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everythingismagicTitle: You Can't Take the Sky from Me [FF.NET Chapter Twenty-Three] [ Writing Journal Previous Chapters ]
Pairing: AmericaxEngland, PolandxLithuania, GermanyxItaly, SpainxRomano, Belarus---->Russia, PrussiaxSwitzerland. Future pairings: GreecexJapan, HungaryxAustria, SwedenxFinland
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Romance/Humor/Drama/Action+Adventure/Alternate Universe
Word Count: 3,215
Summary: Ace pilot America is on a mission for the World Military when a chance encounter with a group of sky-pirates leads him to team up with their captain, England, against a malevolent group that wants to fill the sky with zeppelins. [USxUK- Steampunk AU]
Chapter Summary: “Well get to it. Did you radio me for no reason, you git?”
“Jeez, England. Be patient…”
“Patience is a virtue you hardly have yourself, so don’t expect it of me.”
America frowned. He wanted to ask England, he really did. And to be honest, England had sounded sort of expectant, like he was waiting for America to ask about their… get together.
“S-so about that date,” America finally said, pretending to be casual, although his heart was racing.
Author's Note: A TIMELY UPDATE. *throws confetti.* Some awesome fanarts: AmericaxEngland by![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
mayurasan, Belarus by blulious, AmericaxEngland by Vermillion-Shadows, and America and England by LikeaMelodyinMyHead. Please let these artists know how amazing they are if you have the time. :D
The workshop was warm, and America had rolled up his sleeves and taken off his vest to combat the heat. It was caused by steam that seeped out of various machines and mechanisms scattered throughout the room. Tinkling brass mechanisms, turning gears, puffs of steam, and amongst all of it, America stood with Canada at a table in the center of the room, working on something special.
“Pass me that pair of pliers next to your arm, would you?” America wiped mist off of his glasses and glanced at his cousin. Canada threw him the tool, going back to trying to fit two gears into the invention they were working on.
It was an automaton. Canada had been working on it for almost a year with the help of his cousin, and it was almost, almost done. The invention had started out as a bit of a joke. Canada had remarked that he missed his parents’ dog, and lamented the fact that pets were not allowed on base. America had quipped that perhaps he should just make a pet, and in a moment of madness, they’d decided to do just that. The little clockwork bear, which they’d decided to name Kumajirou (Japan had suggested the name), was on the brink of completion. It had been tough, and there had been several unsuccessful prototypes along the way, but America just knew that he and Canada had it right this time. He couldn’t wait to see Kumajirou wound up for the first time.
“It’s a good thing the Colonel was okay with what happened, eh,” Canada said.
America was bending wires into shape on what was to be the bear’s ear. “Well things happen, you know? We got delayed, nothing we can do about it.”
The truth was, that the trio of aviators had mutually decided it best not to say anything unless they were asked. And America was asked, but the colonel had accepted ‘we got delayed’ without further question. America’s bewilderment had been clear on his face, as much as he attempted to hide it, so the colonel had clarified that their delay had already been cleared and accepted by General Wang, who was above him in rank.
America’s admiration for China swelled. He really, really seemed to be pulling for him and his role as leader of Aquila Kosmider operations. It was awesome.
Canada shot him a wary look. He knew the truth of what had occurred. America had told him almost immediately upon returning. It had been four days since then.
“When are you going out again?” Canada queried, pulling a wrench out of the pocket of his pants.
America took his glasses off, tired of the steam fogging his vision. “We’re going to Medved next week. The northwest tundra, near the Lyod Strait.”
“Because of what Japan learned?”
Yup.” Japan had been luckier than America. He’d ended up with, of all great finds, a possible location for the area in which the Kosmider built their zeppelins. One thing he hadn’t gotten was the man’s name who had given him the information, which made it a little sketchy, but still worth pursuing. “If we find something, we’ll call up reinforcements from the Sinni Base down south a little, and… arrest and detain.” America beamed. If this worked out, no one could deny he was a hero! He was in charge of leading the mission, after all.
Canada smiled. “That’s great, eh. Hope it works out…” He paused. “But you’re free until then right?”
America nodded. “Except for some normal duties at the base and a few briefings, yeah.”
The mechanic snatched America’s almost complete bear ear away from him and rolled it in his hand. “I really think we can get Kumajirou done in the next few days then!”
