A Waltz in the Dark (Norway + OC Hetalia fanfiction)

Chapter 4

Norway was never an optimist. But he hadn't been expecting the week to get worse as it went on.

He was exhausted, and it was only the end of the second week of the first semester. He still had a long ways to go.

Norway walked into the class room and immediately felt stifled. It was far too hot in the building as it was, but that room seemed to be even hotter.

We have four inches of snow, so they decide to cook us alive?

He set down his satchel and his coffee on his desk and then walked to the right side of the room. He flung open each of the windows. He paused after opening the last one and stared out onto the campus, where students rushed about. Taking a deep breath, he closed his eyes.

And then he heard the door swing open behind him.

He faced his students as they began filtering in, chatting amongst each other, as was usual. Norway went back to the desk, picking up his coffee and taking a long drink before pulling out his laptop and setting up the projector, which only took a few seconds total. And then he pulled out his notebook, but his fingers slowed to a near stop as he glanced up. A group of girls was walking toward him, and their destination was obvious. He glanced at the clock, and then back at them.

These were the girls that always sat in the back of the room and always had their phones.

He frowned as he opened to his lecture notes and set the notebook on the desk. These girls did the small reading assignments he had given to the class, but it didn't seem to him that they were putting much time or effort into any of the classes they were in. Then again, not many of the students were. But he recognized the girl in front as the student who continuously used Norwegian in such disrespectful ways in his other class.

She was the one who spoke first.

"Hey," she said in her distinctly annoying American accent, puttering her hands on the desk. "Howerya?"

Norway looked at the five girls that crowded around his desk in their skin-tight leggings and fashionable sweaters. The girl who had addressed him smiled, pushing her long, red hair behind her shoulder.

"I am vell," he replied, cautiously. "How are you?"

"What do you do in your free time?" she said, leaning further onto the desk.

Norway hesitated, his stare hardening as some of the girls giggled.

They were actually daring to flirt with him?

A strange bitterness settled into his heart, but he didn't show it. He forced himself to smile politely, which felt very awkward.

"I vork," he replied, his words clipped.

The girl in the middle laughed.

"Work? You can't expect me to believe that's all you do."

Norway then decided that it would be best to ignore her, so he opened up his bullet-point project on his laptop and stared at the screen intently, even though there really wasn't anything to be done on it.

"Would you be interested in having some fun with me and my girls later tonight?" she asked, and her posse voiced their desire.

"No, thank you. I vill be vorking," Norway said, turning toward the white board and picking up a dry-erase marker.

"Do you have a girlfriend or somethin'?" she asked.

Norway paused, fiddling with the marker's cap.

"No," he responded.

"Then why not? It'll be fun! There is this sick pub down-"

"My answer is still no. I don't drink."

"Oh, come on, what do you take me as?"

Norway whirled around and glared at her.

"Stupid," he snapped loudly.

The entire hall, which had filled up with students while their encounter ensued, quieted suddenly.

The girls looked shocked at first, but it immediately turned into anger.

"You think I'm stupid?" the girl hissed, placing her hands on her hips. "I'll tell you what's really stupid. This class. This country! I mean, what's wrong with you people, anyway? Is having fun so wrong? I don't know why I came here in the first place. I should've gone to France or Spain!"

"Ja, you should've," Norway retorted, his heart pounding and his cheeks burning. "You vould've loved it there. Now have a seat."

"In comparison to snowy hellholes like this," she said, waving her arm in the air. "Anywhere seems lovable."

Everything in Norway screamed to defend himself. Everything in him wanted to show her exactly who she was messing with. He opened his mouth to retort, but then hesitated.

If he dared to fight with her, the President would find out about it eventually and he could quite possibly lose his job. Norway shut his mouth. But what else could he do? Give her a bad grade?

The red-head must've realized how powerless he was, because she sneered at him, arrogantly.

"Take a seat, ladies," Norway said, putting his fists on his desk and leaning forward to glare at them. The other girls quickly skittered away, but the red-head delayed a moment to smirk at him and then turn on her heel, her hair flying behind her as she walked away. Once she made it to the stairs, Norway's eyes went from her to the student she walked past.

The gem.

Their eyes met.

He blinked, but she boldly kept his gaze, and Norway was momentarily startled to see the very pain he felt on her face.

She can't possibly understand.

And then he turned toward the white board. He picked up the marker, but his hands were shaking. He looked down at them, angrily, willing them to be still. He tried to focus his mind on the lecture he was about to give, but all he could focus on was the girl's words echoing in his head.

I am powerless. Even in my own country I am powerless, and to fools such as them! He tried to shake it off, but he couldn't. Vhy does this alvays happen to me?

Norway wanted to collapse and give up, but instead he began to write.

*

The class felt like an eternity. Norway had eventually resumed his confidence enough to finish the lecture well, but he was dreading his other class. All he wanted was to go home, get in bed, and sleep for the rest of eternity.

His class slowly filtered from the room, chit-chatting as usual. No one gave him a second-glance, which he was thankful for. He took a deep breath and turned to put away his notebook.

When he turned back, someone was standing in front of his desk.

It was the gem. He took in the sight of her, relieved to see a friendly face.

She gave him a quick smile, but it fell, and she took a deep breath.

"Hei," she said, running her thumb down her backpack's strap. "I just want to say thanks for your patience and willingness to teach this class. I- I've enjoyed every session and look forward to it because I, uh, well... I've always been so in love with Norway and it's culture and I..." she closed her eyes and cleared her throat. "Well, it's a privilege to be here, and I am disappointed in the others for not treating it as one. But, anyway... takk, Professor Bondevik."

And then with a nod of her head, she turned away. The speechless country watched her walk toward the exit.

"A... privilege?" he repeated softly, too softly for her to hear. The word made his mind spin. She opened the door.

"Vhat's your name?" he asked a little louder. But she didn't hear.

He stared at the door long after she'd left.