Usually I update to AO3 too but it's down today so I guess I'll just post these here and post those later.

Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia.

"Now, I know it is early, but I need to at least plant this idea in your heads." Their teacher began. Alice had her head propped and was playing tic-tac-toe on the corner of her paper with Alfred. She was X and he was O. She had lost the last four games and won two.

Class was fairly boring, as it always was, but Alfred made it better and it was a thousand times more exciting than these new budget meetings her father was making her sit in now.

"It will be your responsibility to rule the country soon, you must know how to regulate and control the economy. Your mother and I won't be around forever to do it for you. Poor people are unhappy people and unhappy people start riots and rebellions." Her father had lectured the other day. Alice was fairly sure she could handle a rebellion or two if she had to.

"...your responsibility to rule the country soon..."

That left the princess more nervous than these meetings. Alice was only fourteen, at the earliest she would be crowned in four years, when she turned eighteen. That was the earliest she could even take the throne. Of course, if something happened to her parents and they couldn't rule, then she could technically be crowned now, if it was absolutely needed. Four years was still a long time away, wasn't it? It wasn't even guaranteed she would be crowned when she was eighteen, she wasn't even engaged yet, but that was it's own problem.

"I know some of you are sixteen or seventeen, and when you are eighteen you will graduate from this class. You should start thinking about the future, what you want to do, where you want to go. I'd like to go around the room to everyone and have them all say something they may be interested in doing after they turn eighteen." She began with calling on an even younger girl in the back left corner.

Alice scoffed, like she wanted to be talking about the future now. Alfred won their round of tic-tac-toe and the princess frowned. He silently began to start to draw another pound sign to play a new round.

The lighter blond looked up to her friend. Alfred had his growth spurt, he was nearly six feet tall now, while Alice was still only about five and a half feet. They looked a little stranger together now. He was had turned sixteen a while back. Suddenly she was paying more attention to the futures everyone was thinking up.

What would Alfred do when he turned eighteen? She would still be in classes, two years behind. What would she do without her best friend to play stupid games and help her with her math homework? Most of all, she didn't want to say goodbye to him.

It was his company she loved the most, he could be sitting across a room, silent, and she would still feel at ease. She liked just being with him. When he would check over a math assignment and she would look over and see his messy gold colored hair nearly hiding his face, busy in thought, when they had a brief hug after not seeing each other for a while and she only reached his neck because of the newfound height difference, when they accidentally touched and her skin felt a little warmer where he had been. When he got quiet and she knew he was thinking about then, or when he would raise his hand for practically every math or science or Americanan history question, or when-

"We all know what you'll be doing after you leave, Your Highness." The tutor said with an amused tone. Alice looked up quickly and smiled before it was obvious she had zoned out the whole class. Alfred was on her left and one of the last people to state his ideas. "What about you, Alfred? Any plans for the future?"

"I'm not sure, yet. I was thinking maybe something with the military, or something with math." Alfred said.

The teacher made an unexciting, overly enthusiastic comment and moved on to the next student.

"What did you mean, about the military? Were you actually thinking about it or was that just the first thing you thought of?" The princess asked as they left the class. She had a meeting she should be in, but she'd just make up some excuse when she was late. They walked together toward the front, where the nobles came to pick up their children.

Alfred glanced at her and shrugged. "I was actually thinking about it. Why?"

Alice furrowed her eyebrows. "Why were you thinking about it?"

"A few reasons. Mostly so I wouldn't have to leave the castle, we could still hang out and stuff when I had free time. And... well I guess I think that if there were more soldiers and guards, someone would've found us sooner, and I would've been away from those rebels sooner. So no one else would have to live through what I did." Alfred answered.

Oh. Now Alice felt a little bad to assume he had no reasons, but she was part of the reason, that made her heart skip.

"There's Matthew, bye Alice, see you tomorrow."

"Goodbye."

Alice watched him walk toward Matthew, and they talked as they walked away.