“Yeah, definitely,” America responded, but his mind conjured up a flash of green eyes and a pair of flushed cheeks. “Although… I do have something else I might be doing this week.”
“Eh, really?”
“Maybe, depends on a couple of things.” He shrugged. Like if England is even back in the sky yet… “But I’ll still work on Kumajirou with you. I think we should still be able to get him done awesomely.”
Canada bit his lip and frowned slightly, going back to his work with a shake of his head. “If you say so eh.”
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Romano smacked the radio, cursing at the fuzzy reception they were getting in this remote area of the ocean. He was about to smack it again, when the sound of England curtly clearing his throat stopped him.
England was sitting on his bed, a book resting in his hand and a frown on his face. “I’ll let you radio your brother again, but I bloody well won’t let you break the damn thing in the process.”
Romano rolled his eyes and grumbled under his breath. England could be such an ass. Like he was going to break the radio. What did he take him for, someone who couldn’t control his temper?
He turned the radio off and switched it right back on, tuning into the frequency again. It had cleared up slightly. “Hey!” He spoke.
A pause.
“Ve, Romano, is that you?” Italy’s voice over the radio. “It’s really late here. Germany and I are about to leave the office.”
Romano nodded. “Che, I know. I tried radioing you earlier…”
“Ah, sorry about that!” He exclaimed. “Germany and I were out on a mission. Romano, he let me drive the tank!”
“What the hell, that idiot better be taking care of you.” Romano rubbed his forehead. Germany was such a pain. He was obnoxious and smelled funny and was always dragging his brother into danger. But Italy adored him, following him around like a puppy and well, Italy hadn’t been too shy about telling him that Germany adored Italy right back. “Dammit! I was just checking in. We left the island a couple of days ago, so we’re back up in the sky again.”
“Wow, that’s great,” he drawled out. “I hope we can see each other again, brother.”
Romano frowned. “Yeah, gotta make sure you’re taking care of yourself, since no doubt that bastard isn’t doing it.”
“Ve, you mean Germany? Germany takes care of me perfectly!” Italy argued.
“I don’t trust him,” Romano snapped. They’d had this argument so many times before. “Anyway, I’ll make sure England allows us to meet up again soon. I’ll keep in touch.”
“Thanks, Romano. I like to know that you’re safe,” Italy’s voice softened.
“You too. See you then.” He turned off the radio.
Standing up, he noticed that England had put his book down on his lap and was giving him a surprised look. Prussia stood in the doorway as well now, seemingly waiting to talk to his captain. His expression was also taken aback.
“How do you propose we meet up with your brother?” England asked. “I don’t plan on docking near any military bases. It’s hardly safe.”
Romano scowled. “Do you think I’m that stupid? Spain let us see each other a lot. We’d just meet up at a random place, somewhere on a coastline in Habicht or some crap like that.”
“Fine,” England agreed. “But make sure to let me know far in advance when and where. I’m not going to come down from the sky whenever someone on the crew has a whim. It’s not safe.”
Gesturing flippantly, the other man turned to exit the room. “Whatever.” He met Prussia at the door. “Move, dammit.”
Prussia stood still. “Hey, if we see your brother, maybe it’d be better if he didn’t bring that other guy with him, you know?” His tone was oddly thoughtful, for Prussia, at least.
“You mean Germany?”
“Yeah, sure, him,” Prussia replied. “It’s just that it wouldn’t be very awesome to allow all these military people near our ship. Keep pirates to pirates, you know?”
Romano scratched the back of his head. “Germany is a bastard, and I don’t want him here, but knowing Italy, he’ll bring him anyway.”
Prussia nodded mutely, still subdued. “Yeah, yeah. Just let me know when, man, so I can make sure the ship is safe… and stuff.”
Romano shrugged. “I’ll let England handle that.” He walked past Prussia, out of the room. “Thanks for letting me use your radio, even if you were a jerk about it.”
England just rolled his eyes. “Spain is probably waiting for you on deck.”
“Fine, whatever. I’ll go make sure he’s not doing anything too stupid then,” Romano responded, jogging away.
Prussia stepped into the room, sitting down in the chair Romano had just been using. England set his book aside entirely and raised his eyebrows. “Can’t have too many military men near our ship? That sounds rather like something I would say.”
