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everythingismagicTitle: You Can't Take the Sky from Me [FF.NET Chapter Twenty-Six] [ Writing Journal Previous Chapters ]
Pairing: AmericaxEngland, PolandxLithuania, GermanyxItaly, SpainxRomano, Belarus---->Russia, PrussiaxSwitzerland, GreecexJapan, HungaryxAustria. Future pairings: SwedenxFinland
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Romance/Humor/Drama/Action+Adventure/Alternate Universe
Word Count: 3,706
Summary: Ace pilot America is on a mission for the World Military when a chance encounter with a group of sky-pirates leads him to team up with their captain, England, against a malevolent group that wants to fill the sky with zeppelins. [USxUK- Steampunk AU]
Chapter Summary: “Why is he going after the sky?” America’s lips formed a thin line, and his teeth were pressed together in anger.
“If he controls the sky, he controls the world,” Lithuania said. “People still travel by sea, and people still travel by land, of course. But if you own the sky? You’re above all of that.”
“The sky is at the top of the world,” America added, his voice quiet.
Author's Note: This is one of those chapters that has just been so vivid in my mind since I started the fic. Let's just say it's an important one. It's also the longest chapter to date. I hope you all enjoy it!
America closed the inn room door behind him, locking it with the large brass key and never once loosening his grip on Lithuania in the process. It was hardly necessary though, as Lithuania did not try to pull away. Instead, his arm was lax and unresisting in America’s hold.
Pressing his back to the door, America bit his lip and frowned. “You’re part of the Kosmider.”
Lithuania flinched. “I’m not--- well I am but…”
“On authority of the World Military, I hereby forbid you to leave this room,” America recited.
He nodded. “I won’t leave.”
At this, America blinked in confusion. Ever since he’d told the man to come with him, he hadn’t fought it once. If anything, he sounded resigned and even… slightly apologetic. Then again, he had been chased by another member of the Kosmider, so perhaps…
He recalled England’s words; about how just because a person was a part of the Kosmider, didn’t mean it was something they wanted to do.
He loosened his grip on Lithuania’s arm, but didn’t let go entirely. “How did you know my name?”
Lithuania’s green eyes widened, and he glanced down to his feet for a moment before speaking. “Russia, the leader of the Kosmider, told me. H-he showed me your photo. America is your first name, right?”
“Yeah, that’s my name,” he paused, “Why does he have a picture of ME?”
Lithuania leveled him a look, straight in the eyes. “Because he sees you as a threat.”
A part of America leapt inwardly at this. If Russia did see him as a threat, then it must be because he was doing a pretty damn good job of being a hero! “Is it because of my… position?” he asked.
“Russia knows about your position in the military, but I think that might be only part of why he’s after you…”
“He’s after me?”
Lithuania frowned, rueful. “He sees you as a link between the military and the pirates. Look…” he sighed, “I’ll tell you everything, all right? I think I’ve been found out anyway.”
America cocked his head. “Found out, huh? About what? Is that why you were being chased…”
He nodded. “The truth is, that… I’ve been relaying the Kosmider’s secrets to someone. I guess they discovered that.”
America gasped, his blue eyes large. “You’re the merchant’s contact?”
Lithuania merely replied, “Yes.”
Without thinking, America dropped Lithuania’s arm from his grasp.
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If it were possible, England would have ripped through the Kosmider fleet right then, right there.
He could imagine certain members of his crew laughing at him for it, but he didn’t bloody care. He was incensed.
Because the Kosmider fleet was between him and the land, and thus, between him and America. It was floating high above, hidden in the clouds over the small Habicht village. Oh he would have loved to have taken out the six, seven zeppelins right then and there. But that was a death wish, being that they were only one ship. In addition, the town below would have been at great risk, if there was a fiery melee in the skies above.
But blast it all to hell, he had been looking forward to this meeting since it had been set, and it was finally a chance for him to… perhaps… well maybe…
“I should radio Hungary,” he muttered to himself. He needed to let America know that he wasn’t going to be there, but that he would very much appreciate if he would radio him as soon as possible. He also, and most importantly, needed to make sure the idiot was all right. Knowing him, if he’d gotten there after the Kosmider had arrived, he would have tried to take them out in his one small plane. Reckless git, he was.
A small smile crept onto his lips, but then he frowned again, folding his arms across his neatly pressed jacket, vest, and shirt.
It figures my luck would be this rotten...
He gestured rudely at the sky, despite the fact that he was miles away from where the Kosmider was anchored, and turned around, his coat flapping in the breeze as he stormed down to his room and to his radio.
