I wanted to write an even more light-hearted and fluffy story than usual, and here's what I've come up with! Hope you're all interested! It'll be simply oozing with fun, cheesy, sweet moments, and PLENTY of fluff. Trust me. xD I'm going to say now that Hetalia's not owned by me, and if I forget to put that in the individual chapters, then forgive me. I think we're all aware of the fact anyways! Let's go!

Hetalia High is a place where teenage boys, representing the nations of the world, gather to learn, live, and grow together. The following chapters will be chronicling various adventures in their high school lives; both ordinary and less ordinary. These boys will be dealing with love, loss, friendships, and all the other pains and joys of being a teenager. America will serve as the main character, but POV will change to other characters for different themes and stories.

Though most of these stories will be able to stand alone like oneshots (ranging from 1,000 to 3,000+ words!), they will still be related to one another, some more so than others. They WILL be in chronological order. And they will, in some way or another, be forming a cohesive storyline of Alfred's high school experience.

I'll list all my favorite pairings, since these are the major ones I'll be using. If a chapter has a heavy dose of any particular pairing, it will be included in the first Author's Note. Skip anything you don't like, I won't be offended, and it probably won't affect your understanding of the story much! xD

US x UK, Germany x Italy, Sweden x Finland, Spain x Romano, Prussia x Canada, Greece x Japan, Russia x China, Denmark x Norway, and maybe some of France x Anyone Who Will Give Him the Time, and a few mentions of others, but more minor.

Let's begin!

This imaginary school is going to be very similar to, surprise, MY school (in my mind, at least). So it won't seem like a typical private school, because I happen to go to a very public institution. xD

Chapter Pairings: None.

1. Senior Year Begins! (America)

After today, I'll no longer be just Alfred F. Jones. Starting right now, I'll be known as America!

America stepped through the front doors of Hetalia High School for Boys and took a deep breath. He was finally here! The best private high school in the world, and he'd somehow made it in. True, he hadn't made it as a freshman…or a sophomore, or even junior, in fact. But he hadn't given up, and all of that occasionally annoying persistence of his had finally paid off! He had made it onto the wait list and had finally snagged a spot here just before senior year started.

Now he was standing in the foyer of the school he'd dreamed about since he was a kid, and everything was just so…so…

Normal? Sure, he'd seen pictures of the school in brochures and online, but in real life it seemed like a regular high school. Actually, considering its prestige, it looked surprisingly similar to his old public school.

He cocked his head to one side and considered the wide open space before him. There was a slightly worn staircase, leading up to the second level, directly in front of him and a smaller set of stairs on his right, which went to the basement. It was a three-level brick building, but only two stories were above ground. It had a courtyard and a library, both near the center of the school. It had a gym and an athletic Field House, which was really just a fancy word for another gym. There was also a nice theatre, which served as auditorium for the school but which was often rented out for other productions. And it was just…normal.

It wasn't quite what he'd imagined, but somehow, it was much more comfortable than the image he'd had in his head of stone walls and gargoyles and dungeons. It really did feel like a regular school, and it was… kind of nice, to be perfectly honest. It made everything seem so much more real and told America that this was no ordinary private school filled with snobby or rich kids. He smiled, happy to be there, and took another few seconds to look around again.

"Come on, dude, move it!" someone from a few feet behind him shouted.

America realized that he was blocking the front entrance as he examined his surroundings, and that a line had formed behind him, waiting for him to move. "Sorry!" he said, stepping to the side. He tried to look embarrassed and sheepish, though on the inside he felt anything but, and he apologized as the boys walked past. The group responded that it wasn't a big deal, and went by without another word. All except one, that is.

"Noob," a white-haired kid whispered as he passed. America blinked in surprise, and was about to say something back to the kid, but before he could the boy shouted, "See ya 'round, America!" and shot him a grin over his shoulder. It looked as though he'd only been giving America a hard time, and no harm had been done, and America mentally shrugged it off. The boy had red eyes, and he wondered vaguely if he was albino.

However, the indistinct feeling of curiosity was nothing compared to the happiness he felt at being recognized by the name 'America'. He'd been careful and done some research online before coming anywhere near this school, and one of the more interesting things he'd found out was about the unique way in which Hetalia High students identified with each other.

Students from all around the world attended this high school, and part of the customary uniform was a small flag, representing the student's country of origin, embroidered just below the breast pocket of his blazer. Using these flags as reference, it had been a long-standing custom for the boys of Hetalia High to call each other by country name, especially while in the school building. As far as America had understood, it wasn't uncommon to call your friends by their real names when in the dorms or off campus, but in school it would be appropriate for only the most intimate of relationships.