“Well, maybe you’re rubbing off on me.” He smirked. “Though that’s a scary thought. Haha.”
“It would do you some good.”
“Or your hatred of the military has transferred to me, since you’re obviously very fond of it now, if you know what I mean.” Prussia nudged his elbow toward England.
England frowned, his cheeks blooming pink. “America is not the military. He is only one man.”
“Aha, so you admit that you like him!” Prussia grinned.
The captain turned his face away. “He is my friend. Anything else is… none of your business.”
Prussia went silent for a moment, before casually replying, “Bet that was a nice kiss he gave you, huh?”
Smack. England’s book hit him straight in the face, and when it fell away, he was met with his captain’s crimson cheeks and deeply furrowed eyebrows. “Shut it, or it’s the mast for you.”
Prussia raised his hands in defeat. “All right, all right. Man…”
England took a deep breath, calming his nerves. “I know you don’t hate the military Prussia, so what the hell was that thing with Romano about?”
The pirate glanced down at his feet, his lips turning downward. “You know we have an agreement, England. Not to ask each other questions about…”
England’s eyes widened. “I-I’m terribly sorry. I had no idea it had anything to do with--- I thought you were just being contrary or some such.” He picked up his book from where it had fallen on the floor next to Prussia’s chair. “I shall drop the subject immediately; forget it was ever brought up.”
Prussia nodded, his expression brightening. “Thanks, man.” The room fell into silence, England going back to his book and shooting Prussia look every few moments, wondering why the hell he was still there.
“Did you have something else you needed to talk about?”
Prussia stood up, wiping his hands on his pants. “Nah. I really just came here to say that Spain offered to cook dinner tonight. He got some stuff when we picked up supplies from the merchant ship yesterday.”
England sighed. “Oh lovely. Indigestion.”
“What are you talking about? His food is awesome.”
Putting his book down again, England shrugged. “I’ve never taken well to food from the Toro region, to be honest. But it’s all right.”
“Ahaha, you and your bland food,” Prussia stifled his amusement. “Guess I’ll be going then…”
“It’s not bland. You just have no taste,” England snapped, but Prussia was already out the door, barking out a laugh as he walked away.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
America was so glad that he’d kept the crank radio England had loaned him. He was supposed to return it, but he hadn’t brought it up on the island, in hopes that England wouldn’t ask. It was… easier to talk to England with the crank radio, safer too.
He slid under his bed and pulled it out, nearly whacking his head on the bed frame in the process. America had transferred the radio out of his plane and into his bedroom shortly after arriving home from the island. It was kind of dumb to keep it in the plane, where anyone in the hangar could find it. Plus, if he wanted to talk to England, he didn’t want to do it in a public area. Not after last time, when his cousin had gotten angry and France had been… France.
Propping himself up on the bed with the radio, America sighed and glanced at the watch on his belt. Seven ‘o’ clock. If England was still on or around the island, it would be eleven where he was. That was late enough that he might be in his cabin.
He placed his hand on the crank and paused. Here he was, about to contact England, after almost a week. And they were going to meet up again and… hang out, or whatever. He liked spending time with the guy, he was a pretty good friend, as good as a pirate could be, at least.
And an awesome kisser…
No, friendship wasn’t the right word, was it? America willed down the flush that rose on his cheeks and cranked the radio, exhaling deeply as he did so. It was already on the correct frequency.
The radio crackled into life. “H-hello, you there England?”
The reply was almost instantaneous. “America?”
“Yeah…”
“You caught me at a good time.”
“Oh really? Awesome.” America beamed.
“Yes, I was sitting at my desk working on a letter….” He trailed off. “Anyway, how have you been? You sound sprightly.”
America stifled a quiet laugh. England always used such weird words. “I’m doing great. Had a mission last week, and we’ve got a pretty cool one next week too. The Kosmider is going down, England.”
England scoffed, but gently. “Oh, is that so? Well, we’re off the island now, so we’ll be doing our part as well. Left two days ago.”
America bit his lip. If you stayed on the island, you’d be safe. But he knew that England wanted to fight the Kosmider, and they were going to work together on it. “Oh, really? Awesome. So the ship is doing all right and stuff?”
“Yes, Victoria is flying perfectly,” England responded. “And we managed to stop by a merchant yesterday. She’s soon going to be leaving the skies for an indefinite amount of time, at least until the Kosmider threat is over… so she was willing to barter for less, get rid of her stock.”