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America was sitting across the bed from him now, a pillow in his lap. He idly picked at the pillowcase fabric from time to time. Lithuania, for his part, was only starting to loosen up, the stiffness and alertness he’d engaged in upon first entering the room finally ebbing. America was not going to harm him. He had come with him willingly, thinking that it was better to be with Captain Jones than to go back out and risk encountering Belarus. Now, he was actually beginning to feel at ease.
Almost an hour before, Hungary, the innkeeper and barmaid, had come in and informed America, with much regret, that the person he’d been planning to meet up with, England, was not going to be able to come. When she’d elaborated that a Kosmider fleet was in the sky, blocking his landing, America had shot one flinty glare at Lithuania, which caused guilt to pool in his stomach. But outside of that? He’d been all right.
America looked just like he had in the photograph, the biggest difference being that he was not in his military uniform. He had been wearing his bomber jacket, since removed, when he met him outside, but under that, his clothing was different. He wore a smart pair of light brown pants, a deep blue vest with a puff tie tucked into it, and a crisp white dress shirt. Lithuania thought that he looked rather like he was dressed for a date.
And from what he’d picked up from Hungary’s conversation with him, that’s exactly what it had been. No wonder America wasn’t happy about the Kosmider standing between him and England (who Lithuania vaguely recalled hearing from Russia, was the captain of the Taliesin pirates).
If Russia really had found out about him spilling secrets to Poland, there was no reason for him not to throw caution to the wind and explain all he could to America. Russia was targeting him, after all. As such, in the past hour, he’d given America as much new information as he could manage. It wasn’t enough to take down the Kosmider, because in truth, there were many things even he did not know. But he offered what he could.
“Sorry about your date,” Lithuania said.
America shrugged. “You’ve said that already. It’s not your fault, don’t worry about it.”
“You really don’t think it’s my fault?”
America sighed, tossing the pillow aside and smiling. “Nah, I mean… you’re well, you’re here helping me out, right?”
Lithuania nodded, and he shut his eyes for a moment, steeling himself to ask a question he’d been wondering all along. “Y-you’re going to turn me in, aren’t you? I couldn’t really blame you…”
“No!” America exclaimed, with a surprising amount of vigor. “I mean I… made a promise, that I wouldn’t let you come to any harm. When England gave me the list of Kosmider officers, it was with that… stipulation. I mean I didn’t know which one was the spy at the time, but… that’s what I agreed to. I can’t control what the military would do with you.”
“Oh…”
Poland had made anyone he gave the information to promise that, he was sure of it.
America glanced away, staring at the stark white wall as if it were the most interesting thing in the world. “Honestly? I don’t really know what to think here. I get it, you seem like a nice guy and you… obviously don’t like working for Russia. You’ve given me a lot of great information on the Kosmider too in the past hour, and it seems pretty reliable.”
“It’s all true, I promise.”
The aviator nodded. “I’m a hero, you know? All my life, becoming a hero has been… so damn important to me. And here I am, encountered with a top officer of the Kosmider… and damn, I hate the Kosmider so much. They’ve killed so many people, and I’ve… seen it happen, and they almost killed someone I care about a lot.”
Lithuania looked down, his eyes focused on his lap. “It’s true, of course. I can’t make any excuses for what the Kosmider did. I can’t make any excuses for some of the things I’ve done, even.”
“I get it,” America began again, “I get that you’re helping us out, giving us information and everything. But you’re still Kosmider, and I just don’t understand why you’d be part of that if you didn’t believe in it. So really, you seem nice, but…” He shook his head. “I’m not going to turn you in, but I don’t exactly feel like I should be letting you go.”
Lithuania shifted, pulling at the silver corded cuffs of his uniform. “When I saw your photograph, I envied you. You looked so happy and carefree and… well I’ve always been a bit of a worrywart, so I can’t really say I was ever carefree. But I did used to be happy, and… I had dreams too.”
“What kind of dreams?” America queried, surprise evident in his tone.
“My dreams aren’t anything like Russia’s,” Lithuania explained.
“Total slaughter and annihilation? I’d hope that’s not your dream,” America countered.
“Russia doesn’t see it like that,” he continued. “For Russia, he’s trying to create a world where everyone has a place, everyone has a role. No one is left out.”
America’s eyes flashed. “Well that sounds nice and all, but I don’t think murdering innocent people is the best way to go about it!”
Lithuania frowned and bit his lip. “Of course not. He’s… got it all wrong. He wants this world, but he wants it under his terms, under his rules. Everyone has a role, but he is the one who dictates what those roles are. That’s why… if anyone is in the way…”
“Why is he going after the sky?” America’s lips were in a firm line, and his teeth were pressed together in anger.
“If he controls the sky, he controls the world,” Lithuania said. “People still travel by sea, and people still travel by land, of course. But if you own the sky? You’re above all of that.”
“The sky is at the top of the world,” America added, his voice quiet.
