[Fic Fills] America, Canada, and Bears, oh my
TITLE: In the end, they decided to share the bear
AUTHOR/ARTIST: thewaterbandit
RECIPIENT: pajee
CHARACTERS/PAIRINGS: Canada, Germany
RATING: G
SUMMARY: Some people write amazing, beautiful, well-thought-out fills. And then there are some people who basically write bear mpreg. This is one of those times.
The situation arose out of practicality. Knut was lonely, and Germany knew that what most animals needed was companionship. Seeing that he only knew one nation who regularly had a polar bear with him, the choice was obvious. Arrangements were made, and the two animals seemed to get along swimmingly, both benefiting from some much-needed companionship. Everything was fine until Mr. Bearson started to act strangely and the vet that Canada took him to informed him of two things: firstly, that Mr. Bearson was in fact Ms. Bearson, and secondly, she was pregnant.
"He's WHAT?" Germany exploded, as Canada tried to explain the situation via a long-distance phone call.
"Well, firstly he's a she." Matthew corrected him gloomily. "And yes, she's expecting."
"How did you miss this?" Ludwig asked, his voice shrill with disbelief. "You carry that thing with you everywhere you go! We had to practically ban it from meetings!"
"Mr-Ms. Bearson isn't a normal bear." Canada explained. "For a start, she's almost as old as I am. It's not like those dogs you breed, or Sweden and Finland's Floweregg. Ms. Bearson's in all my earliest memories. She's never had to go to the vet before and I just kind of... assumed. It's not like I see any other polar bears with any kind of regularity."
There was a long silence.
"Germany?" Canada wondered if he'd actually exploded from rage. "Are you there?"
"I was just reflecting that perhaps you do share certain regrettable characteristics with your brother after all." Germany replied, the exasperation clear in his voice. "I should never have let your animal near my Knutchen."
"N-Now, that's not fair!" Matthew stammered. "You came up with the idea. You badgered me for weeks to arrange a playdate- and you said that you asked me because I was more responsible than the others. You even remarked that it was high time Knut started continuing his line-, which, by the way, was really weird. And anyway, I'm the one that's suffering here. I've got to deal with an extra polar bear. Meat isn't cheap, you know."
There was a pause, shorter this time. When Germany replied Canada nearly hung up.
"Well, you could send him to me."
"What?!"
"You could. Send him. To me." Ludwig said, slowly and clearly, in the voice he normally used to explain the concept of 'public indecency' to Italy. "It's the simplest solution"
"You just said that my Ms. Bearson was an animal!"
"She is an animal."
"You know what I meant! I'm not letting you look after her baby! It'll need someone with experience-."
"Yes, because clearly the man who never bothered to check her gender is ideally suited to look after her cub." Germany sighed, a rush of static down the phone. "Look, can you please hear me out? I have a big, well-equipped zoo and a crowd of people already clamoring to see Knut. The cub will get all the love and attention he deserves, not to mention getting to grow up with his father."
"But-" Canada looked over to his couch, where Ms. Bearson was snoozing. "The cub will need her, especially after it's born. You breed dogs, you know that."
"I'm not suggesting that I take him away before he is weaned." Ludwig continued. "I'll arrange a transfer when the cub is old enough. Frau Bearson can still visit him. You said yourself that dealing with an extra polar bear will be troublesome."
"But Ms. Bearson will be its mother." Matthew replied. "You can't separate them."
"It has to be done." Miles away, in his house in Berlin, Germany glanced at a picture of the infant Knut on his refrigerator and shook his head as if in apology. "Your sentimentality is understandable but, honestly, it is impractical."
There was a click as Canada hung up his phone without saying goodbye.
---
Some months later, the newly-rechristened bear gave birth to a female cub after several extremely tense and noisy hours in Canada's bathroom, the only vet qualified enough to deliver a cub in the local area not being unable to come out quickly enough. After the birth, the mother and child were moved to a special enclosure at one of Canada's own zoos and, after wrestling with his conscience, the younger nation called Germany and gave him the news.
"He's beautiful." Germany remarked, leaning against the Perspex that divided them from the animals. Inside it was warm and bright, the yellow light giving the two animals an almost saintly aura. It was very different from the terrifying story that Canada had recounted of the emergency delivery in the bathroom, where Ms. Bearson had apparently bitten a towel rail clean in two.
"She." corrected Canada. "I made them check twice."
"A wise decision." A corner of Germany's mouth twitched into a half-smile. "They both look healthy. You did well."
"So did she." Canada replied with evident pride. "Even if she still doesn't, um, recognise who I am sometimes." He sighed. "I thought that if anything'd cure that, delivering her baby might. But, no dice."
Germany shrugged. "Animals can be funny like that. But, to the matter at, ah, hand. About what I said over the telephone."
Canada managed to tear his eyes off of the bears long enough to look Germany in the eye with a degree of determination that the older nation had hitherto not suspected in him.
"I won't give her up."
Ludwig held up his hands in a placating gesture.
"And I am not asking you to. I understand now that I was... too harsh, previously. I apologize."
Canada sagged with relief and turned back to the enclosure. He'd been there long before Germany arrived and the other nation suspected that he'd stay there long after he left. For a while, the two nations watched them sleeping.
"He shouldn't grow up without his dad, though." Matthew spoke up suddenly. "Once the cub can travel, we'll arrange a visit, yeah?"
Germany smiled, properly this time, and nodded.
"Yes."
In the end, they decided to share the bear.