to wonder at Klink not making evening roll call.
A long night that had Hogan considering taking a nap after morning roll call, except Klink wasn't here either. Hogan started working on a good reason to get Shultz to let him see Klink when Shultz called to him after dismissing the prisoners. Hogan moved closer to the big man to talk privately.
"Colonel Hogan, after Klink told me he was too sick to come to roll call, he asked me to bring you to him." With a glance around, Shultz leaned in to whisper at Hogan. "Did you do something to Klink, to make him sick? He must be sick if he is asking instead of ordering."
"Shultz, how would I know what's making Klink sick?" Hogan patted him on a shoulder and grinned. "It's probably the food. Serving sawdust on a silver platter doesn't make it taste any better."
Shultz nodded and walked with Hogan to Klink's quarters. It was a short trip, but Shultz filled the time by talking about the food, his favorite topic of discourse. A few words and Shultz left Hogan on the steps and went back to his duties. Hogan knocked and announced himself, but when there was no answer he let himself in. The living room was dark, as the early morning light hadn't reached here yet. Hogan's eyes adjusted to the dark, letting him see the figure on the couch. The coffee table held a stack of paper and several empty bottles.
"Commandant Klink?" The figure didn't move, so Hogan turned on a lamp as he made his way over to the couch. Klink was sitting up, but asleep, monocle still clenched in his eye. Hogan sat next to him, and when Klink didn't stir Hogan started reading thru the papers. The papers showed that Klink knew the incident with Faust had happened, and this was what he decided to do about it. Hogan didn't agree, so he pulled the completed transfer request out of the stack and shoved it inside his coat. Beside him, Klink shifted in his sleep and his left hand slid out to touch Hogan's leg. Klink jerked as he fought his way to wakefulness and took in his surroundings.
"Hogan?" It was the same tone Klink had used the other night and Hogan went back to distracting with words.
"You sent for me? Shultz wouldn't tell me why, though he did tell me you've been sick lately. Some illness that came on in your sleep the other night, right?" Hogan could see Klink calming down and slowly getting back his normal arrogance. "If you ask Shultz, I'm sure he'll tell you it's the food. Maybe if you get some fresh ingredients, I can convince my man LeBeau to make you some real food. Just the thing to put that bounce back in your step."
"Enough, Hogan!" At Klink's words, Hogan grinned guilelessly at him. "For once, let me say my piece and we can go our separate ways."
Hogan tried to hold onto the expression but it slid away in the face of Klink's seriousness. Hogan nodded and Klink accepted that as Hogan's willingness to listen.
"I need an address from you, of someone you trust. I want you to have my helmet but the new Kommondant will not let a prisoner keep a potential weapon. So I will have it mailed to the states for you and you can claim it when the war is over."
Hogan's mind was spinning with questions, so he picked the one that seemed the least important. "Why are you giving me your pickelhaube? You love that thing!"
The corners of Klink's mouth turned up, like he was trying a smile on for size. "Because even other German military men call it a helmet. You, who claim you were only made a Colonel because of family connections, are the only person who ever called it by its name. Rather a strange piece of trivia to pick up, even for a real soldier. That pickelhaube means a lot to me and even if it holds no sentimental value for you, I know you will care for it."
Hogan couldn't think of anything to say to that, he had been caught, neat and proper, by Klink! He had studied and worked to get his rank and never expected that knowledge would work against him.
"You have a few days to decide who you want it mailed to. When my request for transfer to the Russian Front is approved, it will take another week to train my replacement." Klink was looking thru the papers as he spoke and turned to frown at Hogan. "So you took my papers, it won't do any good. I will fill out another set and mail them in a day later."
Hogan couldn't deny it, so he shrugged. "I think it's nice of you to leave a house to Shultz."
"I secretly like Shultz or I would have transferred him long ago. He just doesn't belong in the military. Mother can't take care of it and my brother would burn it down, so I thought to give it to somebody who could find a use for it." Klink didn't sound sad as he spoke, like he was beyond emotion right now. "Besides, probably won't be a house left after the war."
Hogan found his feet as he started pacing, needing to get to the bottom of this. Not for a particular reason, like having Klink made the operation work, but still needing to stop this. "Set your affairs in order and transfer yourself to a combat post with a high mortality rate. So you have a neatly planned suicide, the coward's way out but done so cowardly that you don't even have to find the courage hurt yourself!"