“Exactly.” Lithuania paused. He unbuttoned the top of his coat, because to be honest, the room was starting to feel a bit stuffy. “It might be hard to believe, but in the Kosmider, everyone is treated well. As long as we do our job, we’re fed and clothed for free, and we always have a warm place to stay. And Russia has promised a substantial salary to anyone who stays in the Kosmider for at least a year. That’s… why so many of us joined.”
“Well that’s great and all,” America said, “but why the hell, even for free stuff, would you join the Kosmider? It’s evil!”
Lithuania pressed his fingers to his forehead and shook his head. “It’s not as if Russia lied completely, but he most certainly did not tell the whole truth when he recruited us. There are definitely people that joined the Kosmider with full knowledge of what it was, but a lot of us… were fooled. He went after people he knew needed a place in the world, because… in a way, that made us all very vulnerable and naïve.”
Lithuania watched as America slid off the bed and stood up. He half thought that the other man was done listening, but in fact, all he did was unbutton his vest and slide it off, removing his tie as well. “It’s kinda hot in here. I’m gonna open the window…”
“I thought it was warm as well, so thank you,” Lithuania replied.
“I’m not doing it for you,” America retorted, pushing the window open. He unbuttoned his cuffs, rolled up his sleeves, and sat back down on the bed. “Now what in the hell could Russia tell anyone that would make them think the Kosmider is okay?”
“It’s… well it won’t make much sense if I don’t explain a bit about myself,” Lithuania said with a sigh.
“I have time, so go for it.” America unbuttoned the top few buttons of his shirt. Following his lead, Lithuania slipped his black uniform jacket off, revealing a gray dress shirt. That was much better.
“I never really knew my parents. No one in the village quite knew where I came from either. I just… appeared one day, on the door step of the village’s tavern,” Lithuania began. “I… was in a way, raised by the village I lived in. There wasn’t much raising going on though. I did everything by myself, unless it was something that it was impossible for a child to do.”
America leaned forward, obviously interested. There was a hint of what might be sympathy in his eyes. “I say myself, but I wasn’t actually alone. I always lived with another person, my very best friend and… my…” He flushed pink. “Well, it’s the merchant, of course. His name is Poland.”
America remained silent. “We did everything together. The first time we met was when I was around four. It’s the first very vivid memory that I have… from then on, actually, I can remember everything well. He lived in a little house on the edge of the village, which had been owned by his family. People offered to take him in, but he refused. He asked me to live with him though… and I remember the first thing he said to me; ‘let’s play house!’” Lithuania chuckled, and America cracked a smile as well.
“There are poor industrial villages all over Medved, right?” America asked.
“There are a lot, but we actually lived in an agricultural town. The crops were… particularly bad throughout most of our childhood, but that didn’t stop Poland and I from volunteering our help in the fields as much as possible.” He smiled softly. “By volunteering, it was more, ‘we’ll help you if you give us a free meal.’ Not many people would turn down two able-bodied young men though.”
The aviator was frowning now, and there was no mistaking the moroseness in his expression. “Sounds like a tough life…”
“It was tough, but we made do,” Lithuania replied. “Don’t pity us.” He smiled, bright and nostalgic. “I wouldn’t trade those years growing up with Poland… for the world.”
“He’s pretty important to you, huh?”
“More important than anything else,” Lithuania answered, without hesitation. “But Poland, he always had bigger dreams than me. I was content to live the rest of my life in the village, but not Poland. He wanted out. He… had this desire to travel the whole world. His personality was just too big for one little village.” Lithuania shook his head.
America was clearly entranced now, hanging from every word of Lithuania’s story. “So what happened?”
“I told him that I didn’t mind traveling with him, because honestly… I didn’t. But that I wanted to be able to support myself first. It wasn’t fair to rely on him. I was working at our village’s feed store, and I was even about to receive a promotion!” he exclaimed. “I agreed to join Poland when I thought I’d saved up enough money, and we’d skysail the world together…”
“That sounds… nice,” America murmured.
“What?”
“The sailing the world with… never mind, just go on.”
Lithuania couldn’t help but notice that America’s cheeks were tinged with a light pink blush.
“Poland bought a merchant ship. He’d been saving up for years, and he found an amazing deal on a craggy old ship. And… he’s a pretty charismatic guy, so he hit it off well as a merchant.” Lithuania’s voice dropped, and his nostalgic smile vanished. “Two years after he left… I thought… I was ready to join him… but…”
America was resting his chin on his hands now, as if enraptured by a bedtime story. When he noticed Lithuania’s mood change, his blue eyes grew large and he dropped his hands. “But…?”
