OLD PALS [p, Duet]

[Deutschland]

Deutschland hadn’t told the whole story of Ivan. He did remember when Darth Vader had taken Ivan in. The memory of the first order attacking and Ivan being there was fresh in his mind, but ... was that really Ivan? He didn’t know what had happened, but something did, because in that time it seemed like the polar bear had had a purpose being with the strange lion. He refused to accept it, however, because that was not the Ivan he knew.

A hesitant look entered the German shepherd’s clear eyes as Ivan asked about the morality of his former self. His ears twitched and he was silent for many heartbeats because he was not quite sure how to respond. He really didn’t think so. Ivan seemed to appear more threatening than he was when Deutschland had known him. He didn’t doubt that Ivan could be a menace, but only to the people who were bad and deserved it. After all, he wouldn’t have prided his group’s judiciary system so much if he really was that bad.

”No.” He finally replied, tipping his head up to look the larger dog in the eye. He could hardly think so ... now perhaps the former lives during different periods of history might have made him bad, but when Deutschland had known him, he had never seemed like an evil person. Deutschland’s past was littered with lies, manipulation, and greed and he couldn’t even trust himself with a position of power anymore. He was going to try to be as honest as he could be.

”And don’t ask me why, I just know.”