Hogan glared down at Klink, hands on his hips. The charge of cowardice had enraged Klink before, but now he looked at Hogan and shrugged. "Exactly."
"Why?" All of Hogan's other questions deserted him, so he resorted to the truth. "Is this because of Faust?"
"Yes."
"He won't be back…" Hogan trailed off, forgetting the words that had come automatically. Klink had spoken one word, and Hogan knew him well enough to know when Klink spoke the truth. "You're lying!"
"Believe what you want. You are dismissed, Colonel." Klink looked away to find a bottle that still had schnapps in it. Hogan wrenched the bottle away and leaned down to glare in Klink's face.
"I don't take orders from cowards. Do one brave thing in your life and tell me why." Klink leaned back and carefully straightened his smoking jacket. Finally he spoke to the lose thread on his sleeve.
"You won't like my answer, so let it be."
Hogan replied by sitting on the couch next to Klink but facing him, with his right leg on the couch.
"If you insist Hogan." Klink turned to look Hogan in the face, arms folding across his chest. "I am leaving because of you. I don't understand the things you do or how you know what you know. Somehow, you show up just when I need you and I've learned not to question it. I've accepted your cunning mind and skill for knowing what you shouldn't. But that is where the problem comes in; I've let you know too much. You know me inside and out. You know my secrets, except one. Given time, you will find out that last secret and I cannot accept that. So I am taking the cowardly way out before you find a way to pry that last little bit of dignity from me."
Hogan swallowed heavily, wondering how he could have missed this if he knew Klink as well as they both thought he did. He hadn't meant to take away the remaining shreds of Klink's dignity! "I'm sorry. It wasn't personal."
Klink gave another almost grin at Hogan's hard to voice apology. "No Hogan, it was deeply personal."
Hogan found himself on his feet and backing away from the hurt in Klink's eyes. At the end of the couch, Hogan turned and walked out the door. As he headed back to the barracks, Hogan worked to convince himself it wasn't a retreat. Klink put in an appearance at evening roll call and didn't look at Hogan the whole time. Sequestered in Hogan's office, Hogan told his team of his plan but not the reasons behind Klink's sudden request to transfer. Kinch and Newkirk suspected Faust and Hogan saw no reason to disillusion them. The others asked questions, but gave up when Hogan wouldn't answer. As was often the case, the reasoning behind his plans was kept to himself.
Kinch drafted several guys to help him eavesdrop on every phone call Klink made. The only time the switchboard wasn't manned was during roll call, so Hogan hoped Klink didn't figure this out. Standing orders to take down any information that could prove useful were augmented. Every time the word transfer, request or Eastern Front entered the conversation, Klink's phone experienced 'technical difficulties.' All mail was inspected between Hilda's desk and the courier's bag, by one of Hogan's men.
Hogan himself kept his head down during roll call, careful not to acknowledge Klink's presence. A reluctant Newkirk was drafted to act as a go-between for official business. With his hat in his hand, Newkirk would apologize and say Hogan wasn't feeling well or a problem in the barracks needed his attention. Newkirk would have to tell Hogan that Klink gave him suspicious looks but went about their business. After a week of this treatment, Klink told Newkirk that he didn't want to see him again, so Hogan sent Kinchloe. Kinch reported Klink had to restrain himself from throwing Kinch out before he could even speak.
Nine days after their last conversation and Klink sounded like a real officer. He was snarling at everybody, had put every man in his command on report and filled the cooler with Hogan's men. The next afternoon, Baker had popped out of the tunnel to report that Klink had hung up on Burkhaulter. Hogan had nodded calmly and went to take his weekly hot shower. Shortly after evening roll call, Shultz had called on the barracks with five guards and the camp medic in tow.
"Colonel Hogan, Kommandant Klink insists that you come to his quarters now. If you are sick again, the medic will verify that." Hogan grinned up from the table like he knew exactly what was going on, and Shultz responded to Hogan's implied knowledge. "Please Colonel Hogan, go see Klink. He's been strange lately and I will get into so much trouble if you don't go!"
"It's fine Shultz, I'll go see him and try to get our normal monster back."