“The weather that season, the season I was going to leave during, was awful. The crops weren’t yielding and the villagers were hungry and… one night when a storm hit…” He shook his head. “You can guess what happened. Everything was so dry, after all. All but three of the villagers managed to evacuate, but… we couldn’t save most of the buildings, and… the feed store I worked at was gone, as was Poland’s house.”
“That’s… terrible,” America said, frowning. “But you still had your money, right?”
“No, it was at Poland’s house. I was at the feed store when the storm hit, and I was busy trying to help the evacuation when the fire was going on…”
“You left your money behind to help people?” America raised his eyebrows. “That’s pretty heroic!”
“It’s not heroic,” Lithuania countered. A small smile crossed his lips. “It’s just right.”
“Y-yeah… I guess you’re right.”
Lithuania glanced warmly at America, for he couldn’t help but… find comfort in his presence. “So that’s where I was. Government help was slow to come, because our village was extremely rural, and there had been similar fires all over southern Medved. I was helping to rebuild, and I’d contacted Poland. He wanted to pick me up, no matter how much I argued that I wanted to be able to carry my own weight. Eventually I relented, with the promise that I’d do as much work on the merchant ship as he did. Partners. It… actually sounded really nice.”
“Yeah!” America said. “So… Russia.”
“Russia showed up in the village, and he… caught my eye right away. He was tall and intimidating looking at first, but… I thought he had a kind face,” Lithuania explained. “He was looking for able bodied young men and women, so he noticed me as quickly as I’d noticed him…”
“What did he tell you?”
“He told me about a place, a place that he was heading up, with free room and food and clothing and… an enormous lump sum if you completed a tenure of a year, like I said,” Lithuania elucidated. “But what he said it was? I guess that’s… what’s most important. He promised that we would be helping to save Medved, and the world… that our mission was to make sure that no one was without a job, a home, anything like that. We were a militia corp to save the world, to create a new world, even.”
America pounded his hand on the bed, furious. “Fucking hell, he makes it sound like some kind of charity.”
Lithuania shrugged. “Even then, in retrospect, I was an idiot to fall for it. But… my world had just been… my home had been destroyed, and I wanted more than anything to travel with Poland… but I didn’t feel like I could just… well it reminded me of my promise to come on board with enough money to support myself.” His eyes were misting up, just barely. He rubbed the balls of his hands across them. “One year in the Kosmider, and I’d have the money to travel with Poland for… as long as I wanted to.”
“That bastard. And you get there, and he puts you on a zeppelin with a mission to kill?” America’s eyes flashed, brilliant blue and bright with anger.
“Russia doesn’t see the wrong in what he did,” Lithuania said. “I don’t even think he believes he was being that deceitful.”
“But he was.”
“Of course he was… all Russia had to do though,” Lithuania shifted, leaning back against the headboard, “was find a story, find many stories; the kind of stories that would lead him to people… who would be foolish enough to do what I did and accept a helping hand from him.”
America looked noticeably uncomfortable, and Lithuania wasn’t sure if it was because of the story or something else. “Once you found out what it was, why didn’t you leave?”
He was silent for a moment, before he replied, “If I go, they’ll just replace me with someone else. Maybe this someone else will actually like what they’re doing, maybe they’ll have less remorse, who knows. Or maybe he’ll recruit someone new like me, and I don’t want anyone else to go through what I’ve gone through. Is it worth it to leave and possibly be killed, just to have your death be in vain?”
“Well but a hero wouldn’t---“
“You seem like a very kind person, America,” Lithuania interrupted. “But in being a ‘hero’ and leaving, I’ll be leaving so many others like me behind. I stay, because I can find out more information and tell Poland. I stay, because maybe if I know it’s me in my position, instead of someone else, that perhaps a few lives can be saved that wouldn’t be spared otherwise,” he finished, his voice firm and unwavering.
America stared a moment, before nodding resolutely. “I-I understand,” he said. Then he looked away, his blue eyes distant. “Hey Lithuania, what is your dream then… outside of being with Poland, of course.”
Lithuania smiled, and he dared to reach forward and place a hand on America’s shoulder. America did not push him away. “I dream of a world where there’s no need for heroes…”
“Hey!”
Lithuania chuckled. “Because everyone tries their best to do what’s right.”
“So like, everyone is a hero then?” America clarified.
“That’s one way you could put it,” Lithuania agreed.
“But… some heroes are still cooler and more heroic than others, right?” America’s expression was eager.
He shifted, but kept his hand on America’s shoulder. “Sure, why not.”
When America reached up his own hand, clasping it on top of Lithuania’s, they both smiled.
After a few moments, America’s expression turned serious, although he did not let of Lithuania’s hand. “Please tell me, Lithuania… if there’s anything I can do to help you.”
