“Hey, Estonia, what’s up? Did you check out that email I sent ya?”
“Yes, I did, America. Sorry, I didn’t get the chance to reply yet.” Estonia felt it was unnecessary to mention that he actually had read the email (concerning developments in government internet security, from what he could decipher) several times, every “LOL” and “OMG” and outdated emoticon like a Cupid’s arrow to his heart. Nor should America know about the hours he had spent trying to compose a reply and failing miserably. He ducked his head and concentrated on the documents he had pulled up on his laptop, willing the blush that was about to rise to his cheeks to dissipate.
“Aw, don’t worry about it,” America replied, that movie-star smile lighting up his face and a space of 1.3 cubic meters all around him. “I got some free time, we could go over it now.”
There was nothing he would love more, but all Estonia said was, “All right, let me find the email first.”
“What, here? Pssh!” America exclaimed. “We’re out for today, let’s go to a coffee shop. My treat.”
Estonia found himself dragged out of the conference room, with laptop tucked under one arm and his other hand clasped in a warm grip, almost stumbling to keep up with America’s impossibly long strides. Fortunately, the coffee shop was just across the street, empty but for a middle-aged businessman reading a newspaper. Before they sat down and discussed business, America ordered them some drinks, directing the full force of his irresistible charm towards the bored-looking cashier until she blushed to the tips of her multiply-pierced ears.
The tables were much too small, Estonia thought, very aware of America pulled up close beside him, the way his blue eyes sparkled behind his glasses as he stared at the laptop screen, the adorably obnoxious sound he made as he sucked at his iced mochaccino through a straw. Of course, America couldn’t sit across from him, he wouldn’t be able to see the screen that way. But every time America’s leg brushed against his, Estonia had to fight the simultaneous urges to shiver and melt at the touch.
Once they opened the email, the conversation turned to technical matters, and Estonia breathed an inward sigh of relief. As dense as the other nation could be in certain areas, he really was a technology prodigy and understood everything Estonia brought up without needing further explanation. It was just so easy to talk to him once one got over the initial awkwardness of him not remembering anyone’s name, and Estonia held a deep regard for those who could communicate well, although this was likely more because America lacked the sophistication to lie convincingly than anything else. They discussed the issue of government network encryption, brainstorming ideas to circumvent hackers and outwit the plots of cyber-terrorists while maintaining data integrity and infrastructure. More than once, Estonia laughed when America blurted out one of his usual crazy ideas.
[part 5] Science Versus Romance [America/Estonia] part 1/2
“Hey, Estonia, what’s up? Did you check out that email I sent ya?”
“Yes, I did, America. Sorry, I didn’t get the chance to reply yet.” Estonia felt it was unnecessary to mention that he actually had read the email (concerning developments in government internet security, from what he could decipher) several times, every “LOL” and “OMG” and outdated emoticon like a Cupid’s arrow to his heart. Nor should America know about the hours he had spent trying to compose a reply and failing miserably. He ducked his head and concentrated on the documents he had pulled up on his laptop, willing the blush that was about to rise to his cheeks to dissipate.
“Aw, don’t worry about it,” America replied, that movie-star smile lighting up his face and a space of 1.3 cubic meters all around him. “I got some free time, we could go over it now.”
There was nothing he would love more, but all Estonia said was, “All right, let me find the email first.”
“What, here? Pssh!” America exclaimed. “We’re out for today, let’s go to a coffee shop. My treat.”
Estonia found himself dragged out of the conference room, with laptop tucked under one arm and his other hand clasped in a warm grip, almost stumbling to keep up with America’s impossibly long strides. Fortunately, the coffee shop was just across the street, empty but for a middle-aged businessman reading a newspaper. Before they sat down and discussed business, America ordered them some drinks, directing the full force of his irresistible charm towards the bored-looking cashier until she blushed to the tips of her multiply-pierced ears.
The tables were much too small, Estonia thought, very aware of America pulled up close beside him, the way his blue eyes sparkled behind his glasses as he stared at the laptop screen, the adorably obnoxious sound he made as he sucked at his iced mochaccino through a straw. Of course, America couldn’t sit across from him, he wouldn’t be able to see the screen that way. But every time America’s leg brushed against his, Estonia had to fight the simultaneous urges to shiver and melt at the touch.
Once they opened the email, the conversation turned to technical matters, and Estonia breathed an inward sigh of relief. As dense as the other nation could be in certain areas, he really was a technology prodigy and understood everything Estonia brought up without needing further explanation. It was just so easy to talk to him once one got over the initial awkwardness of him not remembering anyone’s name, and Estonia held a deep regard for those who could communicate well, although this was likely more because America lacked the sophistication to lie convincingly than anything else. They discussed the issue of government network encryption, brainstorming ideas to circumvent hackers and outwit the plots of cyber-terrorists while maintaining data integrity and infrastructure. More than once, Estonia laughed when America blurted out one of his usual crazy ideas.