"Thank you Colonel Hogan, but we are under orders to escort you. Will you let us?" Some of the soldiers behind him exchanged glances at Shultz's words. They weren't neutrals like Shultz and confused as to why Shultz should ask a prisoner to cooperate.
"Since you asked so nicely, Shultz, I'll go with you." Hogan stood and walked thru the guards taking up the floor space of the barracks, talking as he went. "Catch more flies with honey than you do with gun oil."
Shultz walked beside him, the other guards behind and the medic having left for his bed. They stopped at the bottom of the stairs and let Hogan knock alone. Klink called permission and Hogan entered. It was brightly lit this time with a warm fire in the stove, and two glasses next to the decanter of brandy on the table in front of the couch. A bald head and the red of Klink's smoking jacket were visible over the back of the couch. Klink responded to Hogan's presence by pouring the brandy. Hogan hung up his coat and hat before sitting down beside Klink and accepting the glass.
"Something you wanted to see me about, Sir?" Klink didn't answer Hogan's too innocent words, so Hogan drained his glass. "In that case, I should get back to the barracks."
"No!" Klink snarled at Hogan, showing the agitation that had been growing in him for ten days. "I want you here, so you will stay until I tire of you."
"And that, is precisely your problem." Hogan felt Klink's confused stare as Hogan refilled their glasses. Hogan settled back to sip at his glass and stare over the rim at Klink. "I flew a German plane once, and no, I'm not going to tell you when, where or what. It didn't have the precise control of the other planes I've flown; I had to force it to do what I wanted. Same thing your superiors tell you about us and the men under your command. You have to take a hard line, because all they understand is force. You believed that and forgot to ask."
"Ask? What should I have asked?" Bewildered and lost, Klink was almost back to normal. Hogan took both glasses and put them on the coffee table, so he was free to straddle Klink's legs and stare down into his eyes. Klink was beyond bewildered, his mind refusing to even try and understand what was going on. Hogan leaned in and gave Klink a chaste kiss on the lips.
"You should have asked if I might be interested." Hogan whispered, confidant Klink heard every word, before sliding back onto the couch. Hogan picked up his drink and sipped while Klink's brain played catch up. A minute later and Klink chugged the rest of his drink and coughed at the burn. Hogan patted him on the back until he was able to breathe deeply.
"Hogan, I will not let you use me this way!" Klink's brain had caught up, and being Klink's brain it had come to the wrong conclusion. "I will take my desires to whatever awaits me at the Russian Front before letting myself believe you care. Consider yourself dismissed."
Klink's voice was a haggard command and made Hogan want to shake him. Instead he replied in a tone that clearly showed his anger. "I don't offer out of pity, but fine! Have it your way."
Hogan stomped away and Klink heard the door slam behind him. One tattered shred of dignity, wrapped around his ability to hide on major, life-threatening secret. But he'd managed to say too much ten days ago and Hogan had figured it out. The brilliant man had also planned out how to drive Klink insane, so that when Hogan made his offer, Klink had to accept. Klink had wanted to accept, but that tiny bit of dignity demanded that his whole life wasn't a complete waste. He had avoided the great Hogan's trap and that gave his life some tiny meaning. Many of his superiors couldn't even make that claim, now Klink had only to avoid thinking about what he had rejected.
Sipping his way thru another glass of brandy as he thought, Klink finally made his way to his feet. Making his way around to turn off the lights, Klink felt pleasantly tipsy. He knew he'd regret so much alcohol in the morning, but he'd need it to sleep this night. Opening the door to his bedroom, Klink stopped and frowned down at the strange noise. His riding crop was sliding against the door as it opened, no longer having the closed door to support it. Klink knew he hadn't left his riding crop there and had no idea why anyone would have moved it. Picking it up, he was still considering it as he took a few steps to his bed, looking up at last. He'd drunk more than he thought and was unconscious on the floor, because there was no way he was seeing what his eyes said they saw.
A cluster of emergency candles flickered at him from the nightstand, illuminating the room. Only the left half of his pale body was visible in the candlelight, just enough to show Klink his most erotic fantasy come to life. Gloriously naked, Hogan's face was turned away but resting on the bed with his torso. Hogan's butt was high in the air as he bent over the end of Klink's bed, arms and legs spread. Only visible because of the paleness of Hogan's skin, Klink could see one of his uniform ties had tied Hogan's left wrist to his left ankle, with the bed frame between them. Klink suspected the right side was tied up as well, and Hogan was at his mercy.
