I'm guilty...I haven't updated my other story at all. I will get around to it though! I was digging around in some of my older mini fanfics and found this. Hopefully, it'll suffice until I can get another chapter of The Good World out. Enjoy!
Entry from Germany's diary:
Dear Diary,
Today I captured America after he crashed landed right into my backyard. Apparently he ran out of fuel on his way back to France from whatever pointless mission they gave him. When I asked him, he said he just forgot to fill up before leaving. I can't say I'm not amazed at the distance he flew on an empty fuel tank.
Anyway, I decided that this would be a good time to set an example for Italy. That time he accidently captured Britain was a disaster. Maybe now I could teach him how to properly contain a prisoner. So after I locked America up I called Japan to keep an eye on things for me while I instructed Italy. Of course, he was curious as to why I made such a sudden request and I explained everything to him...
"Amerika is your prisoner?" Japan asked once again in a static voice over the phone.
"Ja, zhat's right. And zhat's vhy I'm calling. I zhink zhis is zhe perfect opportunity to teach Italy how to handle prisoners on his own."
There was a moment of silence on the other end.
"Hai, I will look after everything for you." Japan finally answered.
"Zhank you."
"Good luck with Amerika." Click.
Germany placed the phone on the receiver, confused. "Good luck? Vhat did he mean by zhat?"
The first thing I went over with Italy was ensuring the cell keeping the prisoner was secure. I ordered him to examine the cell we were about to put America in. He looked around for a minute. When I asked him if it was a good cell, Italy shook his head.
"There'sa no blankets to take naps on and nothing to make pasta with."
"Cells aren't meant to be comfortable," Germany snapped. "Zhe prisoner could easily use any cooking instrument as a vay of escape!"
"Like what?" America asked.
"I vasn't talking to you!"
After locking America up I proceeded on to the next part of my tutorial: never trust the prisoner.
"Italy, I vant you to guard zhe prisoner until I get back. Do not listen to anyzhing he says and don't talk to him."
"Si~! Leave everything to me!"
Germany left the room and closed the door behind him. However, he did not completely leave the two of them alone. Doubting Italy would be able to handle such a simple task, Germany pressed his ear against the door and listened.
"Is he always like that?" America asked.
Don't talk to the prisoner, Germany thought, mentally urging Italy to do the right thing and ignore the question. Of course, it was not meant to be.
"Most of the time. Sometime he's a real ninny-pants."
Germany smarted at the reply.
"But he's really a nice guy and all. He makes sure that nobody beats me up and he lets me sleep with him at night. He's my best friend."
Germany felt his face grow hot.
"You're so pathetic. Why don't you try standing up for yourself for once?"
"Oh I tried," Italy replied. "Germany had to come and rescue me."
"That's pretty sad."
Germany cringed at the implied insult.
"Is it?" Italy asked. He sounded worried.
"Yeah, it really is." There was something nonchalant in America's tone.
There was a moment of silence. Hopefully this let down would put Italy in place. That was more than Germany could possibly hope for.
"Aw, come on man, you may be completely hopeless but at least Germany comes and gets you." America said.
"What do you mean by that?" Italy asked in a melancholy tone.
"If he wanted to get rid of you he could just not rescue you. So that means he must like you even a little to bear with you, right?"
"Ve! That's right!" Italy's voice immediately cheered up.
After another moment it was Italy who started the conversation up.
"I'm so hungry. What about you?"
"I'm starving!"
"I can make some pasta for us."
"Want some help?"
"Sure!"
Germany burst into the room just as Italy reached for the cell door.
"ITALY!"
...Let's just say it didn't work out very well. I will refrain from mentioning what happened next. But I will say that I scared Italy so badly he spoke rapid Italian for two hours straight.
I felt bad for scaring him like that so I told him he could take the rest of the day off doing whatever. We would continue our session the next morning. In the meantime I decided that I'd better take over with prisoner duty.
"I'm hungry."
"You had a huge meal for zhree people just five minutes ago!"
America hung lazily over the bars. "But I'm still hungry."
"You vill have to vait until next mealtime."
America sighed loudly for the fifty-sixth time within twenty minutes-
-Yes, I kept count.-
-and smearing his face against the bars, he stared blankly at the opposite wall for a moment. Then tapping his fingers against the bars he began to whistle. Germany tried to patiently bear it but after a particular pitch he glanced irritatingly at his prisoner.
"Vould you please stop zhat?"
"Huh? Oh, okay."
Germany sighed and relished the silence.
"Hey, could you do me a favour?"
"Vhy vould I do anyzhing for you?" Germany asked, struggling for self-control.
"Easy dude. I just want a ball."
Germany blinked in confusion. "A ball?"
"Yeah. I'm bored."
At first I told him no but he insisted. By the way, he did this by lounging all over the cell, whistling, moaning, and bursting into a fit of laughter behind my back. He also found some charcoal on the ground and began doodling on the wall. When I told him to stop he arrogantly told me I couldn't stop him without having to come into the cell and risking an escape...
...I got him the ball.
Thump thump...plat!
Thump thump...plat!
Thump thump...plat!
Thump thump...ping!
Germany jumped at the change of rhythm as the ball hit the bars. America had been entertaining himself by throwing the ball on the ground which would bounce up and hit the wall and fly straight back at America. Thump! The ball hit the ground. Thump! The ball hit the wall. Plat! America caught it in his bare hand. And thus the process was repeated. A couple of times the ball flew through the cell bars and grazed Germany as it flew past.
"Vatch it!" Germany snapped.
America was too busy trying to reach the ball through the bars to reply. Sighing, Germany nudged the ball back into the cell with his boot.
Thump thump...plat!
Thump thump...plat!
"You know what?" America said suddenly from where he sat. "I've been thinking about what Italy said."
"I vasn't avare Americans had brains to zhink," Germany said drily.
America ignored that comment. "Anyway, I was thinking about what he said and I realized something."
Germany was determined to ignore him but the silence drew out the suspension.
"Vhat?" he said finally.
"He's right." America caught the ball and rolled onto his stomach. "Germany isn't a bad place at all."
"Vhat do you mean?" Germany asked cautiously. He didn't like the way America had said that.
"Italy said nobody beat him up when he was here. Well, nobody nags me here. Even though I can't do whatever I want because I'm in this cell, I don't have to worry about anything. You'll have to feed me and make sure I'm comfortable. You're working hard to keep me contained and all I have to do is kick back and relax. I like that."
Instantly Germany had a flashback. With growing horror he remembered how Italy had started out. How they met. How, just like now, Italy had been his prisoner and liked it. And how Germany was forever stuck with him.
Germany threw open the cell door. "Get out!"
America sat up disappointedly. "Aw man. You're making me leave! Just as I was liking it here-"
"GET OUT!"
xxx
The next morning Japan came in to check on Germany and found that there was no sign of America anywhere.
"Where's your prisoner?" He asked.
"Don't ask." Germany replied, his head resting on his desk.
Author's Note:
This fanfic was inspired by the movie "The Great Escape". My favorite scene is in the end when the Cooler King is put back in his cell and starts throwing his ball while the young German soldier listens. True, the movie is long and kinda sad but the bitter humor in the end really hit me. And I realized it was something America would do. And thus this story was born.
