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Every once in a while, nations were required by their bosses to review their education. It was mostly a pain, but there was logic to having them keep up on their skills. (And, more importantly, update their knowledge of science and math as it advanced. There was reason to spread modern propaganda as well.)
Mostly these refreshes were done by enrolling the nation in college or university for one year (sometimes more, if a boss thought their nation was being more dumb than usual. This often happened to America). Occasionally there would be some poor immortal enrolled in a random high school (usually America as well), but this was less common.
Thankfully, at least from America’s perspective, his boss had not sent him mindlessly to a random high school for this refresher. He was once again in college. He didn’t get to pick which school he was going to, so he didn’t bother paying too much attention, but at least it wasn’t a high school.
It had been about fifty years since his last required review, and he was mildly intrigued by what had changed in history education at the very least. (Hopefully things had improved since last time, because yikes.) Plus, he might as well enroll in a few language classes this time (it should be pretty easy- all nations were polyglots).
But, again, he was in it for the long haul. Four years of college. Because his boss hated him or something.
It was about halfway through the second year (after many boring classes and a big home football win in his ‘freshman’ year mostly due to his awesome throws) when there suddenly came a big surprise.
America stopped dead in the doorway to the International Studies hall, nearly dropping his jump size Coke in the process. His mouth dropped wide open, not believing what he was seeing.
His Mandarin professor (he had wanted to challenge himself) seemed to be deep in conversation with no one other than… China.
America’s head spun. What was he doing here? Some sort of international affairs thing? And what should he say? “Hi dude! I’m going to college for the fourth time, wanna join me?” “What are you doing in my school?” or the easy and classic “I’m totally not being forced to go to school right now. I’m on the staff!”
But he didn’t get to decide. His professor saw him before he could get his thoughts in order, and her eyes lit up.
“Ah, Alfred!” she said and waved him over, “Come, come!”
At least when China turned to look at who she was speaking with he also looked completely and utterly shellshocked. They stared at each other for a long, very awkward moment, and then America remembered he had been called over and started. He jogged over, careful not to spill his soda anywhere.
“I was just talking to China,” his professor smiled kindly at first him, and then China, “I didn’t get to tell him that you’re going to school here yet, though.”
America cringed. And out his potential secret went. He would never hear the end of this.
But when he awkwardly waved to China, the look on his colleague’s face didn’t look meanly amused at all. Instead of anything like that, he appeared even more surprised than just a few seconds before.
China looked between America and the professor, “He’s really going to school here too?”
Too? America’s brain jogged.
The professor nodded and gestured to him, “He’s been doing classes with me since last year, in fact!” She looked proud- happy to be one of her literal country’s educators.
The look on China’s face was strange as he glanced back at America’s face. Almost like he couldn’t believe it. Finally, he opened his mouth and spoke- now turning back to face his colleague- head tilted back in an almost challenge. “Well, I guess we’re going to be classmates, then?”
America didn’t even have the brainpower to question why China was planning on taking classes in his own main language, or why he was going to be taking classes here at all, because his brain was immediately preoccupied by a more pressing question. “Your boss wanted you to do a review at the same time as me?”
His mouth was open in shock. Usually he was on a completely different schedule from any of the other nations (which made sense, since not all of them could be out of commission at once for international politics reasons). To be going to college at the same time as China was extremely unusual.
China dipped his head, looking almost embarrassed, and then nodded. “Uh, I guess so. My boss said it was about time,”
Then America had a slight memory of China saying, long ago at a meeting, that he didn’t usually get dragged into the required reviews because he just passed the tests and moved on. Maybe his boss had finally gotten fed up with that and sent him to school anyway- though America doubted China would have failed any test. (Honestly, it was the same with him, but the President didn’t exactly trust America. Too close to the people, his bosses had always thought about him. Which was a little odd, but no matter.)
“Huh,” America considered this.
They all stood quite still. The professor looked between them, looking quite intrigued by their interaction.
“Anyway,” China coughed, “I’m going to be taking some Mandarin classes here for fun, since I got on the study abroad program at the college I was sent to back home. My boss didn’t say what classes I had to take, so I thought I might as well do some that would be easy for me.”
“Plus, we’ll be able to have very interest conversations!” the professor looked delighted.
America paled. For some reason the idea of trying to speak Mandarin to China terrified him- much like the idea of speaking German to Germany (he had run away the first time Germany realized he was fluent auf Deutsch and hidden for the rest of the meeting). But it was just one of those silly nervous fears, he was sure he would get over it.
After all, it was sort of nice to have someone like him at this school. And by ‘like him’, this of course would refer to their shared immortality. They were very different people, after all. But someone else who couldn’t technically legally drink the USA was plenty welcome.
America was still cursadly nineteen years old even though he was actually over three hundred, which he hated. But somehow, even though he was actually almost five thousand, China was still twenty. (Honestly, that was more embarrassing than the whole three hundred to nineteen comparison.)
Plus, he actually liked being around China.
They often geeked out about food together, when the other nations weren’t watching. Maybe they could do that here, too. What if they could room together?
Woah, America stopped his thoughts, that’s getting a little too domestic for comfort.
And to fully cut off these thoughts (though they refused to be wiped from his brain so easily), America stuck out his hand to shake with China. “It’ll be nice to have you around,”
China smiled, and America was glad to see that it looked genuine. “You too, America,” they shook hands.
They smiled at each other (probably looking like absolute fools, but for some reason that didn’t matter in the moment).
Then, America’s- no, their- professor clapped her hands together. “Fantastic!” she laughed, “Now, why don’t we do a little bit of conversation practice? For America!”
China’s grin turned even sharper, narrowing his eyes at America as if in a challenge.
America’s guts seemed to turn to jelly- put on the spot like this- but it was alright. Really, it was.
And he opened his mouth to launch into conversation feeling that, even if he was about to make a fool out of himself, he was going to have fun. He was glad for the exchange program, and he was glad he was going to be able to spend some of this time with China.
Maybe they could continue to spend time together in the future.