How had Hogan managed to tie both his hands? The stray thought brought Klink's brain back into gear, and soon it was moving faster than it ever had. What did Hogan think he was doing? Why? Was this a game? Didn't he realize how vulnerable he was or how much Klink wanted to take what he was offered? Klink knew he wouldn't find the answer on his own, so he cleared his throat so he could speak.
"What is this?" Klink's voice was so soft; he was surprised Hogan could hear him. Hogan turned his head to growl up at Klink.
"Hogan, Robert, Colonel, USA-AF, 0876707."
"What?" It took Klink a minute to process that Hogan chose now to give him the name, rank and serial number routine! "What is this?"
Klink was frustrated when he asked, his hand gesturing to Hogan's naked body. Except Klink had forgotten the riding crop in his hand and it brushed a firm butt cheek. Hogan twitched at the slight touch and Klink found himself stepping forward to do it again. The second stroke didn't get a reaction from Hogan and confused Klink. He was going to have to ask what Hogan wanted him to do and Klink sighed at the thought. At the noise, Hogan snapped over his shoulder to Klink.
"Hogan, Robert, Colonel, USA-AF, 0876707."
Giving in to a strong feeling of rage and frustration, Klink smacked Hogan with the riding crop. Hogan hissed and moved under the sensation and Klink watched until the skin grew red. Without thought, Klink stepped forward to stroke the red streak. When he pulled his left hand away, the right brought down the riding crop again, and again. It was on the fifth strike that words started falling from his lips, words Klink was completely unaware of, in a mixture of German and English.
"I will go to hell for my desires, my Father told me that long ago, my government proposes to send me there now. All I wanted was a life worth living, but that was beyond me. Everybody uses me so why should you be different? I can't have you pretend to want me!" Reminded of who was below him, Klink increased the tempo of the riding crop. Hogan wasn't given any time to recover or prepare for the next blow before it came. "I want to be worthy of you and that's why it won't work. You can't possibly want me and I'm not strong enough to pretend, much as I want to. God in Heaven, do you know how much I want you Hogan?"
Something gained courage at Hogan's name and Klink hit him hard enough to draw blood. It wasn't much, only a slight rip in the skin but Klink stumbled forward to apologize. Something collided with his foot and Klink only peripherally registered the bottle of lotion at his feet. Looking back at the display of Hogan's red flesh, Klink bent to examine the wound in the flickering candlelight. His hands reached for the wound, but his tongue got there first to lap up the blood.
Once there, he could smell Hogan, the scent of the cheap soap the prisoners were issued showing Hogan had prepared for this encounter. It wasn't a decision as such, but Klink moved his tongue and kisses over to enter the cleft of Hogan's butt. Klink licked and tasted the most intimate part of Hogan until he felt his own need pounding in him. Surprised to find his hands steady, Klink pulled himself out of his pants and reached for the lotion. Fumbling some onto his cock, Klink had to look away from Hogan to see himself. He'd never been that large in his life, and it was all because beautiful, brilliant Hogan trusted him enough to do this!
Hogan planted his face on the bed, and Klink stepped between Hogan's spread legs. Klink was still lubricated and ready, but Hogan was only prepared by the rimming, so he slowly entered Hogan. When Hogan moaned, Klink tried to stop, afraid he had hurt him, but the need was too great. Finding Hogan's hardness under him, Klink started to pound and stroke, existing in a world of feeling and bliss. Hogan was under him, moaning and pushing back to encourage Klink. It was too much and Klink was done before he wished. Automatically, he kept stroking Hogan until warmth filled his hand. Spent, Klink let himself collapse on the body before him. Words poured out of his mouth, independent of thought. Klink's brain was having a hard time accepting this had happened, even as it sought to put every detail into memory.
