Take Me Home

~Extra 2~

Axels POV

1940

"How old are you?"

"21." Lie. Breathe.

The wrinkly man looked him up and down. "Are you sure?"

He sighed. "Yes."

The man peered behind him, and Axel turned and realized how out of place he was compared to the bearded and taller young men in the line behind him. He sighed.

"Whatever. Give me your paper work."

After enlisting, he walked outside to see his brothers waiting on the sidewalk. Dennis and James looked up swiftly, seeing their brother and grins broke out on their faces.

"You got in?" Dennis asked, his flight uniform blinging in the sunlight of early morning. Axel hesitated, then shook his head.

James narrowed his blue eyes and looked past Axel. "You look younger than 21 but not that much younger."

Dennis stared at Axel. "You refused didn't you. Father won't be happy." He ran a hand through his dark hair. "Axel, you are going to be publicly shamed for staying here and not fighting. You need to fight. Germany needs you. She needs us all."

Axel blinked in exasperation. He whipped out a sheet of papers. "Good grief. Save the sermon, I got in, I got-"

"Yeah! Whoo!" The two older brothers swarmed Axel and clapped him on the back. Axel chuckled and ducked his head and put the documents back in his pocket.

"When you gettin your uniform?" James wondered.

Axel frowned. "Tomorrow morning... what is mother going to think?"

The boys all paused and Dennis lost eye contact with Axel and James looked away. Axel blinked, green eyes hurt.

"She doesn't want you both to go, and she is completely against me going. How do you think she is going to react?" He asked, concern heavy in his voice.

They walked on a sidewalk that would lead out of town and to their neighborhood home. Passing friends and neighbors, the boys decided to ignore the problem. Axel glanced up at his brother. Dennis walked proudly, shoulders laid back as he nodded to a group of girls who stared at his uniform and giggled.

"I'm going to get all of the ladies wearing this thing. Maybe I'll save one for each of you..." Dennis whispered to the two and James rolled his eyes.

Axel laughed, "The moment that uniform comes off they'll run away screaming!"

This earned laughter from the three and as the sun rose higher into the sky, which was a deep blue with clouds scattered back and forth, Axel again felt fear creep into his stomach. His mother...

He was already 5 years too young to join, and his father was a retired military veteran who insisted all of his sons join the war. Hitler had a great cause and he was going to create Germany into the powerful and beautiful country it was born to be, and his sons would help contribute to doing that.

His mother was torn when Dennis came home in his uniform and when James followed a few weeks later they had watched her leave the room crying. Her little Axel, who had always longed for peace and safety, was going to be next.