“You got a lot of crap then?”
“Quite a lot, enough for a couple of months.”
“That’s good…”
They fell into an awkward silence, punctuated only by America faking a cough at one point.
Finally, England cleared his throat. “Well get to it. Did you radio me for no reason, you git?”
“Jeez, England. Be patient…”
“Patience is a virtue you hardly have yourself, so don’t expect it of me.”
America frowned. He wanted to ask England, he really did. And to be honest, England had sounded sort of expectant, like he was waiting for America to ask about their… get together.
“S-so about that date,” America finally said, pretending to be casual, although his heart was racing.
England’s breath hitched, and America wondered if he was blushing. He got flustered so easily. “Y-yes?”
“Can you get to the Világfa in two days, on Friday, because I---“
“Yes, absolutely. Shouldn’t be a problem at all, considering where we are right now…”
“Wow, you sound really eager!” America laughed, but truthfully, he was feeling… as eager as England sounded.
“Shut it,” England snapped. “I-I’m not eager. Don’t get me wrong--- I just… oh never mind.”
“You’re so funny,” America replied, grinning. “How about that evening then? I can stay in the inn or whatever, even though I bet it’s a totally unheroic establishment.”
“You’ve slept on a pirate ship for three nights. I think you can handle the Világfa.”
“That was different,” America said lamely.
“I fail to see how,” England remarked dryly. “Anyway, how does six p.m. sound?”
“Sounds great… just meet at the Világfa then?”
“Right, of course.”
America tapped the side of the radio. He wanted to say more, wanted to talk with England and have a conversation with him. But damn, everything was just weird right now. He was comfortable with him before… they’d kissed, but now it was different, a strange new something that he wasn’t quite sure how to approach. But he was a hero, and he could take on any something that was thrown his way. England was no exception… he was totally sure of it.
“America?”
“Hmmm?”
“Can I ask you a question?” He sounded tentative.
“Yeah, go for it.”
“Prussia brought something up earlier,” he paused, his voice having grown quiet, “he seemed to have known what h-happened in the water… you know…”
America’s cheeks reddened. “I-I didn’t tell him! He just kind of guessed, I swear! I mean you know how Prussia is…”
He exhaled in relief. “I figured it was something like that, but I wanted to check.”
The aviator shook his head vehemently. “Like I’d tell Prussia something like that, jeez.”
England chuckled. “Good then.” Quiet settled between them once more, and England broke it again. “I’m rather glad you radioed.” His pitch was barely above a whisper.
“R-really?”
“Quite…” The pirate cleared his throat and spoke again, even quieter. “I-I-I rather missed you… to be quite honest.”
At this, America’s heart leapt into his throat and he swallowed thickly, a warm heat coursing through his body. “I feel the same,” he responded, whispering himself, his voice soft.
He did miss England. It hit him heavily. He’d been thinking about him… a lot, and while he liked spending time with his best friend and his cousin and even France, to a degree, England occupied a completely different role in his life. And he’d been wanting that, been desiring to at least speak to him.
Lately he’d had two things on his mind, the Kosmider and England. Sometimes the two intertwined, but always, thinking of England was both comforting and confusing, simultaneously making him want to smile and making him want to push the subject away, to think of anything else. But the former part was starting to win out more often than not.
America missed England, he truly did. And England, England missed him too!
“That is… that is good to know, America.”
“Awesome to know from you too,” he said, half breathless.
England cleared his throat loudly. “Right well, I think I’m going to go to bed. I’m feeling a bit peaky. Spain cooked tonight, and his cooking and I don’t get along.”
“Wow, it must be really bad if you can’t eat it. Or really good,” America teased.
“Oh belt up, idiot,” England grumbled.
America chuckled. “Feel better, England.”
“I’m sure I’ll be fine in the morning. Thank you very much.”
“Great then, ‘cuz you’ve got to get to the Világfa!” America exclaimed.
“Indeed.” He paused. “I’m ah, I’ll be awaiting our date with anticipation,” England rushed out the statement in nary a breath, so fast that America almost missed it.
“Me too. G’night, England.”
“Good night, America.”
America turned off the radio and placed it under his bed. He hopped back on the bed, lying down and resting his hands behind his head, a wide smile on his face.
