He lingered behind in the conference room once someone called for the world meeting to end. Pretending to look over his empty book of notes, Norway hesitated. It had been bothering him since the meeting was called for a break, where he first noticed the notification flash on his phone. Her neighboring table members had abandoned her as soon as they were allowed to leave, making her the only individual still seated. Belarus' eyes were glued to her own phone. Losing hope that she would notice him as the other soul left in the room, the man took a deep breath, exhaled, and approached her.
"Hello, Natalya."
Her brows twitched before she changed her view to his features. Blinking, she returned to her uninterested expression that he recognized all too well. Norway watched her eyes roll before she responded.
"Am I giving you permission to talk to me?"
"Hmm? No-"
"Why did you call me that anyways?" Belarus began to play with her phone, tapping away at the streaked screen. He thought he heard her mumble the word weirdo, but it could have just been his nerves. The Norwegian wasn't one for being interrupted, either, but since she was a stranger to him, he let it slide.
"Don't act like you don't know, Natalya." With a smirk, he retrieved his own phone from his back pocket and unlocked it. The sharp colors of a dating app popped up on his screen, and once at the designated page, he flashed the conversations section to the woman in front of him.
Before she could react to hearing her chosen name again, she was greeted by a picture of herself. She puckered her lips in thought before saying, "Well, that looks like me."
"Is it you?"
Belarus pushed her chair backwards and stretched her arms. "Of course it is, dumbass! Do you feel special or something?"
Norway almost choked on his gulping. He didn't want to press further with the woman in front of him, but he reminded himself that he needed to remain calm. This was his only chance to talk to a girl from a dating app, in person, even if it was the woman who was known for stalking her siblings and having the mouth of a sailor.
"Are you free after this?"
"I don't know, am I?"
"Well you're the one who matched with me, and you're currently debating it instead of doing anything, so I'd say you are."
Belarus opened her mouth, then closed it again.
He pushed forward. "I passed a coffee shop on my way here. It's just down the block."
"Good for you."
Norway hitched his messenger bag over his shoulder. "My empty hotel room is around there too, if you're interested."
"I'm kidding," he added once she rose to her feet with a face coated with disgust. He calmly gave her the directions to the café while balancing the feeling of fear washing over him. Oh God, why did I say that? Who does that?
"Will I see you there?"
Belarus just squinted at him.
Norway settled on his standard American order; a cup of black coffee and a slice of carrot cake. He shifted in his metal chair, unsure of whether his chill came from the cool May air, which made him grab a table outside of the shop, or his anticipation or the other nation to arrive. As the minutes passed by he began to regret even speaking to her. Asking her out was a spur of the moment opportunity, and he had let himself get carried away. He had to admit that he could get too cocky for his own good.
It wasn't that he was afraid of her necessarily; he was curious. The nations he worked with never talked about their dating lives due to the nature of their positions, but it didn't mean they didn't have them. Norway only downloaded a dating app to scope out the communities he traveled to. New York City, where the meeting took place this time around, bombarded him with college students. Admittedly he could find other countries if he turned his distance down, but there was something shameful about knowing that his peers were as lonely as he was. Out of everyone he knew however, he didn't expect to find Belarus utilizing such an application, and he especially couldn't believe that they swiped on each other.
The woman had taken the seat across from him while he roamed through his thoughts. She didn't speak until he did, instead opting to rest her elbows on the table and stare at him.
"Hello," he uttered, half surprised from her sudden appearance.
"Hello, Lukas."
Norway wanted to pretend her response was flirty. There was a touch of ice in the last syllable that ran through his body. It was quickly replaced by a flushing in his chest from the realization that she used his human name. He disguised his shock with a shy smile.
"I'm glad to see you took me up on my offer." The man replicated her position, intertwining his fingers at his chin.
"I had nothing better to do."
Finally, some common ground.
"I already ordered, but I'm sure the waitress will come by soon."
He wasn't sure if Belarus had heard him. She continued to stare, as if she was intensely focused on him. The attention made him uncomfortable, to say the least. Frantically, he searched his mind for something to talk about. His inexperience with dating was starting to show, but luckily the other nation interrupted his thoughts with a topic of her own.
"Who are you right now?"
