Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia.

NedFin: Nightly Wish

Lars stepped into the lecture hall, his eyes scanning the other students in search of one in particular. He smiled when he saw a certain blond man, and he walked over towards him. He was a bit disappointed to see that Tino was wearing earphones and had his eyes closed. Lars tapped him on the shoulder, and Tino's eyes snapped open. He smiled when he saw Lars and removed the earphones.

"Hey Lars," Tino greeted.

"Hi," Lars greeted back. "So, what are you listening to?"

"Just a band from Finland. I'm feeling a little homesick. Have you ever heard of Nightwish?"

Lars shook his head. To be honest, he rarely listened to music, and when he did, it was usually classical music. Tino handed one of the buds of the earphones to him, and Lars placed it in his own ear. He listened for a bit. He had to admit, it didn't sound bad, though he didn't think that he would be able to listen to them for an extended period.

"They're touring right now," Tino explained, "and they're coming here."

"Are you going to the concert?" Lars asked.

"I'd like to, but I'm broke right now. The electricity box at my apartment stopped working, and I had to pay to get it fixed."

Lars winced. He looked at Tino again, noting the wistful expression on his face. Lars wondered if there was something that he could do to help the Finn.

He would need to do a little research.

…

A week later, Lars arrived in class with a surprise for Tino. Tino smiled as he removed his earphones, before Lars placed two pieces of paper in front of Tino.

"What's this?" Tino asked, before his smile fell and his eyes widened. "Are these…?"

"Two tickets to Nightwish," Lars explained. "I had some money saved up. That is, if you're okay to go with me. If you want to take someone else…"

"N-no." Tino smiled. "Of course I'd love to go with you. Thank you!"

Lars only nodded. He'd spent the last week listening to some of their songs. He found a few that he liked. All that mattered at this point was that he didn't dislike it. That would have made the concert pure torture.

…

"Are you having fun?" Lars shouted, in order to be heard over the crowd. The music had died down a bit, as the vocalist introduced the next song, so he didn't have to worry about the music too much.

Tino nodded, before his eyes widened and he grinned. Lars assumed that this was one of Tino's favourite songs.

It turned out to be a long song, but Lars listened closely to the lyrics. And at one point, near what turned out to be the end of the song, the vocalist urged everyone to join her. It became a chant, which Lars had to admit made his eyes sting.

"We were here!"

He turned towards Tino, who was indeed wiping his eyes. As the music mellowed, Lars wrapped his arm around Tino.

He was surprised when he felt Tino hug him back, and he smiled. While this wasn't the type of music he usually liked, he was glad for the exposure. It brought him closer to the person he liked.

I've had an obsession with Nightwish recently, and they're probably the only band that I'd be willing to see in concert (concerts are not a comfortable atmosphere for me). One thing I hope to experience for myself is the ending of The Greatest Show on Earth. In concerts, Floor urges the audience to sing the words 'We were here!' with her. That literally brings tears to my eyes, and if you've listened to the rest of the song up to that point, you'd understand why it's so poignant.

There's also another reason why I like Nightwish. Interesting fact, metal music can soothe migraines. It's theorised that the bass used in metal, hard rock and dubstep causes a soothing reaction. And one time, after a twelve-hour long migraine, one hour of Nightwish did more to ease the pain than three doses of painkillers spread out across those twelve hours. Now my brain associates the band with comfort. But a warning: They mention that if you're more inclined to classical music, metal music won't soothe you, and vice-versa.

Nightwish is, of course, a Finnish band, and Floor Jansen, the lead vocalist, is Dutch. And that was how I chose this pairing.