"My love, I've dreamed of touching you, holding you. My prisoner, I've dreamed of reasons to force myself on you, knowing it was the only way I could have you. The Gestapo use worse methods, and do I not have the guards and guns? But I never wanted to hurt you, be mean to anyone. Never wanted to take, I wanted you to give. Give me permission to touch or a chance to kiss you or even to call you Robert. Or do you prefer Rob? What would I give to be in the circle that knows such things? But now you are under me, warming my soul and I will, will… Verdammit noch mal!" With his cry of disbelief, Klink pulled away and stood, hastily shoving himself back into his pants. "What have I done? Hogan, I'm so sorry. How do I begin to make this up to you? I'll open the gates, anything you want. You can kill me yourself, Colonel!"
Klink's rambling apologies paused for breath and Hogan's most commanding tone cut thru the silence.
"Klink, look at my right hand!" Not knowing what else to do, Klink followed the order. Hogan turned his hand so Klink could see the palm, which held a bit of navy blue cloth. Hogan released his fingers and the cloth slid off his hand and wrist, falling to the floor. The other end was tied to his leg, but Hogan hadn't been able to tie his wrist up after all. Klink wasn't sure what to make of that, so Hogan told him. "I could have stopped this at any time."
"What is this? Why?" Klink couldn't sputter out any more coherent questions than that, especially as Hogan stood. Hogan untied his left hand and turned around, so Klink got to see the front side. Hogan let him have a good look, then sat in the middle of the bed and patted the spot next to him.
"Come sit next to me." Klink hesitated, but gave in and sat on the corner of the bed. Hogan slid over and put an arm around Klink's waist to keep him from moving away. "Do you prefer Wilhelm or Wili?"
"I don't know. It's been years since anyone's called me Wilhelm but my mother, and nobody's ever called me Wili. Why?"
"Well, Wili, we need to have a conversation, and we need to do it as human beings, not soldiers. Forget the war and the politics for just a moment and listen to Rob. Rape. It's a nasty word in any language and shouldn't happen to anybody. But when it does happen, it's not about sex. Rape is about power, that's why Faust didn't care who he was pounding into. Your fear was just as enjoyable to him as that of the underground woman he'd left behind. Do you understand that?"
"Not entirely, but I believe you. How does that excuse what I did to you? I have the guns, so I have the power. Did I hurt you for more power?"
"Faust made you feel powerless, so I thought you needed to get some of that power and control back. I gave you the chance to do that, but only because I trusted you."
"I wonder at that, how you trusted me enough to offer yourself to me like that. But I lost my mind, and made you bleed. I'm not worthy of your trust."
"Yes you are! A tiny trickle of blood and you stopped. Believe me, I've been hurt worse while shaving. I knew that even at your worst, under extreme stress, you were still too nice to hurt people. You try to hurt people, I've seen how happy you can get when you think things are going your way. But that's about politics, surviving this war and making general, hurting faceless concepts of people. When it's a real person, you're too nice. Would the bastard you want to be think up overeating as a torture method?"
"Hey! It's never failed."
"My point is that you are a nice guy, despite yourself. And I think I might, well, love you for it."
"Nice guys finish last though, don't they? Rob, I, wait, you what?" Klink shook his head at the weird tricks his ears were playing on him. "That's impossible!"
"I know, and I didn't even realize it myself until recently. Think about the last ten days. You were angry, snarling at everybody, you even hung up on Burkhaulter!" A gentle hand on Wili's face forced him to turn to look Rob in the eyes. "Why were you like that?"
Klink flushed but forced himself to speak honestly, getting all his secrets out in the open. After what he had just done, Hogan deserved to understand the truth of it. "Something important was missing, like a great hole in the day. Only at night when I dreamed about you was I truly alive. I hated being forced out of those dreams to face a day without you in it, but when my transfer comes thru it won't be a problem for much longer."
"The only thing that had changed, was that we didn't speak. I don't have to visit you every day, sir. I make up reasons to go in your office and talk to you, I play chess with you and even listen to you play the violin. Things I don't need to do, but do anyway to spend time with you." Wili looked doubtful, so Rob gave him a kiss on the forehead and changed tactics. "As the nice guy who was willing to commit suicide before burdening me with the knowledge of his attraction, you have to fix a problem for me. I don't have the luxury of transferring away from my problems. So what am I to do with the hole in my day, without you here to fill it?"
