Welcome to College {Hetalia x Reader} Chapter 10

Chapter 10: To Be With Loved Ones
Valentine’s Day Special


~*~*~*~*~*


A heavy sigh could be heard being released in the bedroom of Mei and (Name)’s dorm. A certain (h/c) haired girl was laying in her bed, staring up at the ceiling with a small frown etched onto her face. She’d been awake for ten minutes, yet had no motivation to get up whatsoever. Usually it wasn’t like this. The fear of something going wrong and making her late was more frequent than normal, but today, (Name) just didn’t care.

Maybe it was just one of those days.

Maybe she was just tired.

Or maybe, it was because today is Valentine’s Day.

She turned onto her side, letting out yet another sigh.

It wasn’t that Valentine’s Day was terrible… It was just getting tiring to spend the day without a special someone. When she was in high school, (Name) and her friends would get together every year on this day and hang out, all the while sharing the cheap chocolates together. But ever since sophomore year, at least one of those friends wouldn’t show up with the group because they had a date.

And while (Name) and the rest of her friends would try and remain happy for that friend… It was hard to not be even a little bit jealous.

Mei had already been gone since 7:40, and when (Name) turned over to look at the clock, she only had fifteen minutes to get up and go to class.

Resigning to defeat, she reluctantly sat up and rubbed her eyes tiredly before getting out of bed and going about her usual morning routine.

The walk to her class wasn’t any better, however. Principal Vargas, being the ‘romantic’ person he was, (and much to the vice principal’s displeasure), decided to decorate the campus with Valentine’s Day related decorations. And when he promised decorations, boy did he live up to it and beyond.

Streamers, ribbons, hearts, and just about every decoration was colored in shades of pink and red, assaulting the eyes of those who wandered outside. Lampposts, benches, buildings, and even the freaking trees had something tied to it. So much for trying to forget it was that day.

As she was marching up the stairs to get to her first period class, someone called out to her.

“(Name)!”

She turned around and was greeted by a tackle hug. Letting out a yelp of surprise and nearly losing her balance on the stairs (again), she sighed. “Hey, Matthias. Thanks for making me almost fall down.”

The Dane simply let out a laugh. “Sorry about that! But we’re supposed to go to class together like we always do!”

She simply nodded and continued walking up, this time with Matthias by her side. He peered at her face curiously. “Why do you look so down? The day’s just started!”

(Name) hummed. “I know, I know. It’s just… Valentine’s Day isn’t exactly a day where I’m happy.”

“Why?”

She shrugged. “I… Okay, don’t laugh. But I’ve never spent this day with a special someone before.”

Matthias tilted his head to the side. “Why would I laugh at that? It’s not a bad thing.” He stopped for a moment before asking.

“I did date a few guys, but the relationships were nothing special and didn’t last long. And they certainly never made it to Valentine’s Day.” (Name) looked over at her friend. “What about you? Have you ever spent this day with someone?”

He nodded. “I have, but just like with your case, the relationships were short. Not really anything to look back on fondly or memorably.”

They didn’t say anything else until arriving to the classroom. Sitting at desks next to Ludwig, (Name) flopped down and stared at nothing in particular. He spared her a glance, obviously sensing something was wrong, before turning to Matthias and silently asking such a question. Matthias caught on and nodded. Taking out his phone, he typed down a message and sent it to Ludwig. Just as the German finished reading the message, the professor walked into the classroom.

“Okay, students! Today, in honor of Valentine’s Day and the fact that my boss is forcing me to do this, we’re going to have some fun!”

(Name) felt her eye twitch.

“So, since this class is international business, I have a simulation planned out and we’re going to use chocolates to represent valuable goods. Each of you will be assigned a country and you’ll be going around trying to either sell or buy from others. All chocolates are valued differently depending on the country…”

At this point, (Name) began to tune the professor out. Looks like it’s impossible to escape the madness that is Valentine’s Day.


~*~*~*~*~*


“(Name)~”

The girl looked up. “Yeah, Bella?” In response, her friend pushed a box of chocolates into her
hands.

“Here! I bought these for you! It’s authentic Belgian chocolate. I thought you should have the opportunity to taste real chocolate at least once.” Bella said this as she spared a glance at Vash, who clearly overheard her emphasizing ‘real.’

(Name) smiled. “Thanks! I wish I had something to give you, too…”

Bella shook her head. “That’s okay! I like giving gifts, so it’s fine if you don’t give me something.”