It was only then that he realized that both he and England had called their meeting a ‘date.’
Pairing: AmericaxEngland, PolandxLithuania, GermanyxItaly, SpainxRomano, Belarus---->Russia, PrussiaxSwitzerland. Future pairings: GreecexJapan, HungaryxAustria, SwedenxFinland
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Romance/Humor/Drama/Action+Adventure/Alternate Universe
Word Count: 3,215
Summary: Ace pilot America is on a mission for the World Military when a chance encounter with a group of sky-pirates leads him to team up with their captain, England, against a malevolent group that wants to fill the sky with zeppelins. [USxUK- Steampunk AU]
Chapter Summary: “Well get to it. Did you radio me for no reason, you git?”
“Jeez, England. Be patient…”
“Patience is a virtue you hardly have yourself, so don’t expect it of me.”
America frowned. He wanted to ask England, he really did. And to be honest, England had sounded sort of expectant, like he was waiting for America to ask about their… get together.
“S-so about that date,” America finally said, pretending to be casual, although his heart was racing.
Author's Note: A TIMELY UPDATE. *throws confetti.* Some awesome fanarts: AmericaxEngland by
mayurasan, Belarus by blulious, AmericaxEngland by Vermillion-Shadows, and America and England by LikeaMelodyinMyHead. Please let these artists know how amazing they are if you have the time. :D The workshop was warm, and America had rolled up his sleeves and taken off his vest to combat the heat. It was caused by steam that seeped out of various machines and mechanisms scattered throughout the room. Tinkling brass mechanisms, turning gears, puffs of steam, and amongst all of it, America stood with Canada at a table in the center of the room, working on something special.
“Pass me that pair of pliers next to your arm, would you?” America wiped mist off of his glasses and glanced at his cousin. Canada threw him the tool, going back to trying to fit two gears into the invention they were working on.
It was an automaton. Canada had been working on it for almost a year with the help of his cousin, and it was almost, almost done. The invention had started out as a bit of a joke. Canada had remarked that he missed his parents’ dog, and lamented the fact that pets were not allowed on base. America had quipped that perhaps he should just make a pet, and in a moment of madness, they’d decided to do just that. The little clockwork bear, which they’d decided to name Kumajirou (Japan had suggested the name), was on the brink of completion. It had been tough, and there had been several unsuccessful prototypes along the way, but America just knew that he and Canada had it right this time. He couldn’t wait to see Kumajirou wound up for the first time.
“It’s a good thing the Colonel was okay with what happened, eh,” Canada said.
America was bending wires into shape on what was to be the bear’s ear. “Well things happen, you know? We got delayed, nothing we can do about it.”
The truth was, that the trio of aviators had mutually decided it best not to say anything unless they were asked. And America was asked, but the colonel had accepted ‘we got delayed’ without further question. America’s bewilderment had been clear on his face, as much as he attempted to hide it, so the colonel had clarified that their delay had already been cleared and accepted by General Wang, who was above him in rank.
America’s admiration for China swelled. He really, really seemed to be pulling for him and his role as leader of Aquila Kosmider operations. It was awesome.
Canada shot him a wary look. He knew the truth of what had occurred. America had told him almost immediately upon returning. It had been four days since then.
“When are you going out again?” Canada queried, pulling a wrench out of the pocket of his pants.
America took his glasses off, tired of the steam fogging his vision. “We’re going to Medved next week. The northwest tundra, near the Lyod Strait.”
“Because of what Japan learned?”
Yup.” Japan had been luckier than America. He’d ended up with, of all great finds, a possible location for the area in which the Kosmider built their zeppelins. One thing he hadn’t gotten was the man’s name who had given him the information, which made it a little sketchy, but still worth pursuing. “If we find something, we’ll call up reinforcements from the Sinni Base down south a little, and… arrest and detain.” America beamed. If this worked out, no one could deny he was a hero! He was in charge of leading the mission, after all.
Canada smiled. “That’s great, eh. Hope it works out…” He paused. “But you’re free until then right?”
America nodded. “Except for some normal duties at the base and a few briefings, yeah.”
The mechanic snatched America’s almost complete bear ear away from him and rolled it in his hand. “I really think we can get Kumajirou done in the next few days then!”
