Sunset in 1950 (America x Germany)

Just Friends

America's POV

I awoke to a sliver of sunshine on my face, aimed directly at my eyes from a crack in my curtains. The dark room was laced with golden hues. Pushing the covers aside, I thought about last night and the little gold capsule. I'd have to write Australia about it once he's told me his station. I knew it was our ticket out of here.

Combing my hair and dressing for work was boring and routine, the only thought crossing my mind was when I would be able to move out of this tiny house. It was dim and ugly, the floor plan odd and inconvenient. The house was worth practically nothing, worn down by years of salt spray and violent storms. I still owed money on it though, and I only seem to fall further and further behind on payments.

Putting on my overalls and a warm coat, I headed off to the docks. The bright sun shown on my hair, and reflected nicely off of Australia's car. Reminded me of that peculiar guy I had met earlier. He seemed like he wasn't from around here... Maybe he was from out East. His golden eyes were stuck in the back of my mind. They seemed almost otherworldly. Remembering his face sent a pang through my chest. I guess he can be a star in another one of my hopeless romantic dreams.

Work was not fun. It never was. The only good thing was a paycheck, and even that wasn't impressive. Sometimes young girls would venture a little close to the ships, daring each other to say hello, laughing and giggling while watching us work. I liked the attention, and I couldn't blame them. Hard to look away from a bunch of young handsome men who carried 80lbs cargo everyday for a living. The worst part of the job was cleaning the under sides of ships. That was a rotating shift, and thank god it wasn't my turn today.

Sweat pooled on my top lip, and beaded on my forehead. Straining, I lifted boxes of manufactured goods onto a ship, handing the load off to deck hands. I had to slip down the sleeves of my overalls, sweating in the hot July sun. The breeze was my only savior.

Work ran long into the evening, and once I got off it was practically sunset. Receiving my pay, I picked up my schedule for the next few days and departed. The cool evening air felt amazing, and all I could think of was getting some takeout from a diner downtown.

Driving up the cliff side, the city lights poured into the street, beckoning my arrival. Nothing like a night out on the town.

Parking, I got out and took off my overalls, revealing some old jeans underneath and a white tank top under my white shirt. My muscles felt sore and firm from work.

The town was alive, music performed by street players echoed across the buildings, and people bustled down the street with a pretend urgency. I lit a cigarette and inhaled, feeling the chemicals burn my lungs.

Walking along in no particular direction, I came across a dark alley, with a figure slumped against the wall, covered in a shiny, metallic sheet. I had no idea what it was, but it was intriguing enough to approach.

"Hello? Is someone there?" Carefully I stepped closer, stopping dead in my tracks as a mop of black hair and a set of golden eyes peeked over the shiny chrome sheet. I inhaled a last puff of my cigarette and then crushed it under my heel.

"Germany? Is that you?" As soon as he heard his name, Germany sat up and pulled off the sheet, and somehow the entire thing was magically folded up into a tiny little square and stuffed inside his leather satchel. He must have seen the confusion on my face and quickly answered,

"I apologize, I understand most of my technology is beyond your understanding. Please ignore that." After that, he stood up, dusted himself off and looked down shyly, gripping his satchel and swaying from side to side.

"Uh, yeah sure, whatever you say, short stuff. What are you doing out here sleeping on the ground?" I touched his shoulder and pulled him into the light of the street, and he didn't look up from the ground.