The bell rang once more, signaling to the students to sit in their seats. Once they did, (Name) took out her notes and began to copy what the sociology professor was writing on the board.

Though it wasn’t long when she stopped and stared curiously at a piece of paper that had been placed on her desk. Where did this come from? She didn’t even notice anyone placing it there.

Looking around the class, she tried to deduce who could have sent or even passed the note to her, though no one looked out of the ordinary.

Turning back to the piece of paper, (Name) opened it and read its contents.


I’ve liked you for some time, and though I know you’re not looking to date right now, I just wanted to let you know.


She felt a blush creeping up on her cheeks as she read the confession. Looking at her classmates again, she noticed that Emil was fidgeting in his seat a bit. He looked nervous…

Was it him?

‘Well…’ (Name) thought. ‘He did kiss me during the holiday contest even though there was no mistletoe…’

She took out a post-it note and wrote a response. Yet just as she was about to ask the person sitting to her right to pass it along, the professor looked up. (Name) quickly shoved both pieces of paper under her notebook and picked up her pencil. To her luck, the professor didn’t seem to notice and resumed his lesson.

Keeping an eye on him, (Name) slowly reached a hand under the notebook and grabbed the post-it, passing it to her classmate, Jared, and asking him to give it to Emil. Yet before Jared could ask her to repeat the name, she quickly began to resume taking notes. Shrugging, he assumed she’d said Roderich and passed it down to him.

“Give this to Roderich and tell him it’s from (Name).”

Once the note reached its destination, the (h/c) haired girl looked back down and moved her notebook slightly to look at the note again. Her eyes widened in surprise to see that the note she had written was still on her desk.

‘Crap, that means I gave the original one back to him?’ She looked up abruptly and stared at Emil, though confusion soon took over as he was still paying attention to the lesson.

She looked around once more and saw with despair that she’d given Emil’s note to Roderich, who in turn, thought it was from (Name). She watched helplessly as he took out a small piece of paper, wrote a response, and sent it on its way…

Only to end up on Bella’s desk. The Belgian girl read it in surprise, but she didn’t know who it was from, as Roderich hadn’t left his name. He assumed that (Name) would know it was from him…

She, in turn, wrote a response and had it passed. When it reached Francis’ desk, (Name) was about ready to facepalm. How was it possible for so many misunderstandings in note exchange to happen within ten minutes?!

And so, (Name) watched in silence (and even slight amusement) as different classmates received notes and then had their responses passed to the incorrect people. Twenty minutes into the period and over ten notes were being passed around.

When Francis’ note ended up on Roderich’s desk, the Austrian looked thoroughly embarrassed. (Name) wasn’t sure what was on it, but she smirked slightly, trying to contain her laugh. Whatever Francis wrote, it must not have been ‘school appropriate.’ Yet Roderich suddenly threw her a look of embarrassment and instantly, her smirk vanished.

Oh crap. Did he think it was from her?

He scribbled down something and had the note passed to her. Surprisingly, the Austrian’s note had actually reached her desk, and when (Name) opened it, she placed a hand on her face.


Excuse me?! I must have read your note incorrectly, because I would not have thought in a million years that you would suggest such a thing!


(Name) quickly tore out a post-it note, wrote something down to try and explain the misunderstanding, and watched with hope as it began to make its way to Roderich. Only to be deterred when it ended up on Vash’s desk. Meanwhile, another note that came from Francis’ direction made its way to Roderich.

“NO!” (Name) yelled out, standing up from her desk. The professor turned around in surprise as over a dozen pair of eyes stared at her outburst.

Professor Williams then looked around and noticed that nearly all the students had a note. “What is the meaning of this?!”

Crap.

The remaining time in class was spent with the professor reading out loud each note. It wasn’t just a lucky guess who wrote the rather strange notes… (Name) threw a glare at Francis’ direction.

Once class was over, the (h/c) haired girl rushed over to Roderich’s desk and explained to him the situation. Luckily, he gave her the benefit of the doubt and nodded.

“Let’s just forget this ever happened.” He concluded.

“Yes, please.” She agreed, sighing.


~*~*~*~*~*


“Hey (Name)! How are—Wow! That’s a nice box of chocolate!” Tino exclaimed, staring at the box in her hands.

“Hi Tino. These chocolates are actually from Bella, she gave it to me as a friendly gift, is all.” She responded, smiling at the happy Finnish man. His happiness seemed to always radiate off of him and even managed to make her feel happy, despite it being that day.