“What… that’s…”
America grinned again. “You deserve to be protected. And plus, I’m sure Poland is still waiting for when you two can travel together.”
Pairing: AmericaxEngland, PolandxLithuania, GermanyxItaly, SpainxRomano, Belarus---->Russia, PrussiaxSwitzerland, GreecexJapan, HungaryxAustria. Future pairings: SwedenxFinland
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Romance/Humor/Drama/Action+Adventure/Alternate Universe
Word Count: 3,706
Summary: Ace pilot America is on a mission for the World Military when a chance encounter with a group of sky-pirates leads him to team up with their captain, England, against a malevolent group that wants to fill the sky with zeppelins. [USxUK- Steampunk AU]
Chapter Summary: “Why is he going after the sky?” America’s lips formed a thin line, and his teeth were pressed together in anger.
“If he controls the sky, he controls the world,” Lithuania said. “People still travel by sea, and people still travel by land, of course. But if you own the sky? You’re above all of that.”
“The sky is at the top of the world,” America added, his voice quiet.
Author's Note: This is one of those chapters that has just been so vivid in my mind since I started the fic. Let's just say it's an important one. It's also the longest chapter to date. I hope you all enjoy it!
America closed the inn room door behind him, locking it with the large brass key and never once loosening his grip on Lithuania in the process. It was hardly necessary though, as Lithuania did not try to pull away. Instead, his arm was lax and unresisting in America’s hold.
Pressing his back to the door, America bit his lip and frowned. “You’re part of the Kosmider.”
Lithuania flinched. “I’m not--- well I am but…”
“On authority of the World Military, I hereby forbid you to leave this room,” America recited.
He nodded. “I won’t leave.”
At this, America blinked in confusion. Ever since he’d told the man to come with him, he hadn’t fought it once. If anything, he sounded resigned and even… slightly apologetic. Then again, he had been chased by another member of the Kosmider, so perhaps…
He recalled England’s words; about how just because a person was a part of the Kosmider, didn’t mean it was something they wanted to do.
He loosened his grip on Lithuania’s arm, but didn’t let go entirely. “How did you know my name?”
Lithuania’s green eyes widened, and he glanced down to his feet for a moment before speaking. “Russia, the leader of the Kosmider, told me. H-he showed me your photo. America is your first name, right?”
“Yeah, that’s my name,” he paused, “Why does he have a picture of ME?”
Lithuania leveled him a look, straight in the eyes. “Because he sees you as a threat.”
A part of America leapt inwardly at this. If Russia did see him as a threat, then it must be because he was doing a pretty damn good job of being a hero! “Is it because of my… position?” he asked.
“Russia knows about your position in the military, but I think that might be only part of why he’s after you…”
“He’s after me?”
Lithuania frowned, rueful. “He sees you as a link between the military and the pirates. Look…” he sighed, “I’ll tell you everything, all right? I think I’ve been found out anyway.”
America cocked his head. “Found out, huh? About what? Is that why you were being chased…”
He nodded. “The truth is, that… I’ve been relaying the Kosmider’s secrets to someone. I guess they discovered that.”
America gasped, his blue eyes large. “You’re the merchant’s contact?”
Lithuania merely replied, “Yes.”
Without thinking, America dropped Lithuania’s arm from his grasp.
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If it were possible, England would have ripped through the Kosmider fleet right then, right there.
He could imagine certain members of his crew laughing at him for it, but he didn’t bloody care. He was incensed.
Because the Kosmider fleet was between him and the land, and thus, between him and America. It was floating high above, hidden in the clouds over the small Habicht village. Oh he would have loved to have taken out the six, seven zeppelins right then and there. But that was a death wish, being that they were only one ship. In addition, the town below would have been at great risk, if there was a fiery melee in the skies above.
But blast it all to hell, he had been looking forward to this meeting since it had been set, and it was finally a chance for him to… perhaps… well maybe…
“I should radio Hungary,” he muttered to himself. He needed to let America know that he wasn’t going to be there, but that he would very much appreciate if he would radio him as soon as possible. He also, and most importantly, needed to make sure the idiot was all right. Knowing him, if he’d gotten there after the Kosmider had arrived, he would have tried to take them out in his one small plane. Reckless git, he was.
A small smile crept onto his lips, but then he frowned again, folding his arms across his neatly pressed jacket, vest, and shirt.
It figures my luck would be this rotten...
He gestured rudely at the sky, despite the fact that he was miles away from where the Kosmider was anchored, and turned around, his coat flapping in the breeze as he stormed down to his room and to his radio.
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America was sitting across the bed from him now, a pillow in his lap. He idly picked at the pillowcase fabric from time to time. Lithuania, for his part, was only starting to loosen up, the stiffness and alertness he’d engaged in upon first entering the room finally ebbing. America was not going to harm him. He had come with him willingly, thinking that it was better to be with Captain Jones than to go back out and risk encountering Belarus. Now, he was actually beginning to feel at ease.
