My first ever fanfiction! Wow, I'm a little nervous. Well, that's a total lie; I'm actually super nervous. I apologise if anyone seems OOC, but hey, I'm new at this. Anyway, I hope you enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own Hetalia or it's characters!

Chapter One- Opportunity

"…I'm telling you, I think this is exactly what you need. Antonio, you've been floating around for a while now. You can't do sweet FA for the rest of your life. That job belongs to the awesome me!" A familiar laugh rang in Antonio Fernandez Carriedo's ear as he dragged his hand down his face, exhaling.

"Gilbert, I know you went out of your way to do this for me. I'm just not sure if it's what I'm looking for. Honestly, I was looking for something a little more… I don't know, advanced? I worked very hard for my qualifications, and this just seems a little basic." He tapped his fingers off the phone as he stared at a letter that sat on his table. He hadn't been surprised when he received it. It was expected. But now that he had received it, he was left confused as to what to do about it. It was a job offer. An offer it was, but Antonio wasn't sure it offered enough.

"Dude, you graduated two months ago! You have a Master's Degree in Psychology! You are twenty two, you're still young! Look, I was there to observe classes for my course and I noticed how desperate they were. They couldn't find anyone to take the job, and then I remembered you were looking for work. It just goes to show how desperate they were if they listened to me. I'm serious man, take the job. It's an awesome offer! I don't know what you expected, but you know what my opa used to say? To get to the top, you have to start at the bottom. It's not as bad as you think. Go for it Antonio, seriously. You won't get anything better at this stage in your life."

Antonio was shocked at the uncharacteristically serious speech from his German (although he insisted he was Prussian) friend, Gilbert Beilschmidt. "Amigo, I think you may be right," he chuckled. "I've never known you to be so serious for such a long time."

"Damn right!" Gilbert laughed in reply. "Don't you dare make me do it again. Hey, mein bruder will be there to look after you. Go and make the call! And meet me for a beer tonight. I need a drink." He sighed and Antonio swore he could feel his depression radiating from the receiver. Guilt stung him. He had been so wrapped up in his small pickle, he hadn't even realised Gilbert was down about something.

"Is it Elizabeta again?" he guessed.

"Ja. That woman!" Antonio felt pity for his friend. Gilbert and Elizabeta had been doing a merry dance around each other for over a year now, and nobody, not even the two in question, knew whether or not they were friends, enemies or lovers. "Mein Gott, I don't even know how to classify our relationship. Women are messed up man, messed up. Just meet me at the usual place at nine tonight." With one final heavy sigh, he hung up.

Antonio studied the letter that sat in front of him. Hetalia Academy, it said at the top. It promised a position for him to take up at his leisure. A job as the school counsellor. Well, he had studied for what felt like a lifetime to earn his degree in psychology so he was definitely qualified for that. The academy was only across the other side of the city and it would be easy enough to get there. The pay was good too. He had wanted to work with adults, but he always had been good with kids, hadn't he? He always got on well when he had to look after his younger brother. Not that he had much of a choice back then. Still, Gilbert was right; he had no reason to complain. This was a good offer and he'd be a fool to pass over it. Anyway, money was tight and he didn't want to have to get some dead end, mind numbing job as a shelf stacker, or a till worker, or whatever else the world threw at desperados whilst waiting for a miracle dream job to crop up.

He looked at the number at the bottom of the page and typed it into his phone. He swallowed nervously as it rang. "Hello, this is Antonio Fernandez Carriedo. I'm calling about a job offer I received…"

As schools went, Hetalia Academy was by no means the biggest Antonio had ever seen, nor was it the fanciest. Actually, it was a little run down looking. The walls were cleaner in areas where it was obvious that graffiti had once been. The paint on the gates was black and flaking. He could see the shapes of students sitting in their classes through the windows. A wide range of cars were crushed into a small parking lot and Antonio was glad he had chosen to take the bus to work- he had no idea how anyone managed to squeeze their car in there every morning and how they got it out didn't even bear thinking about.

No, it wasn't smart, it wasn't upscale and it wasn't showy. But as Antonio walked through the hall to reach the principal's office and he saw the students wandering from class to class with grins on their faces and he heard all the different accents as conversations bounced off the walls around him, he got a sense that this was a happy place. Everyone seemed to mix together regardless of nationality. He was glad he chose to take the job after all the deliberation. It was nice, and he found himself looking forward to his first day at work. The only thing that made him feel uneasy was the ever so slightly frosty receptionist who glared at him in annoyance as she pointed him in the direction of the head's office. With her platinum blond hair, her dark eyes and her icy, upheld demeanour Antonio could imagine her as the ruler of some far off, freezing country. The Ice Queen herself.