This information had been hard to come by, because there seemed to be an unspoken rule stating that it was taboo to tell outsiders about the tradition. But America had made the effort and dug through some forums, articles, and blogs and had pieced together this explanation. And the white-haired kid had proved him right!

He simply glowed as he followed the small group of boys across the foyer and up the main staircase, ready for the day to truly begin. My first day at Hetalia High!

It was, quite possibly, the first time he'd been truly excited about school.

…

America's first day at school was a complete success, in that he probably learned more in one day than he would in a week at his old school. But it wasn't only academics that he was studying.

He had been helplessly lost on his way to his second class when a boy with bushy eyebrows and messy blonde hair asked him what room he was looking for. America, somewhat relieved, told him and followed him halfway across the school before they came upon the right class.

"Thanks, man, I never would've found it on my own," America said, glad that he wouldn't be late on his first day. Then, wanting to show off that he knew something about the school, he deliberately checked the flag on the other kid's uniform. "See ya later, UK," he said, choosing what he thought would be the most PC term.

"England, actually," the boy responded. "I prefer England." The tone of his voice made it clear to America that this was a touchy subject and he'd do well to not forget.

"Oh? Then maybe I should tell you that I prefer America to US," he replied, but playfully, trying to keep the conversation going.

England's lips twitched into something that kind of resembled a smile. "I'll remember that. Well, I'll see you around, then, America." He took a step back from the classroom that indicated he was going to go, but America made a decision at the last second.

"Uh, listen, since I'm new and don't know anyone yet, would you…I mean, wanna sit together at lunch?"

England didn't take long to give him an answer. "Sure. I'll meet you in the cafeteria later."

"Awesome! Later, then, and thanks!"

England smiled slightly again and gave him a tiny nod before turning down the hallway to his own class. "Good luck finding your way to you next class!" He called back over his shoulder after he'd gone a few feet, with only a hint of teasing sarcasm in his voice.

America gave him a little wave in acknowledgement and continued to watch him for a few seconds, feeling pretty good. Maybe he'd even made a friend on his first day. He hoped so. He was a loud and easy-going guy, so it wasn't hard for him to make friends, but it was hard to find friends worth having. With any luck, this England was a good catch.

…

After that, the rest of his day was relatively uneventful. After all, the first day of classes is always easy. He had lunch with England and they got on together pretty well. It was clear from the outset that England felt comfortable enough around America to tease him and make jokes at his expense even though they'd just met, which suited America fine. They made plans to meet for dinner as well; America had been afraid he would be eating alone tonight, so it was somewhat of a relief.

But now it was the end of the day, and he couldn't wait until the last bell rang and he could go back to his dorm to hang out and meet his roommate and some of the other kids, too. He'd been looking forward to the social aspects of this school, living with kids from around the world, just as much as the academic opportunity.

When the last class finally ended, he was one of the first to rush out of the school, with his eyes set on the nearby building where all the boys had their dorms. He adjusted the strap of his bag and checked his pocket, again, for the key he'd placed there some ten minutes ago. Yup. Still safe and sound, like the last dozen times.

America was so intent on reaching his room quickly that he didn't notice a kid a lot smaller than him standing in his path. He accidentally ran smack into him, causing them both to tumble to the ground.

"Urgh, sorry, dude," America said, laughing a little as he sat up. He looked at the other kid and noticed that he was shaking as he sat on the sidewalk, and made no move to stand up. The smile slid from America's face as he wondered if he'd hurt the guy. He was kind of frail looking... "Hey, are you ok?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," he said quietly, lifting his head slightly and glancing very quickly at America's face.

America saw a brief flash of violet when those eyes met his. Something about them seemed…familiar. He checked the boy's blazer and saw the Canadian flag. Where have I seen this guy before? His eyes roamed over the boy's longish hair, his glasses, and then back to the small red and white flag. I know him…I know him…

Oh my God, I know him! His mouth fell open in astonishment. "Matthew!"

It was his brother. He hadn't seen him in more than five years.

Sorry, this chapter's a little boring and short, but it was mostly just for setting the scene. We'll get to the good stuff soon! xD

And by the way, I'm going to do my best to keep everyone in character, but it IS an AU, so I'm sorry if I stray a little. .

Thanks for reading! Mega thanks to theticktalks who reads everything before I post and who helped me with some chapter ideas that you'll be seeing later on in this story! :D