World War 2 (Thirdunion)

Chapter 2

The night out in celebration of the Soviet Union aligning himself with the Axis was proving to be a very fun taste of freedom before the war broke out. Japan Empire was already at war with China, but he was always up for a night out and often dismissed his responsibilities, so both he and Italy were eager to drop everything in favour of getting drunk at the bar. Introductions had been short, Japan Empire enthusiastically saluting The USSR and calling him comrade while beaming. Fascist Italy had also been delighted to see him join the Axis officially. Nazi Germany noticed that neither of them approached Soviet to touch him, in fact, Japan kept quite a distance between him and Soviet. The fear and caution the Russian evoked in countries seemed to be consistent; no matter who they were, they regarded him as a threat. But to Reich, that just meant that Soviet was even more of a valuable ally than he initially thought.

Nazi Germany was trying not to expose how much of a lightweight he was by not having as much alcohol as everyone else. He was nursing only his second drink of the night and yet he was still getting dangerously loose with his inhibitions. Japan and Fascist Italy weren’t as bad with their alcohol as Reich was, but they weren’t exercising any sort of restraint. Japan had a high tolerance but gladly drank himself into a raucous state of jubilation, getting overly clingy and excited. Italy always overestimated his tolerance and then reached the point where he was finding it difficult to stand up straight or hold a coherent conversation because he didn’t know where the line was to stop. But The Soviet Union was showing them all up without even trying or realising it. He sat upright yet comfortable in his bar stool, an array of empty bottles and glasses in front of him, all once full of different brands and strengths of expensive vodka and other spirits. The only indication that these were all consumed by Soviet was the content glimmer in his eye and the flush across his nose and cheekbones. Nazi Germany was irritated as he noted yet another aspect in which Soviet was superior to him, yet his annoyance was curbed by the buzz of alcohol in his veins, not to mention the way the Commie was tugging at the collar of his own military jacket and casting a calculative glance around the bar every so often was awfully attractive. Nazi felt pushed to sidle closer to The Soviet Union.

Is it the residual joy I’m feeling from the events of the day that is making me so amicable?

Nazi Germany was quick to dismiss the thought and gave into desire – he abandoned poor Italy who was having his tie clutched by Japan gleefully and shifted towards The Soviet Union.

Soviet looked down at him, a flicker of pleasant surprise crossing his face when Nazi Germany was inches from his side. Nazi made sure not to look at him too long in case he did something impulsive and inappropriate upon meeting those sharp golden eyes. Instead, he cast his eyes to the wall behind the bar.

“Can I trust you, Third Reich?” Soviet asked calmly after a moment of drinking in silence. Nazi let his shoulder brush Soviet’s side briefly, somehow satisfied with just that small, fleeting hint of contact.

Did I really like touching him that much earlier today that I can’t even stop myself now?

“Of course you can,” Nazi replied, “we just signed the same paper, didn’t we?”

Soviet didn’t say anything, so Reich continued, “and you can drop the formalities. The Axis usually just call me Nazi,” he said, risking a glimpse at Soviet. The Communist was slowly swirling a glass of spirits in his hand.

“Nazi,” he tested the name on his tongue, his Russian accent curling around the word to envelop it snugly. Nazi paused and blinked, thrown off by the sound of it; he didn’t expect to like such a simple thing so much. Soviet seemed to accept the name no matter how cagey his tone was as he said it. Nazi could confidently say that Soviet was slightly tipsy by now and although it was easier to tell what he was thinking by the look in his eye, he was still so hard to read. Nazi studied the bar wall in front of him and the glittering transparent shelves stacked with liquor and glasses. A dangerous thought ignited the half drunken mind of Nazi Germany with childish glee and he grinned at the salacious nature of what he was about to do.