“Yeah, definitely,” America responded, but his mind conjured up a flash of green eyes and a pair of flushed cheeks. “Although… I do have something else I might be doing this week.”
“Eh, really?”
“Maybe, depends on a couple of things.” He shrugged. Like if England is even back in the sky yet… “But I’ll still work on Kumajirou with you. I think we should still be able to get him done awesomely.”
Canada bit his lip and frowned slightly, going back to his work with a shake of his head. “If you say so eh.”
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Romano smacked the radio, cursing at the fuzzy reception they were getting in this remote area of the ocean. He was about to smack it again, when the sound of England curtly clearing his throat stopped him.
England was sitting on his bed, a book resting in his hand and a frown on his face. “I’ll let you radio your brother again, but I bloody well won’t let you break the damn thing in the process.”
Romano rolled his eyes and grumbled under his breath. England could be such an ass. Like he was going to break the radio. What did he take him for, someone who couldn’t control his temper?
He turned the radio off and switched it right back on, tuning into the frequency again. It had cleared up slightly. “Hey!” He spoke.
A pause.
“Ve, Romano, is that you?” Italy’s voice over the radio. “It’s really late here. Germany and I are about to leave the office.”
Romano nodded. “Che, I know. I tried radioing you earlier…”
“Ah, sorry about that!” He exclaimed. “Germany and I were out on a mission. Romano, he let me drive the tank!”
“What the hell, that idiot better be taking care of you.” Romano rubbed his forehead. Germany was such a pain. He was obnoxious and smelled funny and was always dragging his brother into danger. But Italy adored him, following him around like a puppy and well, Italy hadn’t been too shy about telling him that Germany adored Italy right back. “Dammit! I was just checking in. We left the island a couple of days ago, so we’re back up in the sky again.”
“Wow, that’s great,” he drawled out. “I hope we can see each other again, brother.”
Romano frowned. “Yeah, gotta make sure you’re taking care of yourself, since no doubt that bastard isn’t doing it.”
“Ve, you mean Germany? Germany takes care of me perfectly!” Italy argued.
“I don’t trust him,” Romano snapped. They’d had this argument so many times before. “Anyway, I’ll make sure England allows us to meet up again soon. I’ll keep in touch.”
“Thanks, Romano. I like to know that you’re safe,” Italy’s voice softened.
“You too. See you then.” He turned off the radio.
Standing up, he noticed that England had put his book down on his lap and was giving him a surprised look. Prussia stood in the doorway as well now, seemingly waiting to talk to his captain. His expression was also taken aback.
“How do you propose we meet up with your brother?” England asked. “I don’t plan on docking near any military bases. It’s hardly safe.”
Romano scowled. “Do you think I’m that stupid? Spain let us see each other a lot. We’d just meet up at a random place, somewhere on a coastline in Habicht or some crap like that.”
“Fine,” England agreed. “But make sure to let me know far in advance when and where. I’m not going to come down from the sky whenever someone on the crew has a whim. It’s not safe.”
Gesturing flippantly, the other man turned to exit the room. “Whatever.” He met Prussia at the door. “Move, dammit.”
Prussia stood still. “Hey, if we see your brother, maybe it’d be better if he didn’t bring that other guy with him, you know?” His tone was oddly thoughtful, for Prussia, at least.
“You mean Germany?”
“Yeah, sure, him,” Prussia replied. “It’s just that it wouldn’t be very awesome to allow all these military people near our ship. Keep pirates to pirates, you know?”
Romano scratched the back of his head. “Germany is a bastard, and I don’t want him here, but knowing Italy, he’ll bring him anyway.”
Prussia nodded mutely, still subdued. “Yeah, yeah. Just let me know when, man, so I can make sure the ship is safe… and stuff.”
Romano shrugged. “I’ll let England handle that.” He walked past Prussia, out of the room. “Thanks for letting me use your radio, even if you were a jerk about it.”
England just rolled his eyes. “Spain is probably waiting for you on deck.”
“Fine, whatever. I’ll go make sure he’s not doing anything too stupid then,” Romano responded, jogging away.
Prussia stepped into the room, sitting down in the chair Romano had just been using. England set his book aside entirely and raised his eyebrows. “Can’t have too many military men near our ship? That sounds rather like something I would say.”
“Well, maybe you’re rubbing off on me.” He smirked. “Though that’s a scary thought. Haha.”
