Say the bombs never hit Himmel Street that night. Say The Book Thief and Jesse Owens got to love each other.
A Liesel/Rudy oneshot. Glimpses into the rest of their teen years.
Liesel and Rudy walked side by side, kicking at snowdrifts and eager for the warmth that waited for them in their respective homes. Liesel's roughly knitted mittens barely provided any comfort for her frost bitten fingers and Rudy's feet ached from the cold inside his hard boots. Despite this their faces glowed, and not just from the chill. They were seventeen and had grown into their bodies. Liesel's face had lost its childish roundness and Rudy couldn't help but notice the curves she'd developed on her chest and hips. Likewise, Liesel often found herself not entirely involved in conversation with Rudy because she was distracted by his heightened cheekbones and sharp jaw line. She noted that his shoulders had widened and the lack of rationing and increase in his track training had built some muscle on those once stick-thin limbs.
The war was done. Germany and the rest of the wold was free from the Führer and lives could be lived without constant threat and terror. And in the hurried scuffle of the Nazi's leaving Molching, and the disbanding of Hitler Youth, two souls allowed themselves to find each other, but this time in peace. As the street called Heaven recollected itself and recovered from strain and fear, two young people who'd grown up together opened their eyes to the other for the first time. Liesel was sure her Mama would be irate had she known that her daughter frequented the arms of the bright haired Saukerl next door.
Rudy had always loved Liesel, that wasn't a secret, he would have screamed it from the rooftops had he thought it would had made her love him back. But the love he had all those years was a childish love, a soft flutter compared to the stuff he felt now which made his heart pound and his head spin. It was a day after the war ended that his dream of 6 years came true. They'd met on the sandy shore of the Amper River, Rudy had got there first, he much preferred running to the dawdling along that most people adopted, Liesel included. When she slipped her way down the sharp slope to the shore he was dipping his bare toes in the clear water. Rudy smiled brightly, teeth gleaming in the May sun, and he patted the springy grass beside him before turning back to gaze into the depths of the Amper. Liesel shrugged off her cardigan and hopped down beside him, leaning into his side. They sat there for hours in silence and let relief wash over them like the sparkling water that lapped at their toes. The tension and guarded fear of the last 5 or so years ebbed away and they were left with only each other, side by side on the edge of a river bank.
It was then that Liesel kissed him. It was a shock to say the least, he hadn't asked for a kiss since the last time his toes had been in these waters. He had resisted the urge because it only made his heart sink a little lower after every laugh and unruffled rejection. But here he was, his face framed by the Book Thief's soft hands and his lips captured in hers. She kissed him with conviction, and from her lips he found glimpses of exhaustion, regret, passion, and above all, a calm lull and an explicit sense of liberty. He kissed her back, of course, for he did not know when he'd get to do this again, if ever. Although he needn't have worried, Liesel made up for all those times she'd snubbed his requests. They stayed that way for a long while, exploring one another, and it was there that Liesel realised her fear and stubborn nature had been hiding her unfathomable love for the boy with the lemon coloured hair. She vowed never to let herself get in the way of that fact ever again, for the rest of her life.
People change when fear is gone. They smile again. And the street called Heaven was full of smiles. Of course there were things to fix and people to reclaim. Max came home and he was welcomed into their loving arms once more, only this time he got a proper bed in his own room. He ventured into the basement quite often, he liked to remember. His time hiding under the Hubermann's feet were some of the best days he'd ever lived because he'd experienced so much love. He wasn't aware that people were able to love so fiercely before his two years in the Hubermann residence. He finally met the boy next door, much to Liesel's agitation. Rudy knocked on the front door one cold afternoon and Max raced Liesel to open it. She may have spent her childhood racing Jessie Owens but she wasn't beating Max anywhere, plus he filled the doorframe before she could pass. "Betrüger. Cheater" she muttered furiously. "I wouldn't say his hair is 'lemon-coloured'" Max said over his shoulder, turning back to examine Rudy for the first time. Max liked Rudy. He liked him a lot. They shared the same thrill for life and they both felt ignited when they stared into the stars. They also cared about Liesel unconditionally. Max saw the love that burned in Rudy's bright eyes and he knew that Liesel was safe with the boy with the 'lemon' hair. Although, he still wasn't sure about that description, he thought it was platinum.