“Is that so? I was actually looking for you! I made you this.” He handed her a warm travel mug. “It’s hot chocolate! I couldn’t find any good Finnish chocolate around here, so I decided to make you this.”

(Name) accepted it happily. “Oh wow, thanks so much, Tino!” She gave him a quick hug.

“You’re welcome! You can return the mug whenever! Or, you can keep it if you want…” A light blush dusted his cheeks. “Don’t worry about it if you forget.”

“I’ll return it,” she assured him. Then, remembering something, she continued, “After sociology, I went out and bought this!” She rummaged through her bag and pulled out a bag of Hershey Kisses. “Here!”

“Oh, it’s okay! I don’t need anything in return, just giving people things is enough for me.” He responded, that sweet smile still on his face.

“Please, I feel bad for not giving anything in return.” Not listening to his protests, (Name) placed a few of the chocolates into his hand. “I need to go now, so thanks again for the hot chocolate and I’ll see you later!”

She walked off as Tino stared after her. Then, he let out a small chuckle and placed them into his backpack, making sure to separate them from the gifts he was handing out to others.


~*~*~*~*~*


Last period of the day…

It was what (Name) kept repeating to herself as she sat through another boring lecture, this time going in depth in derivatives. As the bell rang, she quickly began to pack her things and leave, yet Gil and Antonio intercepted her.

“Hey (Name), do you want a kiss?” Gil asked, a grin on his face.

Seeing as to where he was going with this, (Name) simply rolled her eyes. Shaking her head, she responded, “No thanks, I’ve already got some.”

“Really?” Antonio questioned, surprise on his face at her response.

She nodded, grinning. “Yep! Here ya go.” She placed a few Hershey Kisses into Gil’s hand. When she turned to Antonio, he held his hand out as well.

(Name) smiled. Quickly, she got up on her tiptoes and placed a quick kiss on his cheek before skipping away.

“Hey! How come I don’t get a kiss?!” Gil yelled out.

“Because Toni’s not annoying!” Came her distant response. The Spaniard turned to his friend, a grin on his face. Gil made a face at him. “Oh shut up.”

Tino was right, giving gifts to people was actually quite fun. As she was walking out of the building, she spotted a familiar face already outside.

“Toris!” The Lithuanian student turned around, and upon seeing (Name), gave her a friendly smile.

“Hi, (Name). I haven’t seen you in a while.” He greeted her as they began to walk together in a slow pace.

She nodded. “It’s too bad we haven’t had any classes together this semester…” Then, she stopped in her tracks and reached into her bag, pulling out a few pieces of the chocolate. “Here, I’ve been handing these out to people.”

“Oh, thank you.” Toris placed them into his pocket. “Don’t you have to go tutor Eduard soon?”

(Name) thought for a moment. “Oh yeah, I do.” Then she asked, “How did you know that?”

“Oh, he and I are close friends, so it’s normal for us to tell each other stuff like that.” Under any other circumstance, (Name) would have accepted that answer without a second thought. But… His reply came out quickly, as if he was hiding something. She narrowed her eyes in suspicion, but soon dropped it.

“Oh, okay.”


~*~*~*~*~*


She leaned against one of the front desks, scrolling through her phone. At the sound of quick footsteps, (Name) looked up just in time to see Eduard running into the classroom.

“I-I’m sorry!” He exclaimed, out of breath. “I needed to help Raivis with something, and I got caught up in it for longer than expected.” He took a deep breath, a hand over his heart. “I hope I didn’t keep you waiting for too long.”

(Name) shook her head. “Don’t worry, I just got here. Anyway, let’s get down to it. What problems do you have trouble with again?”

Eduard walked over to her desk and set down his own book bag as well. He opened it and took out a notebook, showing her the problems. “These. I’ve tried to search online but the videos only made me more confused.”

She nodded, staring at the problems thoughtfully as she walked over to the whiteboard. “Oh, these aren’t too bad. Okay, here’s what you do first…” The (h/c) haired girl began to write the problem on the board and show him the steps.

All the while, Eduard gave the occasional “Uh-huh,” and nodded his head. Once she was finished, (Name) turned back to the Estonian.

“Did that make sense?”

He nodded. “It did! I think I understand it now, but can you do this one last problem just so I know for sure?” She nodded as she took the notebook again and copied the question on the board.

Though with her back turned to him, (Name) didn’t realize that Eduard was preoccupied with his phone. He typed away quickly, occasionally throwing glances her way to make sure she didn’t catch him not paying attention.