He managed to find the principal's office and was about to knock on the door. "Come in!" called a voice as his knuckles hovered in mid-knock. That was a little unnerving. How had they realised he was there? He shoved his reservations aside and opened the door. He was greeted by the sight of a rather feminine Asian man who introduced himself as Yao Wang and gestured for him to take a seat. Antonio suppressed the urge to smile when he thought of how his friend Francis would react over the name Yao Wang. "Welcome to Hetalia Academy, Mr…. Er… Aru…"

"Call me Antonio," the Spaniard said quickly. Crap. Was that too informal? But Mr Fernandez, or Mr Carriedo, or Mr Fernandez Carriedo! They all sounded very alien sounding and Antonio liked none of them. Still, Antonio didn't want to be seen as unprofessional on his first day. He fidgeted in his chair, gauging the older man's reaction.

Luckily, he didn't bat an eyelid at Antonio's forwardness. "Welcome, Antonio! I can't tell you how relieved I am that you decided to take the job. I tried everything, but nobody would work at such short notice. You are a godsend!" As Antonio watched the man speak, he couldn't quite put an age to him. His face was young, but his warm, chocolate eyes somehow seemed too old for him. There were no pictures in the room depicting family or anything of the sort. The only things that gave any indication of his character were a stuffed panda that was perched on top of a large bookshelf that was bursting with files and beside it was something that looked vaguely similar to a Hello Kitty doll. A mature man wouldn't have that kind of thing in his office, would he? Antonio guessed that Yao wasn't that much older than himself, probably in his late twenties.

"I admit that you wouldn't be my find choice under normal circumstances, what with you being so young and inexperienced… But you've certainly got the qualifications. Anyway, I'm looking forward to working with you!" A bell dinged outside the office and Antonio jumped at the unexpected noise. He gave a wan smile in apology and looked at the clock; nine o'clock.

"Thank you for the opportunity, Mr Wang." Yao interjected, protesting at the formality. "Yao," Antonio corrected himself. "It came exactly when I needed it. I was starting to worry about how I was going to pay this month's rent! I know I'm young, but I promise I'll perform just as well as any teacher senior to me!" He was hoping the conversation would come to a close soon. As nice as Yao seemed, he was anxious to get the work day started and hopefully settle into a familiar routine. Luckily, Yao himself was in a rush to get a move on and led Antonio to his new, first ever office.

Antonio felt a surge of pride. But he suddenly remembered something, and turned to question his companion. "If you don't mind my asking, how did you know I was there before I even knocked?"

"Oh. That." Something flashed across the man's face and Antonio swore he saw the atmosphere around Yao darken. "Natalia, the receptionist. She's very… Efficient-aru." Apparently Yao had a small speech habit that he let slip when he felt nervous, confused or under pressure. Antonio sensed there was something more behind Yao's brief explanation, but it didn't really feel like it was his place to ask questions. That, and the two men were in something of a hurry. With a wish for good luck and a friendly wave, Yao was gone and Antonio was left in the room alone.

The room was close to reception, much to Antonio's relief. Hopefully it would reduce his chances of getting lost. The school may not have been big, but Antonio didn't have a head for directions and would rather avoid having to ask for the way. He was a teacher; he was supposed to be professional. He didn't want to act like a nervous schoolboy on his first day of big boy school!

He laughed at the nameplate that sat on his desk. Mr Fernandez Carriedo. He wondered if he could get the students to call him Mr C instead of that mouthful. The room wasn't too big and it was sparsely decorated with an empty bookshelf, a filing cabinet and a tall potted plant that sat in the corner, wilting slightly. The walls were an exciting shade of grey-purple and the carpet a charcoal grey colour. So much grey, he thought. He decided to personalise the room as soon as he could. Dropping his bag on the desk and sinking into his chair like an overgrown teenager, he glanced nervously at the clock. Ten past nine. His first student was due in five minutes. His stomach felt like a washing machine, churning with feelings of anticipation, apprehension and joy. Who cared if the job hadn't been what he originally wanted? Antonio had placed his foot on the first rung of the ladder to success. Each day could only lead him closer.

Things were off to a good start, and Antonio got the satisfying feeling that it was all going his way.

Well, that's that! We'll meet Lovino in the next chapter. Things might move a bit slowly at first, but I promise you they'll pick up soon! I have big plans for this story. There are a few things I want to mention before moving on: this story will involve boy x boy, yaoi, whatever you want to call it, so if you're not into that then please no flames, just don't read it. There will be self-harm at some point in the future, but I'll warn you when that comes. As of now, I have no plans for the rating to move up and I don't really foresee it happening. If you liked this chapter, then please review? Critical advice would be great too, so I know how to improve in the future! I'm also looking for a beta reader, so any offers would be greatly appreciated. I'll try to update at least once a week, which should be pretty likely as I'm currently on my summer holidays. Thanks a million for reading, and I'll see you all next week!

Translations:

Opa- Grandpa

Ja- Yes

Amigo- Friend

Mein bruder- My brother

Mein Gott- My God