Wili shrugged and replied without thinking, surprised at his own words. "Maybe I can convince Burkhaulter to let me stay, or you can find a way."
"You'll stay then?"
"Yes, but only for you." Wili grinned at the relief in Rob's dark eyes, completely convinced Rob could get his transfer revoked.
"Exactly, you're too nice a guy to let me suffer. And that's why I love you."
"What?" If his monocle had been in, Wili would have lost it as his eyes and face showed their surprise. He had hoped and dreamed of those words, but it was something else to actually hear Rob say it.
"I love you, Wili."
"Even if you only mock me and use my desires to get what you want, I might as well admit it. I love you, Rob."
"We'll work on that self esteem issue later, but for now I've had enough talk."
"What do you want to do instead?"
"Take off your pants and I'll explain it to you."
"What?"
"Strip. I'll get the lotion and meet you on the bed." With a pat on Klink's thigh, Hogan stood and retrieved the lotion, ass still red. Klink waited to see Rob lay on the bed before standing. Wili undressed as he walked, an activity hampered by his growing desire. His underwear caught around one ankle and under the other foot, and Wili fell. He landed on warmth and strength, earning an amused chuckle. "Take your time, Wili, we've got the rest of the war, at least."
Wili surprised himself yet again, by laughing back. "It's only to be expected, as you overwhelm me, Rob."
"Well, you snuck in past all of my defenses and obligations, so I think we're even." At Rob's words, Wili pushed up to look down at him.
"Even? Rob, you've saved my life in more ways than one." Legs spread around the man he loved, Wili started trailing kisses downward. Rob was hardening in anticipation of Wili's actions, happy to do more than just kiss after two years here. Wili stopped short to look up at Rob's blissful face and speak. "I'll spend the rest of my life showing you my appreciation."
"The rest of your life, huh?" Rob had to stop speaking as Wili applied his mouth to Rob's body once again. He found the will to speak after a few moments of enjoyment "In that case, I'll have to make sure we win the war quickly. Then you'll have a long life to appreciate me."
Wili grinned but couldn't think of a response to that, so he put everything he had into the blow job. He imprisoned Rob's erection in his mouth, just as the war had imprisoned them together in this camp. Slowly, unintentionally, they had imprisoned each other's hearts, and that was all that mattered tonight.
Hogan slipped into the tunnels shortly before morning roll call, and hoped nobody noticed his long absence. Creeping toward the light, Hogan saw Kinch on the cot kept there. He was sound asleep, but would doubtless wake at the first noise from the radio. Hogan debated on telling Kinch what had happened, since he had been there when Major Faust arrived. Hogan stumbled in the tunnel, and Kinch sat up, blinking.
"Colonel? What are you doing down here?"
"I just realized that I completely forgot about Faust!"
"Oh. Don't worry about him. We took care of him for you." Kinch moved over to finish off whatever remained in his coffee cup, and grimaced at the taste.
"What you do with him?"
"Sent him to camp." Kinch shrugged and made his way to the ladder.
"I thought England was too good for the likes of him."
"So did we." Kinch paused before opening the trap door, but seemed reluctant to say more.
"Kinch, who is 'we' and what did you do with Faust?"
"It was mainly Newkirk's idea, I just implemented it." Kinch climbed out of the trap and had disappeared before Hogan could do the same. Wondering where the tall man had found to hide, Hogan made for Newkirk instead. Shaking the man awake, Newkirk eyed him blearily.
"What'd ya wake me for, not roll call yet?"
"What did you do with Faust?"
"Just a healthy dose of his own medicine, can I go back to sleep?"
"Newkirk!"
"I forged new papers for him and Kinch knocked him out with sleeping pills. In civilian clothes, we put him where the Gestapo wouldn't miss him. By the time he woke up, he was already on a prisoner's train."
"How'd you manage that?"
"We stuffed his pockets with pictures. He couldn't move without a picture falling out."
"What kinds of pictures that he got arrested, and imprisoned without a trial?"
"Tastefully done art shots, shot by LeBeau and developed by Carter."
"Art shots?"
"Of our guys in the shower. You'd be surprised how many volunteered when they knew what we were going to do with them."
This fine morning, it wasn't Shultz's commands that woke everybody, but the sound of Hogan laughing from where he sat on Newkirk's bunk.