A few years passed and the two grew up together and experienced intimacies and the depths of emotion like never before. They'd stayed back after Herr Steiner left his shop, offering to lock up. That had been hours ago. Clothes had been shed and Liesel made a mental note to re-sew on some of her shirt buttons before Mama found it in its half shredded state. There had been hot breath in ears and whispered promises and shivers down spines and fingers dragging on thighs. They felt at home like this, intertwined in Herr Steiner's backroom amongst tweed and dusty cardboard boxes. At first Rudy had apologised repeatedly for the mess and tried to move some mannequins along the wall out of their way, but Liesel just pushed him back down onto the rough carpet and kissed him quiet. And she usually got what she wanted when it came to Rudy. He wanted the best for his Book Thief but their crowded houses meant they would have no time to themselves there. The rough, chalky floor of his father's storeroom would have to suffice, and it had served them well many a night. He'd imagined the worst case scenario. His father bursting in on them having forgotten his house keys or umbrella, but so far they'd had all the luck, and privacy, in the world. And on those evenings, when their fingers remained laced above Liesel's head, they discovered things about themselves and about each other that no other person could know, and they confessed their secrets and their wildest dreams in their afterglow, curled into each other under the tailor's workbench. And Liesel knew she would love this boy forever but did not admit to it. And Rudy told her time and time again that she'd won his heart and he never wanted it back.
Max knew about Rudy and Liesel and their secret relationship. He was not blind; he could see it in the way they held themselves around each other and the way Liesel flushed scarlet when someone mentioned her lover's name. Rosa and Hans seemed to choose to ignore it. Hans out of respect for their privacy. Rosa because she refused to believe her girl was growing up so fast. They could no longer overlook it after the race. It was the last day of school before Christmas and Rudy had a big race. It was an annual event, he always won, but this time he was winning for Liesel. He'd promised her last night among suit fabric and measuring tapes. She said she didn't really mind but the thought of him winning a race for her made her heart swell. He was a blur, his face one of pure concentration and he executed the race perfectly. Of course he won. He was Jessie Owens. He received his medal from the headmistress, shot Franz Deutscher a smug smile, and grabbed Liesel around her waist with one arm and kissed her. The whole school saw, all the family members in the stands saw and most importantly to Liesel, her Mama and Papa saw. Once, Liesel would have pushed Rudy away and protested, but that would have hurt him, he'd just won the school race, and most of all, Liesel now wanted to kiss him back. There were gasps and shouts and jeers of encouragement from Rudy's friends, some people whistled and Liesel blushed a shade of fuchsia. When she unwound her arms from around Rudy's neck he smiled brightly at her and she returned it, for she loved him unconditionally. He held her against his chest and whilst she caught eye contact with her Mama, who had her arms crossed firmly over her chest, Rudy murmured "See, I promised." into her hair.
That had been four days ago and now they walked together down Himmel Street. Rudy stooped suddenly and in his gloveless hands his moulded a roughly shaped snowball and aimed it at the back of Liesel's head. He hit the bulls-eye and she squawked and scolded him before scooping up a handful of snow herself and stuffing it down his jacket. They played like the children they once were, all the way down the street called Heaven, and tumbled to the ground outside their houses. They had snow in their hair and up their sleeves and in their socks and- "God, Rudy, it's in your ears!" Liesel laughed, pulling her boy made of sunshine towards her. They laughed out loud, not because anything was particularly funny, but because they never felt so much joy other than when they were together. Unbeknown to them, they had an audience. Two male figures stood in the window of Number 33 Himmel Street, grinning from ear to ear and trying to hide it from the Thunderstorm swirling around the kitchen behind them. They were happy because their little girl was happy, and they knew nobody could love her like Rudy Steiner.
They had finished their laughing and now just looked at each other, smiling bashfully. Three years of holding hands under tables and sneaking away in their lunch breaks at work and finally they could show the world how deeply they could love. Rudy heaved himself up off the slushy ground and grabbed Liesel's outstretched hand. She brushed snow from his jacket and stroked his cheek and thanked God that this boy chose her. He kissed her sweetly and held her close briefly, and like every single time he got to hold her, he thanked God that this girl loved him back. She could write tomes about that boy. He would run to the end of the earth for her.
Silently they walked towards their respective houses.
"Goodnight, Saumensch"
"I love you,Saukerl"
And finally, on the street called Heaven, life was almost heavenly.