Once she put the marker down again, Eduard quickly stuffed his phone back into his pocket and smiled. “Okay, I think I get it now! Thank you very much for helping me, (Name)!”

She smiled back. “It’s no problem at all! Though I have to say, I’m a bit surprised that you needed help with this. You’re always the top student in the class.”

He shrugged. “There are times when I have to go over topics a few times to get them.”

“Wha-- Really?!”

Eduard chuckled as he began to pack his things away. “Believe it or not, yes.” He slung his bag over his shoulder and turned back to her. Then, as if suddenly remembering something, he added, “Oh, actually there’s one more problem I was confused about. It’s not solved using the topics we’re learning now, and I haven’t found a way to solve it yet. I was wondering if you could find a solution?”

“Oh, sure. What is it?”

He went over to the board and wrote down a problem. Once he was finished, (Name) walked up next to him and examined it: 128\(e980)

“Huh,” she said. “That’s interesting. 128 times the square root of e times 980...”

Eduard nodded. “Yeah, I found it online one day. Anyway, I’m in a hurry somewhere. If you find a way to solve it, please text me!” He bid her good-bye and left the classroom quickly.

(Name), however, was more concentrated on the problem than notice his swift departure. She stared at the problem long and hard, but wasn’t sure how to approach it.

“What am I even solving for?” She murmured, tapping the marker against her chin thoughtfully.

After another five minutes of staring at the problem in thought, (Name) let out an exasperated sigh and decided that Google was her best friend. Whipping out her phone, she searched online, yet even it didn’t give her a clear answer. The website she was on simply told her to erase the top half of the problem.

“How the hell is that supposed to solve it?”

Though (Name) still obliged and grabbed the eraser and erased the top half quickly. Stepping back to see what she was left with, her (e/c) eyes widened at the sight.

‘I love you.’


“...What.”


Truth be told, (Name) wasn’t sure how to react.

“Well, that’s interesting…” She wondered for a moment if she should tell Eduard now. Though the thought was interrupted as her phone buzzed. (Name) looked at it curiously.

Mei: Hey, (Name), can you meet me in room 302 quickly?

She typed back.

(Name): Yeah, sure. I’ll there in two minutes

She erased the problem on the board and packed her things quickly to leave. The walk was short, and as (Name) arrived to the classroom, she saw that it was empty.

“Mei?”

There was no response. (Name) walked up the front of the class and looked around. As she approached the professor’s desk, she then noticed a small note folded neatly and taped with tiny red heart on the opening.


For (Name)


“Huh?” She picked it up gingerly, carefully removing the sticker and reading the note.


Getting to know you these past few months has been really fun. You’re a great friend and you deserve all the best. <3


At the end of the note, it concluded with: Go find my next part in room 303, in a place where the sun doesn’t touch.

“What is this?” (Name) questioned, yet she pocketed the note and went to the next room. Once there, she began to look around. “Where the sun doesn’t touch? What does that mean?” As her gaze swept over the classroom, she began to walk around slowly. Once arriving at the professor’s desk, she turned around and faced the empty class.

Her (e/c) gaze analyzed everything again, and then it seemed to click. On the other side of the room there was a large bookshelf full of books. The sunlight wouldn’t be able to get through the books and light the back of the shelf.

She walked over to it slowly and began to gently glide her fingers over the edges of the books. Towards the end, she then spotted the corner of a light blue note and pulled it out. It had a tiny heart sticker on it too. (Name) opened it carefully and read its content. It had two different handwritings this time, separated by a gap between the sentences.


Ever since I laid my eyes on you, I knew you were special. Never forget that you are perfect and beautiful in every way and that you have a place in the world.

When I look at you, I get this warm feeling in my chest. You make me happier by simply smiling at me. Thank you for making each one of my days here more memorable.


(Name) felt herself smiling softly once she finished the note. Turning it around, she saw another sentence, directing her to the next note: Connections are what binds us together. No matter how far apart we may end up, the world seems small when feelings are strong. Go find me next in room 304.

Without hesitation, she walked to the next class, right across from where she was currently at. Though this time, it took a bit longer to find the note.

(Name) looked at the blue note again and read its directions. She then realized the words ‘connections’ and ‘world’ were written slightly darker.

She looked up and stared at the world map on one end of the wall. Walking up to it, she observed the map for a moment before seeing that the bottom left corner was lifted up slightly. The (e/c) eyed girl lifted the corner up and saw a light purple note. It was a lot larger than the other two she had found.