Almost an hour before, Hungary, the innkeeper and barmaid, had come in and informed America, with much regret, that the person he’d been planning to meet up with, England, was not going to be able to come. When she’d elaborated that a Kosmider fleet was in the sky, blocking his landing, America had shot one flinty glare at Lithuania, which caused guilt to pool in his stomach. But outside of that? He’d been all right.
America looked just like he had in the photograph, the biggest difference being that he was not in his military uniform. He had been wearing his bomber jacket, since removed, when he met him outside, but under that, his clothing was different. He wore a smart pair of light brown pants, a deep blue vest with a puff tie tucked into it, and a crisp white dress shirt. Lithuania thought that he looked rather like he was dressed for a date.
And from what he’d picked up from Hungary’s conversation with him, that’s exactly what it had been. No wonder America wasn’t happy about the Kosmider standing between him and England (who Lithuania vaguely recalled hearing from Russia, was the captain of the Taliesin pirates).
If Russia really had found out about him spilling secrets to Poland, there was no reason for him not to throw caution to the wind and explain all he could to America. Russia was targeting him, after all. As such, in the past hour, he’d given America as much new information as he could manage. It wasn’t enough to take down the Kosmider, because in truth, there were many things even he did not know. But he offered what he could.
“Sorry about your date,” Lithuania said.
America shrugged. “You’ve said that already. It’s not your fault, don’t worry about it.”
“You really don’t think it’s my fault?”
America sighed, tossing the pillow aside and smiling. “Nah, I mean… you’re well, you’re here helping me out, right?”
Lithuania nodded, and he shut his eyes for a moment, steeling himself to ask a question he’d been wondering all along. “Y-you’re going to turn me in, aren’t you? I couldn’t really blame you…”
“No!” America exclaimed, with a surprising amount of vigor. “I mean I… made a promise, that I wouldn’t let you come to any harm. When England gave me the list of Kosmider officers, it was with that… stipulation. I mean I didn’t know which one was the spy at the time, but… that’s what I agreed to. I can’t control what the military would do with you.”
“Oh…”
Poland had made anyone he gave the information to promise that, he was sure of it.
America glanced away, staring at the stark white wall as if it were the most interesting thing in the world. “Honestly? I don’t really know what to think here. I get it, you seem like a nice guy and you… obviously don’t like working for Russia. You’ve given me a lot of great information on the Kosmider too in the past hour, and it seems pretty reliable.”
“It’s all true, I promise.”
The aviator nodded. “I’m a hero, you know? All my life, becoming a hero has been… so damn important to me. And here I am, encountered with a top officer of the Kosmider… and damn, I hate the Kosmider so much. They’ve killed so many people, and I’ve… seen it happen, and they almost killed someone I care about a lot.”
Lithuania looked down, his eyes focused on his lap. “It’s true, of course. I can’t make any excuses for what the Kosmider did. I can’t make any excuses for some of the things I’ve done, even.”
“I get it,” America began again, “I get that you’re helping us out, giving us information and everything. But you’re still Kosmider, and I just don’t understand why you’d be part of that if you didn’t believe in it. So really, you seem nice, but…” He shook his head. “I’m not going to turn you in, but I don’t exactly feel like I should be letting you go.”
Lithuania shifted, pulling at the silver corded cuffs of his uniform. “When I saw your photograph, I envied you. You looked so happy and carefree and… well I’ve always been a bit of a worrywart, so I can’t really say I was ever carefree. But I did used to be happy, and… I had dreams too.”
“What kind of dreams?” America queried, surprise evident in his tone.
“My dreams aren’t anything like Russia’s,” Lithuania explained.
“Total slaughter and annihilation? I’d hope that’s not your dream,” America countered.
“Russia doesn’t see it like that,” he continued. “For Russia, he’s trying to create a world where everyone has a place, everyone has a role. No one is left out.”
America’s eyes flashed. “Well that sounds nice and all, but I don’t think murdering innocent people is the best way to go about it!”
Lithuania frowned and bit his lip. “Of course not. He’s… got it all wrong. He wants this world, but he wants it under his terms, under his rules. Everyone has a role, but he is the one who dictates what those roles are. That’s why… if anyone is in the way…”
“Why is he going after the sky?” America’s lips were in a firm line, and his teeth were pressed together in anger.
“If he controls the sky, he controls the world,” Lithuania said. “People still travel by sea, and people still travel by land, of course. But if you own the sky? You’re above all of that.”
“The sky is at the top of the world,” America added, his voice quiet.