“It would do you some good.”
“Or your hatred of the military has transferred to me, since you’re obviously very fond of it now, if you know what I mean.” Prussia nudged his elbow toward England.
England frowned, his cheeks blooming pink. “America is not the military. He is only one man.”
“Aha, so you admit that you like him!” Prussia grinned.
The captain turned his face away. “He is my friend. Anything else is… none of your business.”
Prussia went silent for a moment, before casually replying, “Bet that was a nice kiss he gave you, huh?”
Smack. England’s book hit him straight in the face, and when it fell away, he was met with his captain’s crimson cheeks and deeply furrowed eyebrows. “Shut it, or it’s the mast for you.”
Prussia raised his hands in defeat. “All right, all right. Man…”
England took a deep breath, calming his nerves. “I know you don’t hate the military Prussia, so what the hell was that thing with Romano about?”
The pirate glanced down at his feet, his lips turning downward. “You know we have an agreement, England. Not to ask each other questions about…”
England’s eyes widened. “I-I’m terribly sorry. I had no idea it had anything to do with--- I thought you were just being contrary or some such.” He picked up his book from where it had fallen on the floor next to Prussia’s chair. “I shall drop the subject immediately; forget it was ever brought up.”
Prussia nodded, his expression brightening. “Thanks, man.” The room fell into silence, England going back to his book and shooting Prussia look every few moments, wondering why the hell he was still there.
“Did you have something else you needed to talk about?”
Prussia stood up, wiping his hands on his pants. “Nah. I really just came here to say that Spain offered to cook dinner tonight. He got some stuff when we picked up supplies from the merchant ship yesterday.”
England sighed. “Oh lovely. Indigestion.”
“What are you talking about? His food is awesome.”
Putting his book down again, England shrugged. “I’ve never taken well to food from the Toro region, to be honest. But it’s all right.”
“Ahaha, you and your bland food,” Prussia stifled his amusement. “Guess I’ll be going then…”
“It’s not bland. You just have no taste,” England snapped, but Prussia was already out the door, barking out a laugh as he walked away.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
America was so glad that he’d kept the crank radio England had loaned him. He was supposed to return it, but he hadn’t brought it up on the island, in hopes that England wouldn’t ask. It was… easier to talk to England with the crank radio, safer too.
He slid under his bed and pulled it out, nearly whacking his head on the bed frame in the process. America had transferred the radio out of his plane and into his bedroom shortly after arriving home from the island. It was kind of dumb to keep it in the plane, where anyone in the hangar could find it. Plus, if he wanted to talk to England, he didn’t want to do it in a public area. Not after last time, when his cousin had gotten angry and France had been… France.
Propping himself up on the bed with the radio, America sighed and glanced at the watch on his belt. Seven ‘o’ clock. If England was still on or around the island, it would be eleven where he was. That was late enough that he might be in his cabin.
He placed his hand on the crank and paused. Here he was, about to contact England, after almost a week. And they were going to meet up again and… hang out, or whatever. He liked spending time with the guy, he was a pretty good friend, as good as a pirate could be, at least.
And an awesome kisser…
No, friendship wasn’t the right word, was it? America willed down the flush that rose on his cheeks and cranked the radio, exhaling deeply as he did so. It was already on the correct frequency.
The radio crackled into life. “H-hello, you there England?”
The reply was almost instantaneous. “America?”
“Yeah…”
“You caught me at a good time.”
“Oh really? Awesome.” America beamed.
“Yes, I was sitting at my desk working on a letter….” He trailed off. “Anyway, how have you been? You sound sprightly.”
America stifled a quiet laugh. England always used such weird words. “I’m doing great. Had a mission last week, and we’ve got a pretty cool one next week too. The Kosmider is going down, England.”
England scoffed, but gently. “Oh, is that so? Well, we’re off the island now, so we’ll be doing our part as well. Left two days ago.”
America bit his lip. If you stayed on the island, you’d be safe. But he knew that England wanted to fight the Kosmider, and they were going to work together on it. “Oh, really? Awesome. So the ship is doing all right and stuff?”
“Yes, Victoria is flying perfectly,” England responded. “And we managed to stop by a merchant yesterday. She’s soon going to be leaving the skies for an indefinite amount of time, at least until the Kosmider threat is over… so she was willing to barter for less, get rid of her stock.”