I’m not good with words, but it becomes even more difficult for me to explain how I feel when I think of you. (Name), you’re a great person, and I hope you never forget that.

I’m not that experienced when it comes to talking with girls about things other than work. But you make it easier for me to do so.

(Name)! You’re so pretty! I really have a fun time when I’m around you, and I hope it’ll stay like that for the rest of the time we’re in college and beyond!

I guess you’re okay… I mean, I feel nervous when I’m with you. I don’t know how to explain it. But I do know that you’re something special. I hope we still maintain contact even after college.

What’s up, (Name)? I can tell you’re tearing up from reading these messages, aren’t you? But my message is the most emotional and awesome one! You’re pretty amazing, you know that? Talking with you about all sorts of things feels so natural, and you don’t judge me at all. That day at the beach… I’ll never forget it. Thank you. By the way, you still owe me a kiss.

Hey dudette! I bet you weren’t expecting this, huh? Hah, you’ll never be able to guess who I, the hero, am! But you’re pretty smart, so I wouldn’t be too surprised if you knew. You’re a great friend, (Name), I hope you know that.


The (h/c) haired girl began to feel tears forming in her eyes as she continued to read the note.


When I first met you, I’ll be honest, I wasn’t sure why everyone was talking about you. But as I got to know who you are, I’ve come to be thankful that I can call you my friend. Thanks for that, and for being a good roommate to my sister.

There are many things I like about you, (Name). But perhaps what is the most is how kind you are to me. You treat me like a good friend, something I have not been able to experience often. Thank you.

You notice me when others fail to. You are quick to offer your hand and happy smile when I need it. You make my world just a little bit brighter each day, and I hope you carry on doing this for more people to come.

Hey (Name)! Thanks for being such a great friend! Ladies’ Night is so much more fun when I have you to compete with! You make it more crazy and competitive than it was in the years before, and I couldn’t be happier to have you part of it.


The note ended as (Name) moved to wipe away her tears. But, as it is obvious, these were not sad tears. These were happy ones. Even though the names weren’t on them, she could tell by the messages who each and every one of them were from.

She took in a shuddering breath as she smiled and turned the paper around. There’s one more note, if you so choose to find me! This one’s easy; just look towards where it shows you the world and lets the light in. Room 305

(Name) silently made her way to the designated room, her heart feeling lighter and happier with each step. It didn’t take long for her to find the note; it was taped against the window, a fluttering light green paper.

Yet as she took it into her hands and stared at the paper, she did not read it. She was lost in her own thoughts that she could barely comprehend the kind words written down. (Name) wasn’t sure how long it had been since she plucked the note from the window when she heard movement behind her. She turned around curiously and the sight nearly drove her to tears again.

There, standing a little ways from the door, stood all of her friends.

Standing in front were Feli and Lovino, holding at either end of a large poster that read: Happy Valentine’s Day, (Name)!

Everyone else either stood behind them or towards the side, each with a smile on their face as they gazed at her.

“Valentine’s Day doesn’t necessarily have to be spending it with someone you’re with romantically.” Mei spoke up. “It can also be a day of simply being with loved ones.”

“When you told me about how you never had a decent Valentine’s Day, I wanted to make sure that this one made up for it.” Matthias added, the grin on his face ever present. “Since we all went to the same school, we all had our own Valentine’s Day traditions. So it only made sense to include you in them, now that you’re part of the family.”

“So I came up with this idea!” Feli piped up. “Sort of like a scavenger hunt for you to find these nice little notes.”

“Did you really think I needed help on the easiest topic in calculus?” Eduard asked, a teasing smile on his lips. “I had you stay in the classroom long enough to let everyone set up.”

(Name) stared at them all in silence, not knowing what to say. They’d spent a lot of time setting this all up… For her? Just because she said she didn’t enjoy this day as much as others did?

She felt the tears threatening to spill again as she walked up to them. Still not knowing what to say, (Name) opted to simply show them how much she appreciated their efforts. She pulled Kiku, the closest one to her, into a hug, to which he awkwardly accepted.

“S-sorry…” She mumbled, pulling away. “I know how much you value your personal space.”

Kiku gave her a soft smile. “For today, I’ll make an exception.”

(Name) smiled back and began to hug each and every one of her friends. This was definitely a Valentine’s Day she would always remember.


~*~*~*~*~*


Happy Valentine’s Day! <3