“Exactly.” Lithuania paused. He unbuttoned the top of his coat, because to be honest, the room was starting to feel a bit stuffy. “It might be hard to believe, but in the Kosmider, everyone is treated well. As long as we do our job, we’re fed and clothed for free, and we always have a warm place to stay. And Russia has promised a substantial salary to anyone who stays in the Kosmider for at least a year. That’s… why so many of us joined.”
“Well that’s great and all,” America said, “but why the hell, even for free stuff, would you join the Kosmider? It’s evil!”
Lithuania pressed his fingers to his forehead and shook his head. “It’s not as if Russia lied completely, but he most certainly did not tell the whole truth when he recruited us. There are definitely people that joined the Kosmider with full knowledge of what it was, but a lot of us… were fooled. He went after people he knew needed a place in the world, because… in a way, that made us all very vulnerable and naïve.”
Lithuania watched as America slid off the bed and stood up. He half thought that the other man was done listening, but in fact, all he did was unbutton his vest and slide it off, removing his tie as well. “It’s kinda hot in here. I’m gonna open the window…”
“I thought it was warm as well, so thank you,” Lithuania replied.
“I’m not doing it for you,” America retorted, pushing the window open. He unbuttoned his cuffs, rolled up his sleeves, and sat back down on the bed. “Now what in the hell could Russia tell anyone that would make them think the Kosmider is okay?”
“It’s… well it won’t make much sense if I don’t explain a bit about myself,” Lithuania said with a sigh.
“I have time, so go for it.” America unbuttoned the top few buttons of his shirt. Following his lead, Lithuania slipped his black uniform jacket off, revealing a gray dress shirt. That was much better.
“I never really knew my parents. No one in the village quite knew where I came from either. I just… appeared one day, on the door step of the village’s tavern,” Lithuania began. “I… was in a way, raised by the village I lived in. There wasn’t much raising going on though. I did everything by myself, unless it was something that it was impossible for a child to do.”
America leaned forward, obviously interested. There was a hint of what might be sympathy in his eyes. “I say myself, but I wasn’t actually alone. I always lived with another person, my very best friend and… my…” He flushed pink. “Well, it’s the merchant, of course. His name is Poland.”
America remained silent. “We did everything together. The first time we met was when I was around four. It’s the first very vivid memory that I have… from then on, actually, I can remember everything well. He lived in a little house on the edge of the village, which had been owned by his family. People offered to take him in, but he refused. He asked me to live with him though… and I remember the first thing he said to me; ‘let’s play house!’” Lithuania chuckled, and America cracked a smile as well.
“There are poor industrial villages all over Medved, right?” America asked.
“There are a lot, but we actually lived in an agricultural town. The crops were… particularly bad throughout most of our childhood, but that didn’t stop Poland and I from volunteering our help in the fields as much as possible.” He smiled softly. “By volunteering, it was more, ‘we’ll help you if you give us a free meal.’ Not many people would turn down two able-bodied young men though.”
The aviator was frowning now, and there was no mistaking the moroseness in his expression. “Sounds like a tough life…”
“It was tough, but we made do,” Lithuania replied. “Don’t pity us.” He smiled, bright and nostalgic. “I wouldn’t trade those years growing up with Poland… for the world.”
“He’s pretty important to you, huh?”
“More important than anything else,” Lithuania answered, without hesitation. “But Poland, he always had bigger dreams than me. I was content to live the rest of my life in the village, but not Poland. He wanted out. He… had this desire to travel the whole world. His personality was just too big for one little village.” Lithuania shook his head.
America was clearly entranced now, hanging from every word of Lithuania’s story. “So what happened?”
“I told him that I didn’t mind traveling with him, because honestly… I didn’t. But that I wanted to be able to support myself first. It wasn’t fair to rely on him. I was working at our village’s feed store, and I was even about to receive a promotion!” he exclaimed. “I agreed to join Poland when I thought I’d saved up enough money, and we’d skysail the world together…”
“That sounds… nice,” America murmured.
“What?”
“The sailing the world with… never mind, just go on.”
Lithuania couldn’t help but notice that America’s cheeks were tinged with a light pink blush.
“Poland bought a merchant ship. He’d been saving up for years, and he found an amazing deal on a craggy old ship. And… he’s a pretty charismatic guy, so he hit it off well as a merchant.” Lithuania’s voice dropped, and his nostalgic smile vanished. “Two years after he left… I thought… I was ready to join him… but…”
America was resting his chin on his hands now, as if enraptured by a bedtime story. When he noticed Lithuania’s mood change, his blue eyes grew large and he dropped his hands. “But…?”