"I-what?"
"Are you Lukas, the university student on a business trip, or are you Norway?" she asked. Norway thought he saw the hint of a smirk, but he couldn't be sure. He had forgotten the details on his profile, where he listed himself as a twenty-one year old student.
"Depends, are you Natalya, the gymnast who is traveling the country, or are you Belarus?"
Belarus removed her hands from her chin and placed them on her lap. "I'm whoever you want me to be."
At that moment, the waitress came by the table. She gingerly placed the slice of cake and coffee in front of the man, giving him a grin when she was finished. Then she turned to Belarus, only for her expression to become serious when they met eyes. The nation ordered a coffee for herself, and the both watched as the waitress nodded and retreated back into the restaurant.
That's right, shouldn't I be intimidated by her? Norway thought as he took a sip of his beverage.
"I'd ask if you're an actual gymnast, but the picture you had up proved it," he said after taking another sip. He mentally went over the details of one of her pictures, where she was posed in a leotard, a leg in the air above her head.
"Thank God." Belarus picked at something under her untrimmed nails. "A lot of guys on that app say gross things to me."
Norway remained silent. He took a moment to examine the woman in front of him. Her hair was soft and blonde. He had the sudden urge to run his fingers through it, but he knew the consequences. He traced the outline of her heart-shaped face, noticing her powdery makeup. Her method of applying it was as outdated as her dress, which was her usual purple outfit.
He didn't need to question why he swiped on her profile while well aware of who she was. She held a unique kind of beauty, it was undeniable. He couldn't pretend to not notice it. When he made that fatal decision to 'like' her, he thought he could hide behind the belief that she would never do the same. Now that his anonymity was exposed, he felt trapped in his skin. There was a woman in front of him; she was made of fire and hostility, and he could feel himself being consumed.
But, why feel this way? The one who was known for her violence wasn't acting that way towards him. Norway half prepared himself to respond if she tried to attack him, he had determined that on his way to the café. He was crazy for asking her on a date, but her unusually cool persona in that moment was even crazier.
"I didn't think you were the kind of guy to be on dating apps."
The words startled him out of his ogling. "I-uh-"
"Estonia has mentioned you a few times. That freak is obsessed with you nerds. Who knew geeks could get it-"
"-I didn't think I'd see you on it, either," Norway replied, swallowing a bite from his sweet cake. It wasn't the only thing he needed to digest. He would never do anything risky with a stranger, especially with his status of being a country. It didn't cross his mind that other nations wouldn't hesitate on hooking up with others. He had to know why the woman who loved her brother was on a dating app.
Belarus quickly lifted a brow and smirked. "I have needs. My brother is fine with it, he even encouraged me to get it!"
Her eyes glistened. She crossed her arms with a sort of satisfaction. The waitress had returned with another cup of coffee, silently placing it in front of the woman. The conversation switch must have put her in a better mood (or given her a mood, Norway noted) because she even thanked the server before she turned to hurry away.
So they talked about brothers. They doted on their siblings until their cups were emptied and Norway's dish was cleared. Whenever Norway felt a competition itching to break out, he kicked his pride down a level and complimented the Russian man. He made sure to leave their waitress a generous tip when they finally left the café. Belarus had accepted his offer to be walked back to her hotel, but upon arrival to her destination, she pulled him into an alleyway. Before he could comprehend what was happening, he was met with a knife at his throat.
"I had fun today," Belarus admitted, her expression stoic and unchanging.
Norway had no reason to be afraid of her, nor his unlikely death. The blade didn't have much pressure on it; who knew she could bluff her threats?
"Would you like to do this again?" he asked, making sure he didn't accidentally move and give her a reason to push her weapon forward.
"I'll think about it."
She retreated the knife, only to project it back onto his Adam's apple. "But don't you dare tell anyone about today, you dick muffin!"
The Norwegian cursed himself for his taste in women.
A/N: Hey all! I've decided to try something new with my writing. I'm busy irl and I recently revisited the (dying) fandom to see what I've missed the past few years, only to accidentally start writing fanfiction again. My goal is to be able to complete this fic, even if it takes years lmao. We've got this!
Denmark will be appearing in the next chapter, I promise.