“You got a lot of crap then?”
“Quite a lot, enough for a couple of months.”
“That’s good…”
They fell into an awkward silence, punctuated only by America faking a cough at one point.
Finally, England cleared his throat. “Well get to it. Did you radio me for no reason, you git?”
“Jeez, England. Be patient…”
“Patience is a virtue you hardly have yourself, so don’t expect it of me.”
America frowned. He wanted to ask England, he really did. And to be honest, England had sounded sort of expectant, like he was waiting for America to ask about their… get together.
“S-so about that date,” America finally said, pretending to be casual, although his heart was racing.
England’s breath hitched, and America wondered if he was blushing. He got flustered so easily. “Y-yes?”
“Can you get to the Világfa in two days, on Friday, because I---“
“Yes, absolutely. Shouldn’t be a problem at all, considering where we are right now…”
“Wow, you sound really eager!” America laughed, but truthfully, he was feeling… as eager as England sounded.
“Shut it,” England snapped. “I-I’m not eager. Don’t get me wrong--- I just… oh never mind.”
“You’re so funny,” America replied, grinning. “How about that evening then? I can stay in the inn or whatever, even though I bet it’s a totally unheroic establishment.”
“You’ve slept on a pirate ship for three nights. I think you can handle the Világfa.”
“That was different,” America said lamely.
“I fail to see how,” England remarked dryly. “Anyway, how does six p.m. sound?”
“Sounds great… just meet at the Világfa then?”
“Right, of course.”
America tapped the side of the radio. He wanted to say more, wanted to talk with England and have a conversation with him. But damn, everything was just weird right now. He was comfortable with him before… they’d kissed, but now it was different, a strange new something that he wasn’t quite sure how to approach. But he was a hero, and he could take on any something that was thrown his way. England was no exception… he was totally sure of it.
“America?”
“Hmmm?”
“Can I ask you a question?” He sounded tentative.
“Yeah, go for it.”
“Prussia brought something up earlier,” he paused, his voice having grown quiet, “he seemed to have known what h-happened in the water… you know…”
America’s cheeks reddened. “I-I didn’t tell him! He just kind of guessed, I swear! I mean you know how Prussia is…”
He exhaled in relief. “I figured it was something like that, but I wanted to check.”
The aviator shook his head vehemently. “Like I’d tell Prussia something like that, jeez.”
England chuckled. “Good then.” Quiet settled between them once more, and England broke it again. “I’m rather glad you radioed.” His pitch was barely above a whisper.
“R-really?”
“Quite…” The pirate cleared his throat and spoke again, even quieter. “I-I-I rather missed you… to be quite honest.”
At this, America’s heart leapt into his throat and he swallowed thickly, a warm heat coursing through his body. “I feel the same,” he responded, whispering himself, his voice soft.
He did miss England. It hit him heavily. He’d been thinking about him… a lot, and while he liked spending time with his best friend and his cousin and even France, to a degree, England occupied a completely different role in his life. And he’d been wanting that, been desiring to at least speak to him.
Lately he’d had two things on his mind, the Kosmider and England. Sometimes the two intertwined, but always, thinking of England was both comforting and confusing, simultaneously making him want to smile and making him want to push the subject away, to think of anything else. But the former part was starting to win out more often than not.
America missed England, he truly did. And England, England missed him too!
“That is… that is good to know, America.”
“Awesome to know from you too,” he said, half breathless.
England cleared his throat loudly. “Right well, I think I’m going to go to bed. I’m feeling a bit peaky. Spain cooked tonight, and his cooking and I don’t get along.”
“Wow, it must be really bad if you can’t eat it. Or really good,” America teased.
“Oh belt up, idiot,” England grumbled.
America chuckled. “Feel better, England.”
“I’m sure I’ll be fine in the morning. Thank you very much.”
“Great then, ‘cuz you’ve got to get to the Világfa!” America exclaimed.
“Indeed.” He paused. “I’m ah, I’ll be awaiting our date with anticipation,” England rushed out the statement in nary a breath, so fast that America almost missed it.
“Me too. G’night, England.”
“Good night, America.”
America turned off the radio and placed it under his bed. He hopped back on the bed, lying down and resting his hands behind his head, a wide smile on his face.
It was only then that he realized that both he and England had called their meeting a ‘date.’