“The weather that season, the season I was going to leave during, was awful. The crops weren’t yielding and the villagers were hungry and… one night when a storm hit…” He shook his head. “You can guess what happened. Everything was so dry, after all. All but three of the villagers managed to evacuate, but… we couldn’t save most of the buildings, and… the feed store I worked at was gone, as was Poland’s house.”
“That’s… terrible,” America said, frowning. “But you still had your money, right?”
“No, it was at Poland’s house. I was at the feed store when the storm hit, and I was busy trying to help the evacuation when the fire was going on…”
“You left your money behind to help people?” America raised his eyebrows. “That’s pretty heroic!”
“It’s not heroic,” Lithuania countered. A small smile crossed his lips. “It’s just right.”
“Y-yeah… I guess you’re right.”
Lithuania glanced warmly at America, for he couldn’t help but… find comfort in his presence. “So that’s where I was. Government help was slow to come, because our village was extremely rural, and there had been similar fires all over southern Medved. I was helping to rebuild, and I’d contacted Poland. He wanted to pick me up, no matter how much I argued that I wanted to be able to carry my own weight. Eventually I relented, with the promise that I’d do as much work on the merchant ship as he did. Partners. It… actually sounded really nice.”
“Yeah!” America said. “So… Russia.”
“Russia showed up in the village, and he… caught my eye right away. He was tall and intimidating looking at first, but… I thought he had a kind face,” Lithuania explained. “He was looking for able bodied young men and women, so he noticed me as quickly as I’d noticed him…”
“What did he tell you?”
“He told me about a place, a place that he was heading up, with free room and food and clothing and… an enormous lump sum if you completed a tenure of a year, like I said,” Lithuania elucidated. “But what he said it was? I guess that’s… what’s most important. He promised that we would be helping to save Medved, and the world… that our mission was to make sure that no one was without a job, a home, anything like that. We were a militia corp to save the world, to create a new world, even.”
America pounded his hand on the bed, furious. “Fucking hell, he makes it sound like some kind of charity.”
Lithuania shrugged. “Even then, in retrospect, I was an idiot to fall for it. But… my world had just been… my home had been destroyed, and I wanted more than anything to travel with Poland… but I didn’t feel like I could just… well it reminded me of my promise to come on board with enough money to support myself.” His eyes were misting up, just barely. He rubbed the balls of his hands across them. “One year in the Kosmider, and I’d have the money to travel with Poland for… as long as I wanted to.”
“That bastard. And you get there, and he puts you on a zeppelin with a mission to kill?” America’s eyes flashed, brilliant blue and bright with anger.
“Russia doesn’t see the wrong in what he did,” Lithuania said. “I don’t even think he believes he was being that deceitful.”
“But he was.”
“Of course he was… all Russia had to do though,” Lithuania shifted, leaning back against the headboard, “was find a story, find many stories; the kind of stories that would lead him to people… who would be foolish enough to do what I did and accept a helping hand from him.”
America looked noticeably uncomfortable, and Lithuania wasn’t sure if it was because of the story or something else. “Once you found out what it was, why didn’t you leave?”
He was silent for a moment, before he replied, “If I go, they’ll just replace me with someone else. Maybe this someone else will actually like what they’re doing, maybe they’ll have less remorse, who knows. Or maybe he’ll recruit someone new like me, and I don’t want anyone else to go through what I’ve gone through. Is it worth it to leave and possibly be killed, just to have your death be in vain?”
“Well but a hero wouldn’t---“
“You seem like a very kind person, America,” Lithuania interrupted. “But in being a ‘hero’ and leaving, I’ll be leaving so many others like me behind. I stay, because I can find out more information and tell Poland. I stay, because maybe if I know it’s me in my position, instead of someone else, that perhaps a few lives can be saved that wouldn’t be spared otherwise,” he finished, his voice firm and unwavering.
America stared a moment, before nodding resolutely. “I-I understand,” he said. Then he looked away, his blue eyes distant. “Hey Lithuania, what is your dream then… outside of being with Poland, of course.”
Lithuania smiled, and he dared to reach forward and place a hand on America’s shoulder. America did not push him away. “I dream of a world where there’s no need for heroes…”
“Hey!”
Lithuania chuckled. “Because everyone tries their best to do what’s right.”
“So like, everyone is a hero then?” America clarified.
“That’s one way you could put it,” Lithuania agreed.
“But… some heroes are still cooler and more heroic than others, right?” America’s expression was eager.
He shifted, but kept his hand on America’s shoulder. “Sure, why not.”
When America reached up his own hand, clasping it on top of Lithuania’s, they both smiled.
After a few moments, America’s expression turned serious, although he did not let of Lithuania’s hand. “Please tell me, Lithuania… if there’s anything I can do to help you.”
“What… that’s…”
America grinned again. “You deserve to be protected. And plus, I’m sure Poland is still waiting for when you two can travel together.”
