World Academy Experience (Hetalia x Reader)

ch20: O, Glorious Night!

They smiled, and wrapped me in a huge group hug. I laughed out loud, feeling so undeniably lucky that I had these amazing girls in my life.

But my chest ached when I thought about how I can't tell them how much risk they're at tonight. How I'm forced to hide all of it from them, despite all the trust they've put in me.

It's okay, girls. Ludwig and I will make sure you're all safe.

Soon enough, we all untangled ourselves, and the girls made sure I was all cleaned up and ready for my day ahead. I was planning to meet up with Alfred before class, for him to both call my nerves and give me an update about the band.

He was leaving against the wall outside the dorms, and as I walked out, he looked me up and down before wolf-whistling.

"Wow, (Name)! I'm surprised the fire alarm hasn't gone off, because you look smokin'!"

I playfully slapped his arm. "Save it for the stage, you flirt. We both know I literally don't look any different than I normally do."

He just grinned at me. "Just tryna' hype you up for tonight. I'm so pumped!"

It was then that I noticed something different about him. I studied his face closely. What in the... "Alfred, why aren't you wearing your glasses?"

He waved his hand dismissively. "Oh, those old things? I'm wearing contacts today. Wanted to spice things up," he explained. "W-wait, why? Do I look stupid?"

I hurried to clear his doubt away. "No, of course not. You look great!"

He relaxed in relief. In all honesty, he really did look good. Without his glasses, I could clearly see his eyes, which were sparkling with his energy. It made him look younger, and yet more mature at the same time.

"Have you eaten breakfast yet?" He suddenly interrupted.

I shook my head. "Can't. I'm way too nervous."

He huffed. "That's really not healthy. At least, like, drink tea or something."

"Fair enough. Let's stop by the cafeteria."

As we were walking, I decided to bring up the topic I had been most worried about all this week. "So, what's the status with the band?"

"It's great!" He responded enthusiastically. "I think we're ready. We're gonna run the entire set after school, and I'm pretty confident in us. Matthias is totally hyped for it. And I'm not even that nervous!"

"How's Gil holding up?" I asked hesitantly.

Alfred's eyebrows knitted together. "He's... Well, he's doing better than I thought he would."

"And that means...?"

"Absolutely terrible," Alfred said, looking at me from the side with a weak smile.

I sighed. "To be expected, I suppose. I'm sure once he's up onstage, though, he'll be fine."

He nodded in agreement. "Definitely. He'll be back to his confident self in no time. Everyone's gonna love him! Well, love us, I guess."

"Speaking if you fools," I started, "have you guys decided on a band name? I have to introduce you with some kind of title."

Alfred's eyes danced. "Oh yeah, we got one. I came up with it last night during rehearsal, actually. Tell me; how does Modern Vandals sound to you?"

I smiled in approval. "Absolutely amazing."

"Oh! And get this," he continued. "For costumes, it's gonna be a mix of edgy and sophisticated, with some popping bright primary colors in between. And we're all gonna have a king of hearts playing card in our pockets!"